Childhood Education

Why Choose Childhood Education?

The best teachers give students the care and attention necessary to prepare them for successful and fulfilling lives beyond the classroom. Manhattan College’s childhood education program gives you the academic and interpersonal skills necessary to achieve this. As a Childhood Education major, you will complete coursework that lays a foundation in pedagogical methods, focusing on curriculum, learner needs, technology, and literacy. Equipped with these skills and theories, you will be well-prepared to make a difference in students’ lives during their formative elementary years.

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While majoring in childhood education, you will also specialize in one of the following concentration areas:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• English
• General Science
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Psychology
• Social Studies
• Spanish 

Upon successful completion of the program, you will be recommended for initial certification in teaching grades 1-6 in a regular education elementary classroom. 

If you are interested in working with even younger children, you can complete the Early Childhood Education extension to earn an additional certification for birth through grade 2. Or, if you are interested in teaching in grades 7 thr

ough 9, you can complete the Middle Childhood Extension to earn an additional certification for these older grade levels. 

The program is approved by the New York State Education Department. In June 2022, the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) awarded full 7-year accreditation to the childhood education teacher preparation program.

What Will You Learn?

Our childhood education program has a well-earned reputation for producing excellent educators who teach across a broad spectrum of schools in both urban and suburban districts. The curriculum of the adolescence education teacher preparation program has four components:

• Core coursework in the liberal arts and sciences
• Studies in chosen academic concentration
• Foundational methods of education
• Field experience and student teaching 

As a childhood education major, you will benefit from the expertise of distinguished faculty in the liberal arts and sciences, both in your core courses and your chosen concentration area. As part of your education coursework, you will learn to plan and teach lessons in a supportive environment. You also will have the opportunity to workshop lessons with your peers prior to implementing them in real middle and high school classrooms. In addition to the faculty in the Education department, some of your instructors will be current principals, building administrators, and lead teachers in our partner schools. Not only will you acquire knowledge of current issues in education and their experience in the classroom, you will also build your network to aid in job placement after graduation. 

Our campus is located in the Bronx, with fieldwork access to students in the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), the largest school system in the United States. Our student-teachers are typically placed in the most socially and economically diverse school districts. Beginning in your very first education course, you will have the opportunity to observe in a New York City public school classroom. Over the course of your four years, you will observe and participate in a variety of classrooms across different schools and grade levels. In your final year, you will complete one full semester of student teaching fieldwork, during which time you will plan and lead daily lessons, and assist your cooperating teachers in classroom management, organization, and grading. You will leave fully prepared to run your own classroom.

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Where Will You Go?

Our childhood education program has a well-earned reputation for producing excellent educators who teach across a broad spectrum of schools in both urban and suburban districts.

During your field experience, you will likely see Manhattan College flags on display in many of our partner schools. The expansive Jasper network will ensure job placement and continued opportunities throughout your career in education.