May 5, 2008

Contact:
Liz Babiarz, 404-413-1356
University Relations

College of Education launches infant through 5-year-old teacher education program

ATLANTA – Researchers suggest children who spend time in high-quality early education programs have better test scores, improved language development, fewer behavior problems and other academic advantages.

For these reasons, educators, legislators and parents in Georgia and across the nation are placing a greater significance on learning and development during children’s early years.

To ensure enough educators are prepared to effectively teach children ages infant through 5, Georgia State will offer a new bachelor’s degree program this fall that provides students with academic preparation and field experience.

“There is a pressing need to provide highly-qualified teachers for the birth-through- kindergarten setting, particularly those serving children with special needs,” said Ruth Saxton, Georgia State’s birth through 5 program coordinator.

Graduates of the program will hold a state of Georgia teaching certificate and a preschool special education endorsement.

Until recently, early care and education providers have not been required to have a college education to work with young children. But changes to federal and state rules are mandating more preschool teachers to hold bachelor’s degrees. Half of all Head Start teachers, for example, will be required to have a baccalaureate degree or an advanced degree by 2011.

Also, Georgia requires teachers to earn at least an associate’s degree with the goal of increasing that to a bachelor’s degree to teach pre-kindergarten, a free, lottery-funded program offered to all 4-year-olds in the state. The pre-kindergarten program is in such high demand that parents in parts of Atlanta have camped outside of schools for days to ensure their children get a slot.

Georgia State’s birth through 5-year-old program will offer a pathway for students, such as Chandra Andrews, who is earning her associate’s degree from Atlanta Technical College. Thanks to an agreement between Georgia State and accredited technical and two-year colleges, students like Andrews will be able to transfer approved courses to the program.

“That’s a big plus for me,” said Andrews, who has applied to start the program in the fall. “The program is geared to my situation. And with morning and evening classes, it’s so convenient.”

Child care experts also see the benefit in the program.

“It will better prepare teachers to support children’s readiness for the school system,” said Dewayne Frederick, associate director of the Lanette L. Suttles Child Development Center at Georgia State. “We need program graduates who are able to introduce children to meaningful experiences that will enhance their development and future school success.”

For more information, visit http://education.gsu.edu/ece/BirthThroughFive.htm