Childhood Education – QUEST (BA)
Welcome to the Childhood Education – QUEST (BA) program home page. Use this page as a guide to the program from acceptance to graduation.
This program is committed to the preparation of urban elementary school teachers who can deal effectively with the wide range of diverse learning needs found among the City’s students. 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
25635 – CHILDHOOD ED, GRADES 1-6, QUEST
Advisors
- Debbie Sonu, Faculty Advisor
- Nora McCormick, Administrative Advisor
- Robin O’Leary, 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 Sequences
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
To review descriptions of specific courses and academic progress standards for the program along with exit requirements please use the course catalog for the year you were admitted to the program.
Course Catalog Summer 2022 onward
Course Catalog prior to Summer 2022
Clinical Experiences
Students in the Childhood Education – QUEST (BA) program participate in developmental field experiences (fieldwork), and supervised teaching (student teaching).
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 courses with fieldwork components requiring greater than 30 hours, students must apply to the Office of Clinical Experience and will be placed at a Hunter College Partner School in New York City.
Application
Students must apply for the following courses with fieldwork components through the Office of Clinical Experiences before registering:
QSTP 300 – Fieldwork I
QSTP 300 includes a block of courses (QSTP 300, QSTB 202, QSTAP 401) that students will complete in a general education setting. Students must register for the same section for the block of 3 courses. Students report to their assigned classroom one day per week and attend 2 classes on an alternate day of the week.
Newly admitted (4 semester sequence) students will be given registration permission for Fieldwork 1 only by the Office of Clinical Experiences.
Application Form
Students in the six semester sequence apply via the QUEST Fieldwork Application.
QSTP 301 – Fieldwork II
QSTP 301 includes a block of courses (QSTP 301, QSTA 410, QSTAP 412) that students will complete in a general education setting. Students must register for the same section for the block of 3 courses. Students report to their assigned classroom one day per week and attend 2 classes on an alternate day of the week.
Application Form
All students apply via the QUEST Fieldwork Application.
QSTP 302 – Fieldwork III
QSTP 302 includes a block of courses (QSTP 302, QSTAP 406, QSTB 413) that students will complete in a general education setting. Students must register for the same section for the block of 3 courses. Students report to their assigned classroom one day per week and attend 2 classes on an alternate day of the week.
Application Form
All students apply via QUEST Fieldwork Application.
Application Deadlines
- Fall Semester: April 1st
- Spring Semester: November 1st
Registration, Application 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.
Fieldwork Hours Time Record Form
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 Supervised Teaching:
- Educating All Students (EAS)
- Content Specialty Test (CST) – Multi-Subject: Teachers of Childhood (Grades 1 – Grades 6) (Parts 1-3)
Application
All students must apply for student teaching through the Office of Clinical Experiences before registering.
Application Deadlines
- Fall Semester: April 1st
- Spring Semester: November 1st
- Summer Semester: N/A
Registration and Placement Process
Student Teachers are placed by the Office of Clinical Experience with a mentor/cooperating teacher at a Hunter College Partner School in New York City. Students teach alongside the mentor/cooperating teacher throughout the semester.
- The Office of Clinical Experiences reviews student teaching 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.
Internship Certificate
Current students who are eligible for practicum and secure a teaching position that requires NYS certification may apply for an internship certificate. Students must apply for practicum first and will only receive instructions thereafter.
Visit the Internship Certificate page for eligibility requirements and application processes and procedures.
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 Childhood Education – QUEST (BA) program leads to New York State initial certification to teach Childhood Education (Grades 1-6) 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 Childhood (Grades 1 – Grades 6) (This exam has 3 parts.)
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.
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.
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: Childhood Education
- Select the Grade Level: Grades 1-6
- Select the Title: Childhood Education (Grades 1-6)
- Select your Certificate Type: Initial
On the next page you will be prompted to enter the program code:
- 25635 – CHILDHOOD ED, GRADES 1-6, QUEST
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
Registering for New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE)
During the registration process enter all 9s when prompted for your Social Security Number (SSN). Once you do receive a Social Security Number, you will need to fax a copy of your Social Security Number card and Passport to the New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE) with a cover letter including your assigned New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE) ID number to request they change your temporary Social Security Number replacement with your assigned Social Security Number.
The fax number for New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE) is 413-256-7088. Follow up a few days later to ensure they have received your fax. The phone number for New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE) is 413-256-2882.
Applying for NYSED TEACH Account without a Social Security Number
You do not need to wait for a Social Security Number (SSN) to create an account on the NYSED TEACH system. If you do not have a valid Social Security Number, you will need to email soeoasa@hunter.cuny.edu to request a TEACH Access Number first. The access number is only for use with TEACH and meeting requirements for New York State teacher certification. If you do get a social security number, you must notify NYSED.
If you apply for OPT the process will generate a Social Security Number which you will use to create your TEACH account and apply for New York State Department of Education teaching certification. You should apply for OPT as soon as you can, but you cannot apply earlier than 90 days before your program completion date.
For general instructions on setting up your NYSED TEACH account, please refer to the Certification and Licensure section on this program page.
New York City Department of Education Employment with OPT once your NYS Certificate has issued
International students cannot apply for employment with New York City Public Schools until they have a Social Security Number (SSN). International students may qualify for employment in New York City public schools once they hold New York State certification and hold an OPT visa. You will be ineligible to apply to work for the New York City Department of Education unless you hold OPT authorization, have a Social Security Number and your New York State certification has issued. Candidates fitting the above criteria may apply online to the New York City Department of Education. Once the application is received and reviewed, further instructions will follow. This policy is subject to change at any time.
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.
Internship Certification for Graduate Teacher Education Students
The Internship Certificate allows a teacher candidate to serve as a teacher of record while completing the master’s degree program. The Internship Certificate is reserved for graduate teacher education students who meet certain New York State Education Department (NYSED) and Hunter College School of Education requirements. For more information on the Internship Certificate with Hunter College, please review the Internship Certificate page.