EECE

About the EECE Department

​The Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education (EECE) offers undergraduate, graduate, and advanced certificate programs leading to New York State certification in Early Childhood Education (Birth-Grade 2), Childhood Education (Grades 1-6), Literacy Education, and Bilingual Education. These programs prepare teachers to support learning and development within the family, culture, and community contexts of students and schools.

Important note regarding certification: To conform to changing NYS regulations and the requirements of various accreditation agencies, EECE graduate programs may undergo revisions that are not necessarily reflected in the Bulletin. Each semester the department holds several informational sessions about NYS certification and program requirements. Students considering graduate study in elementary and early childhood are encouraged to attend. Contact the department (718-997-5302) for the schedule.

Departmental Standards for All Programs:
Responsible training for work in the areas of elementary and early childhood education requires that candidates, in addition to meeting their program’s academic requirements, also demonstrate appropriate professional behavior in all classroom, field, and professional settings. Such behavior includes, but is not limited to, interpersonal skills, professional judgment, ethical conduct, and academic integrity. In addition, candidates are expected to demonstrate oral and written communication proficiency, sensitivity to student issues, including those related to diverse backgrounds, practices, and beliefs, as well as the effective management of personal stress or adjustment difficulties. Candidates who fail to meet these personal and professional standards will be subject to review by their program faculty and/or the EECE Student Review Committee, and sanctions, such as dismissal from the program, may result. Students have the right to appeal, and should familiarize themselves with guidelines set forth in the Queens College Bulletin.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement:
The EECE Department is committed to increasing the diversity of teacher candidates entering into preK-6 classrooms. We define diverstiy as addressing a range of cultures, races, languages, sexes, disabilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, religion, family structures or relationships, or economic statuses. Diversity serves critical funstions in expanding perpectives and points of views in a globalizing society. We see it as our responsibility to address diversity by promoting inclusive excellence in teacher education by providing safe learning environments dedicated to equitable learning and teaching opportunities to ensure that nondiscriminatory, anti-racist pedagogy and assessment practices are the norm in all aspects of our programs.

Faculty in the department are committed to actively working against racism, discrimination, and bias in teaching and curriculum, and to prepare teachers to challenge and dismantle racist structures and systems in schooling. As faculty who teach in teacher preparation programs, we aim to create an inclusive departmental culture that recognizes the diversifying preK-6 student population. As such, we strive to prepare the teacher candidates who will create inclusive and caring classroom environments for students to learn and grow to become physically, socio-emotinally healthy and productive citizens.

• Data to assist in the recruitment and retention of diverse student populations and faculty;
• Program and course content to ensure that aspects of diverstiy, equity, and inclusion are seamlessly intertwined with learning standards to ensure that other diverse perspectives, voices, and ways of knowing are represented in the curriculum;
• Entry, progression, and completion criteria and policies are demonstrative of inclusive practices;
• Clinical placements to ensure that teacher candidates have diverse student teaching experiences.