Early Childhood Education (BA)
Welcome to the Early Childhood Education (BA) program home page. Use this page as a guide to the program from acceptance to graduation.
This program is designed to prepare prospective teachers to serve as high-quality educators for students in urban schools and other childcare settings. Teacher candidates will take a specified sequence of education courses in addition to fulfilling the CUNY Common Core Requirement and the requirements of their liberal arts or sciences major. These programs include fieldwork in New York City Public schools.
Academic Plan
Total Credits
This is a 42-credit program in which students complete the course sequence over four or six semesters.
Program Code for Certification
37691 – EARLY CHILDHOOD ED, BIRTH – GR 2
Advisors
- Maria Mavrides Calderon, Program Leader and Faculty Advisor (Fall 24 only)
- Carmen Brown, Program Leader and Faculty Advisor (Fall 24 on leave)
- Veshno Kumar, Certification, Graduation and Administrative Advisor
- Nikki Hertz, Clinical Placement Specialist
New Education Majors
Getting Started
Welcome to the School of Education! Visit the New Education Majors page for next steps.
New Education Majors Support
If at any point you need support, please reach out to our New Student Liaison at newsoest@hunter.cuny.edu or make an appointment.
Fingerprint Clearance Requirements
All students in teacher preparation programs as well as programs in school counseling need to be fingerprinted so that they are cleared to work with children in various settings including New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) public schools, charter networks, and other organizations. Visit the Fingerprinting page for requirements and procedures.
Program Sequence
The program sequence provides a suggested order of courses for the program based on start date. For technical registration support and troubleshooting, please visit the Register for Classes page.
Hunter College Catalog
Use the Hunter College Course Catalog to review descriptions of specific courses and academic progress standards for the program along with exit requirements.
Clinical Experiences
Students in the Early Childhood Education (BA) program participate in developmental field experiences (fieldwork), and supervised teaching (student teaching) to meet three age group requirements, birth to four years; kindergarten; and first or second grade.
Fieldwork
Fieldwork is a classroom experience in a New York City Public School in conjunction with a course. Select courses have fieldwork requirements.
Placement
For fieldwork courses requiring 10 days or 50 hours or more, students must apply to the Office of Clinical Experience. Students will be placed at a Hunter College partner school in New York City including community based preschools, and New York City public Pre-Ks and grade one or two classrooms.
Application
Students must apply for the following courses with fieldwork components through the Office of Clinical Experiences before registering:
Registration and Placement Process
- The Office of Clinical Experiences reviews applications for eligibility.
- The Office of Clinical Experiences grants registration permission and notifies students via their myhunter.cuny.edu email address one week before registration opens.
- Student registers for course once permission granted.
- The Office of Clinical Experiences places students at a Hunter College School of Education partner site and notifies them via myhunter.cuny.edu email address.
Supervised Teaching: Student Teaching
Students participate in supervised teaching (student teaching) as the culmination of their course of study. Student teaching requires five full days per week for one semester. Students are observed by Hunter College Clinical Supervisors throughout the semester.
Required Exams
Students must pass the following New York State exams before registration permission is granted for student teaching:
- Educating All Students (EAS)
- Content Specialty Test (CST) – Multi-Subjects : Teacher of Early Childhood Birth-Grade 2 (Parts 1-3)
Placement
Students apply for student teaching for placement by the Office of Clinical Experience with a cooperating teacher/mentor at a Hunter College Partner School in New York City. Students teach alongside the cooperating teacher/mentor throughout the semester.
Application
All students must apply for student teaching through the Office of Clinical Experiences.
Application Deadlines
- Fall Semester: April 1st
- Spring Semester: November 1st
- Summer Semester: N/A
Registration and Placement Process
- The Office of Clinical Experiences reviews student teaching/practicum applications for eligibility.
- The Office of Clinical Experiences grants registration permission.
- One week before each semester registration opens, the Office of Clinical Experiences informs students of next steps through their myhunter.cuny.edu email.
- The Office of Clinical Experiences will place students at a Hunter College School of Education partner site in New York City and notify their myhunter.cuny.edu email.
Supervised Teaching Time Record Form
Graduation
Graduation is the official completion of your program and conferral of an academic degree. In order to graduate, students must apply for graduation using CUNYFirst the semester before the semester of their planned graduation and complete any outstanding requirements by the stated deadlines. Visit the Graduation and Commencement page for complete information.
Certification and Licensure
The Early Childhood Education (BA) program leads to New York State initial certification to teach Early Childhood Education (Birth – Grade 2) in New York State. Students must wait to apply for certification until they receive an email from the School of Education indicating their recommendation has been entered. This usually occurs six to eight week’s after the conferral of your degree.
Types of Certification
Students are recommended for initial certification:
- The Initial Certificate is the entry-level teaching certificate and is valid for five years.
Application Checklist
Review Your Fingerprint Status
All students in programs leading to New York State certification need to have their fingerprints cleared by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Visit the Fingerprinting for Hunter College School of Education Students to learn how to obtain fingerprint clearance. You can check your state clearance status on your TEACH account.
