Why Earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education at Indiana State?

As an early childhood educator, you’ll play an important role in supporting the growth and development of children from birth through age eight, laying the foundation for their future learning. At Indiana State University, our early childhood education program goes beyond the basics, offering a comprehensive education in curriculum design, child development, classroom management, and effective strategies for engaging with families.

The early childhood education program prepares you to qualify for an early childhood education teaching licensure, which is required to become a preschool teacher in Indiana.

Shape Young Minds

Early childhood education teachers shape the lives of young children, inspiring their curiosity to ask questions and develop a lifelong love of learning. In our Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education, you will have the opportunity to work directly with this new generation of young students. Through hands-on learning experiences and fieldwork assignments, you’ll step into real classrooms early in your studies. You’ll also learn how to support children’s physical, emotional, and cognitive development, and discover ways to create fun and engaging classroom environments.

Learn from Our Excellent Faculty

In the Early Childhood Education program, you will learn from instructors with years of classroom teaching experience in younger classrooms. Our faculty also frequently complete independent research, and you could have the opportunity to work with your professors on these projects. Small class sizes mean you will benefit from personalized attention and direct mentorship from professors dedicated to your success.

Gain Additional Hands-On Experience

The Early Childhood Education Center is located on Indiana State’s campus in Terre Haute, Indiana. It delivers a high-quality educational environment and comprehensive, year-round professional care for children from infancy through age five. As an early childhood education student, you will have the opportunity to work in the Center. This means you will receive additional training outside the classroom to work one-on-one with children from the local and regional community.

What You’ll Learn in the Early Childhood Education Program

As an early childhood education major at Indiana State, you’ll be fully prepared to receive your teaching licensure in early childhood education. Our curriculum covers advanced topics in curriculum design, child development, classroom management, and family engagement. You will learn how to nurture every aspect of a child’s growth—including their cognitive, language, communication, social, emotional, and physical development—while incorporating innovative science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts to spark a child’s curiosity and promote literacy.

Coursework in the early childhood education program will conclude with a semester-long student teaching experience and a capstone project, ensuring you graduate with the experience and confidence to become a passionate educator.

Required Courses

Pre-Professional Courses (6 credits)

Course	Credit Hours
ELED 110 – Foundations of Early Childhood Education	3
ELED 220 – Integrated Curriculum for Young Children in Pre-Kindergarten Setting	3

BCP-I Courses (29 credits)

Course	Credit Hours
ELED 333 – STEAM I	3
ELED 334 – STEAM II	3
ELED 290 – Reading 1	3
ELED 291 – Inquiry into Teaching in Grades K-2	1
ELED 324 – Reading 2	3
ELED 325 – Inquiry into Teaching in Grades 3-6	1
ELED 345 – Fine Arts Integrated in the Elementary School	3
ELED 425 – Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers with Development Delay	3
ELED 432 – Early Childhood: Teaching Within a Diverse Society	3
ELED 449 – Early Childhood: Family, School, and Community Relationships	3
MATH 305 – Concepts of Numbers and Operations	3

BCP-II Courses (12 credits)

Course	Credit Hours
ELED 392 – The Teaching of Elementary School Social Studies	3
ELED 397 – Reading 3	3
ELED 398 – Reading 4	3
ELED 400 – Theory to Practice	3

Student Teaching (6-12 credits)

Course	Credit Hours
ELED 457 – Elementary and Special Education Capstone	3
ELED 454 – Supervised Teaching in Early Childhood Education	3-6

Transfer Credit

Indiana State University accepts credit from regionally accredited colleges and universities within the United States, and from selected schools located outside the United States. Credit also may be granted for military training and experience. Previously earned college credit can be applied toward completion of the program per Indiana State's transfer guidelines.

Transfer Guidelines

Career Possibilities for Early Childhood Education Majors

Our early childhood education graduates are qualified to take the State of Indiana’s required licensing exams for teaching students from birth to age eight. The demand for early childhood education professionals is increasing. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects overall employment in preschool educators to grow 4% from 2024 to 2034.

Our students are prepared for those in-demand careers, such as preschool teachers, daycare providers, early childhood education specialists, curriculum developers, and related careers in early childhood education.

A white female student with wavy blond hair stands at the front of an elementary classroom, with children seated at desks and colorful educational posters visible in the background. The student wears a white lace long-sleeved shirt with light blue denim overalls.

Inspiring the Next Generation

From her first day at Indiana State, Abigail Crane, ’26, stepped into real kindergarten classrooms, learning alongside experienced educators and discovering her calling as a kindergarten teacher. Now, she’s ready to carry forward Indiana State’s legacy of preparing teachers who uplift students, families, and communities across Indiana.

Read Abigail Crane’s story.

Accreditation

Indiana State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

The Teacher Preparation Program at Indiana State University is recognized throughout Indiana—and the nation—for the quality of its graduates. The program was established in 1865.

Indiana State University has earned national accreditation by demonstrating excellence in the areas of content and pedagogy, clinical experiences, selectivity, program impact, and capacity for continuous improvement. Indiana State’s Teacher Preparation Program meets rigorous national standards for educator preparation set by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation [CAEP]. CAEP is the only educator preparation accreditor recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.