observation room

Early Childhood Education

Available as

Shaping Young Minds Starts in our Early Childhood Education Program

It takes a big heart to shape little minds. Care for kids aged birth through grade 3. Work in center-based settings, Head Start programs, schools, and preschools. Our students who complete the primary education emphasis in this major will be eligible to apply for a Minnesota Teachers License. They’ll keep you young at heart while you get to see their big developments. There’s bound to be a few fun surprises and a nice change of pace that come with working with kiddos.

Early Childhood Education is a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree.

Portrait Picture: 
Ethan Christopherson

Questions?

Ethan Christopherson

Official Position Title: 
Admissions Counselor

umcinfo@crk.umn.edu | (218) 281-8569

I AM

Crookston

Major in the making of you

I am going to teach the world someday

The University of Minnesota Crookston provides programs in teaching and education. It’s real, hands-on and will get you ready for ready for anything.

Samantha Maki - Early Childhood Education Graduate

Emphasis Areas:

  • Primary Education
  • Program Management

Graduates will obtain licensure to teach:

  • Young children (from birth through age 8 or 3rd grade) and/or to manage high-quality early childhood programs.
  • Students who complete the primary education emphasis in this major will be eligible to apply for a Minnesota Teachers License.

Career Options:

Preschool Teachers, Head Teachers or Lead Teachers for ECE Programs, Kindergarten & Elementary Teachers (through 3rd grade), Head Start Teachers, Early Childhood Care Managers, Directors of Early Childhood Education Programs, Home Start Educators, Education Coordinators, Family Coordinators

ON-CAMPUS

Early Childhood Education

AT A GLANCE...

  • Students majoring in Early Childhood Education at UMC benefit from our state-of-the-art Early Childhood facility.

  • This degree program has four academic core areas of required coursework—education core, early childhood and family core, infant and toddler education core, and preprimary education core.

  • Graduates will obtain licensure to teach.

  • Many of the courses require laboratory experiences in conjunction with other projects and assignments.

REAL. HANDS-ON. READY.

At the U of M Crookston, you won’t spend all your time behind a desk. Our curriculum is designed around experiential learning, which means we want you to have as much hands-on learning as possible. Depending on your major, you’ll find opportunities to be in the field, the lab, the classroom, or engaging in simulated scenarios that give you a competitive edge when you enter the workforce or head to grad school. You’ll learn the concepts and then actively apply them through projects, field trips, site visits, internships, and interactions with professionals in the field.

Meet your future professors

  • James Foss

    Assistant Professor
  • Connie Camrud

    Teaching Specialist
  • Soo-Yin Lim-Thompson PhD

    Professor
  • Shari Daniels

    Shari Daniels

    Assistant Professor

Student Stories

  • Image: 
    Karlie Brekken
    Content: 
    Karlie Brekken follows in the footsteps of her father, Robin, a 1982 graduate of the UMN Crookston Technical College, and her grandfather, Roger Odegaard, a 1960 graduate of the Northwest School of Agriculture. Along with a host of other relatives, Brekken has a family legacy on the campus. She also chose a major with a family legacy.