Take Required Certification Exams and Workshops
Exams
All students must fulfill the following exam requirements over the course of their program:
- Educating All Students (EAS)
- Content Specialty Test (CST) – Multi Subject Teachers of Early Childhood
Exam Registration and Test Preparation
Register for an exam at the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations website. Need help preparing? Learn about upcoming Test Preparation Workshops.
Hunter International Students who hold F1 Visas but do not have a Social Security number must email soeoasa@hunter.cuny.edu to request a TEACH Access Number (TAN). The TEACH Access Number (TAN) must be used in lieu of a Social Security Number for registering for New York State Teacher Certification exams and applying for New York State (NYS) certification.
If you get a Social Security Number, you must update your information on your TEACH Account by requesting a Social Security Number change via the New York State Education Department. You must also update the information on your New York State (NYS) Teacher Certification Exam account. Your social security number will replace your TEACH Access Number (TAN).
Workshops
All students must fulfill the following workshop requirements over the course of their program.
- School Violence Prevention and Intervention
- This workshop is included in coursework.
- Prevention and Child Abuse Identification and Reporting
- This workshop is included in coursework.
- Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) workshop
- Students may take the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) workshop through Hunter College’s Continuing Education department or with another approved provider through the New York State Education Department (NYSED) website. Once you complete the DASA workshop, submit copies of DASA workshop certification to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs so that their CUNYfirst account can be updated via the Workshop or Exam Completion Form.
Apply for Graduation
In order to be recommended for certification, all students in all programs including advanced certificate programs, must complete their program and apply for graduation. For more information on the graduation process, please visit the School of Education Graduation and Commencement page.
Apply for Certification
Students must wait to apply for certification until they receive an email from the School of Education indicating their recommendation has been entered. This usually occurs six to eight week’s after the conferral of your degree.
Create/Log in to your TEACH Account
Students must create/log in to their New York State Education Department (NYSED) TEACH Account. From your Teach Online Services Home page, select Apply for Certificate which is found under “Online Application.” This will start a new application.
Hunter International Students who hold F1 Visas but do not have a Social Security number must email soeoasa@hunter.cuny.edu to request a TEACH Access Number (TAN). The TEACH Access Number (TAN) must be used in lieu of a Social Security Number to apply for New York State (NYS) certification.
If you get a Social Security Number, you must update your information on your TEACH Account by requesting a Social Security Number change via the New York State Education Department. You must also update the information on your New York State (NYS) Teacher Certification Exam account. Your social security number will replace your TEACH Access Number (TAN).
1. Verify/Update Profile
The Verify/Update Profile section will ask for education and employment history.
For educational history, provide information from bachelor’s degree to present. For the drop down next to Degree and Major, select the option that corresponds to the degree and major earned.
For employment history enter all full-time, paid teaching experiences in both public, private and charter schools.
2. Select Certificate(s)
Enter the following information for the certificates section for initial certification.
Initial Certification
- Select your Area of Interest: Classroom Teacher
- Select your Subject Area: Early Childhood Education
- Select the Grade Level: Early Childhood – Birth – Grade 2
- Select the Title: Early Childhood Education Birth – Grade 2
- Select your Certificate Type: Initial
On the next page you will be prompted to enter the program code:
- 37691 – EARLY CHILDHOOD ED, BIRTH – GR 2
3. Complete application (sign affidavit, sign application, make payment)
Read and sign the required affidavit and confirm and sign the application. Finally, make payment.
Additional Resources
Expiring Certifications
If you will not graduate from the Advanced Certificate program prior to the expiration of your initial certificate, you may be eligible for an extension through NYSED’s TEACH Online Services. Create/Log in to your TEACH account and select “Apply for a Time Extension.”
Out of State Certification or Licensure
Students applying for certification or licensure in states other than New York must complete the Out of State Certification and Licensure Form and upload the required completed form for the state they are applying to.
For students applying in states that have a web based form (ex. New Jersey), please send the access information to Melissa Boronkas, Certification Officer at mb74@hunter.cuny.edu.
For more information on certification or licensure requirements in other states, please review the interstate agreement information on the National Associate of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification site.
Hunter International Students (F1 Visa Holder) Certification or Licensure
Hunter International Students who hold F1 Visas but do not have a Social Security number must email soeoasa@hunter.cuny.edu to request a TEACH Access Number (TAN). The TEACH Access Number (TAN) must be used in lieu of a Social Security Number for all processes involving certification such as fingerprinting, creating your TEACH Account, registering for New York State Teacher Certification exams, and applying for New York State (NYS) certification.
If you get a Social Security Number, you must update your information on your TEACH Account by requesting a Social Security Number change via the New York State Education Department. You must also update the information on your New York State (NYS) Teacher Certification Exam account. Your social security number will replace your TEACH Access Number (TAN).
Letter Requests
Please use the School of Education Letter Request Form to request a letter from the School of Education to verify your education experience.