Early Childhood Education

Are you passionate about young children and education? The Associate Degree at Nashua Community College will provide you with the theoretical and hands-on learning to support your passion and goals. A career in early childhood is your opportunity to touch the future and make a difference in the lives of young children.

Why Study Childhood Education Here

Our Early Childhood Education program at Nashua Community College combines theoretical study with immediate field experiences in quality childcare centers with children from birth to 8 years of age.  We have embedded professional development certificates into courses that can be added to your resume. Our Early Childhood Education Program follows the NAEYC Professional Standards. The Associate degree requirements fulfillthe NH Early Childhood Level 5 Teacher Credential.

Come learn with us and experience

• Collaborative learning environments
• Hands-on activities
• Quality Instructors passionate about the field of early childhood
• Course sequence earns you stackable certificates as you progress through our program (Associate Teacher certificate, Lead Teacher certificate, Associate Degree).

Career Options

• Child care center Lead Teacher or Associate Teacher
• Head Start or Early Head Start Programs
• Family child care
• Para-educator at elementary schools
• Field of child advocacy
• Further your education at a 4-year college or university to become a pre-k – 3rd-grade teacher
• Director of childcare center

Related Program

• Early Childhood Associate Teacher Certification
• Early Childhood Lead Teacher Certification

Upon completion of the degree in Early Childhood Education, graduates will be well versed in the National Association of Early Childhood Education Professional Standards and Competencies of Early Childhood Educators. NAEYC competencies include:

• Promote child development and learning: understanding young children’s characteristics and needs, the multiple influences on their development and learning; and how to create healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments;
• Building family and community relationships: understanding diverse family and community characteristics through respectful, reciprocal relationships and involving them in their children’s development and learning;
• Observe, document, and assess young children to support them and their families: understanding the goals, benefits, and uses of various types of and then applying the appropriate assessment tools and approaches to promote positive outcomes for each child as well as to building partnerships with families and other professionals;
• Use developmentally effective approaches: to understand positive relationships and supportive interactions as the foundation of their work with young children. Know and understand effective strategies and tools for early education, including appropriate uses of technology. Using a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate teaching /learning approaches. Be able to reflect on own practice to promote positive outcomes for each child;
• Use content knowledge to build a meaningful curriculum: Understand content knowledge and resources in academic disciplines: language and literacy; the arts – music, creative movement, dance, drama, visual arts; mathematics; science, physical activity, physical education, health, and safety; and social studies. Know and use the central concepts, inquiry tools, and structures of content areas or academic disciplines. Use own knowledge, appropriate early learning standards, and other resources to design, implement, and evaluate developmentally meaningful and challenging curriculum for each child;
• Become a professional: Identify and involve oneself in the early childhood field. Know about and uphold ethical standards and other early childhood professional guidelines. Engage in continuous, collaborative learning to inform practice; using technology effectively with young children, with peers, and as a professional resource. Integrate knowledgeable, reflective, and critical perspectives on early education.
• Engaging in informed advocacy: for young children and the early childhood profession.

 In addition, the graduate will be able to demonstrate competency in the general education outcomes.

Students are advised that to participate in practicum field experiences, and to gain employment working with young children, they must be free of criminal convictions as required by the NH Bureau of Child Care Licensing and the NH Department of Education. Students are required to complete the fingerprinting process through State Police or DMV to participate in the ECE practicum field experience. The student may incur fees in meeting these requirements. The College must ensure students in the program do not put themselves or children in jeopardy during the practicum field experience.

Students in the Early Childhood Education program must have sufficient strength, stamina, motor coordination, and sensory capabilities to perform the following:

• Standing for sustained periods, walking, running, bending, and sitting on the floor to meet children’s needs and accomplish tasks;
• Frequent lifting, moving and transferring children, especially infants and toddlers;
• Sufficient visual and hearing acuity to ensure a safe environment; and ability to respond quickly to children, colleagues, and professional partners in the event of an emergency;
• Sufficient verbal ability to express and exchange information and ideas as well as to interpret important instructions to children, colleagues, professional partners, and parents;
• Sufficient skills in written expression to accurately record children’s daily progress and milestones as well as medications administered, accident and suspected child abuse/neglect reports, etc.;
• Ability to work with frequent interruptions, to respond appropriately to unexpected situations including situations requiring immediate crisis response and role responsibility exchange; to demonstrate safe and required care for children, families, colleagues, and the workplace as a whole; and to cope with substantial variations in workload and stress levels;
• Ability to consistently attend and participate in classes and practice on time;
• Ability to demonstrate and maintain organizational skills and time management in classes and at the practicum site;
• Ability to respond to children’s personal needs, including changing diapers, in a manner that safeguards the health and safety of the student, children, and staff;
• Ability to work professionally and respectfully with a diverse range of children including children of different races, cultures, religions, and ethnicities as well as children with a wide range of disabling conditions;
• Ability to maintain proper boundaries in both the school and home environments; and
• Ability and disposition to adhere to and practice the Code of Ethical Conduct set forth by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. NCC reserves the right to amend its technical standards at any time and impose them on all current students

Technical Standards guide you as to skills and abilities required to function successfully in the program and ultimately in the Early Childhood Education profession. If you feel you may not be able to meet one or more of the technical standards you should contact department faculty to discuss individual cases. The Early Childhood Education Department will seriously consider all academically qualified candidates provided that the technical standards can be met with or without reasonable accommodations. No essential technical standards will be waived or modified. Information on the Technical Standards for this program is also available in the Technical Standards section of this catalog.

Part of your experience in the early childhood education program is the completion of observational hours at approved childcare centers. You are required to complete observational hours in all early childhood educational courses as part of your coursework.

Practicum I and Practicum II courses require you to complete up to 130 hours of field teaching experiences within the semester. You may have to adjust your work schedule to complete these hours.

Final requirement to completing field observations and teaching is a criminal background check and fingerprinting. There is a minimal fee required. It is your responsibility to pay the fee and complete the fingerprints and background check.

 Several of our courses are NoLo courses that have minimal textbook costs.

Running Start and Dual Enrollment courses offer a seamless pathway for students to transfer into Nashua Community College from High School. 

Nashua Community College partners with four-year colleges and universities to offer transfer opportunities to students looking to earn their bachelor’s degree after NCC.

Scholarships are available for our program through the T.E.A.C.H. NH Scholarship Program. The scholarship program supports the cost of tuition and books, offers paid release time from work for scholarship recipients, and a bonus upon completing 9-12 credits within 12 months. For more information and to see if you qualify visit T.E.A.C.H. NH Scholarship.

Grants are available through a partnership with Granite State College and the Division of Children Youth & Families, Department of Health and Human Resources. CCSNH students, working at least 20 hours per week in a NH licensed early childhood program are invited to apply. Eligible students may receive assistance for one ECE Course per term. Visit  CCSNH Scholarship websiteto see if you qualify. 

Early Childhood students participate in observation hours and two Practicum experiences. The child care observations and experiences are your opportunity to practice the skills and knowledge you have gained through your course work in our program. You will participate in 125 hours of field experience for Practicum I and 130 hours for Practicum II. You will have first-hand experience in daily activities, completing a child development study as well as creating and implementing a curriculum unit.