The first few years of life are crucial to developing a child's identity, learning, communication and problem-solving skills. As an early childhood professional, you will help young children develop curiosity, awareness of social interaction, and communication through music, art, reading, and other activities and forms of media.

Wheelock students are passionate about opening the world of learning to young children. They love working with families and learning about different cultures, languages, and ways of raising children. Studying Early Childhood Education at Wheelock prepares students to teach young children from birth through eight years of age in either public schools (grades kindergarten through second), private schools, and/or early care and education settings, such as infant/toddler centers and family day care homes, preschools, Head Start, children's museums, publishing firms, and resource and referral agencies.  If you are already an early childhood practitioner, our programs at the undergraduate and graduate level will help you to advance your understanding, skills, and professional standing.

At Wheelock, we combine educational philosophy and theory with hands-on experience and practical skills. You will learn how children develop and learn; how to address racism, sexism, and bias of all types affecting young children and their families; how to address the individual needs of every child; and how to build exciting and meaningful curriculum based on children's development and growth.

Go directly to the Early Childhood Faculty Member list

Program Options

At the undergraduate level, we offer three options within the Early Childhood Education Professional Major.

If you're interested in teaching in grades public schools, you may choose the  Preschool-Grade 2 Specialist: Inclusive Classroom Teacher. This option focuses on comprehensive education and care of children birth to 8-years old (through grade 2) and professional work with their families and communities. Upon successful completion of this major and passage of the MTEL (Massachusetts Test of Educator Licensure), you'll be eligible for the Massachusetts Teacher of Students with and without Disabilities, Pre K-2 license and/or the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (DEEC) Certification. In addition, Wheelock education programs are nationally accredited with the rigorous NCATE accreditation, which will give you an advantage when you seek employment and if you apply for licensure in other states or abroad.

For those undergraduates interested in a focus on children ages birth through five years, we have two options. The Birth to Age 5 Specialist: Infant/Toddler provides you with the knowledge and skills to work with very young children and their families in early child care, family day care, and other settings, such as resource and referral agencies.  Birth-5 Specialist, Preschool-Kindergarten provides a variety of possible roles for students interested in working with children in early childhood care and education settings, such as child care centers, museums, publishing firms and resource and referral agencies.  Students interested in teaching in private kindergarten, pre-school, and infant/ toddler settings may use courses and experiences in these options as they apply to the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (DEEC) for Lead Teacher credential.

In addition to a professional major in Early Childhood Education, you will choose an arts and sciences major (American Studies, the Arts, Communications and Media Literacy, the Humanities, Math/Science, and Psychology and Human Development ) which complement and support your professional preparation.

At the graduate level, we offer two degree programs in Early Childhood Education.

The Early Childhood Education Master's program is design to provide students with a sequence of coursework and field experiences that will prepare them to teach in public and private prek-2^nd grade classrooms. Upon completion of this program, as well as passing the Massachusetts Test for Educator (MTEL), students qualify for Massachusetts Teacher of Students with and without Disabilities, Pre K-2 license and/or the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (DEEC) Certification.

The Care and Education in Early Childhood Settings Master's degree program is designed for early childhood professionals who wish to work in a range of early childhood settings. This program has a variety of options for early childhood professionals ranging from those who are fairly new to the field to those with more extensive educational and professional backgrounds in ECE. In the Care and Education program, all students select a focus of study in consultation with their academic advisor that relates to their own professional goals and interests. Depending on the focus of study selected by the student, this program can lead to DEEC Lead Teacher or Director I certification or allow a teacher holding an initial ECE license from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to advance their initial license to the professional level, and to deepen their knowledge of key content in teaching English Language Learners, teaching Reading, or working with children with special needs.

Early Childhood Education Faculty Members

Cheryl Render Brown
Catherine Donahue
David Fernie
Ellie Friedland
Patricia Hnatiuk
Deborah Keefe
Diane Levin
Karen Murphy
Amy Phillips-Losso
Barbara (Bobbi) Rosenquest
Susan Shainker
Susan Zoll