Early Childhood Development and Learning: Diverse Children and Families (Early Childhood Special Education) for NYS Certified Teachers

Program Overview

This master’s program will prepare you to support infants, toddlers, preschoolers and early elementary children in inclusive, integrated, and self-contained classrooms, as well as homes and communities.

Coursework and Clinical Experiences

Courses are offered in the afternoon and evening. Some courses may be available in an online or hybrid format. Select courses have required fieldwork hours in classrooms, homes, or community settings. Students also participate in supervised teaching (student teaching and/or practicum) as the culmination of their course of study.

Credits

36 credits

Certification

Students with Disabilities (Birth to Grade 2)

Eligibility and Admission Requirements

This program is designed for applicants who hold New York State (NYS) certification in Early Childhood Education, Birth-Grade 2

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0;
or a master’s degree from an accredited institution with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.5
NYS certification in Early Childhood Education or PreK to Grade 6. Those holding permanent certification must either show proof that they have satisfied the New York State requirements regarding wellness, child abuse, drug abuse, fire safety, and violence prevention or take HED 71500, a one-credit course covering these topics
A statement of purpose (500 to 1,000 words) that addresses the following prompts:
- Describe your understanding of what it means to be an early interventionist/early childhood special educator and your personal vision for the field of early intervention/early childhood special education. How does justice, equity, diversity and inclusion inform your understanding of this?
- Share your reason for pursuing a career in early intervention/early childhood special education and what led you to this career
- Describe your prior experiences with young children and/or children in special education in your responses to the above
Two letters of recommendation
An official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score report (Waived for Spring 2025 and Fall 2025 applicants)

To Apply

Applications are accepted each Fall and Spring semester.

To start your application, visit the Hunter College Online Application.

When applying to this program under Program of Study, select School of Education – Special Education and ECDL for NYS certified teachers (leads to Students with Disabl. B-2 Cert).

Application Deadlines

Fall Start

March 15

Spring Start

October 15
December 1 (Extended Deadline)

Visit How to Apply for information about deadline extensions.

Related Programs

If you hold NYS certification in an area other than Early Childhood Education, Birth – Grade 2, and seek certification in Early Childhood Special Education, consider our Early Childhood Development and Learning: Diverse Children and Families (Early Childhood Special Education Dual Certification) program.

If you hold initial NYS certification in Students with Disabilities, Birth – Grade 2, and are seeking professional certification, consider our master’s program in Professional Certification (Advanced Preparation) in Special Education.

If you hold a Master’s Degree and NYS certification in Early Childhood Education, consider our Early Childhood Development and Learning: Diverse Children and Families (Early Childhood Special Education) Advanced Certificate.