Just in time for fall 2011 registration, Southeast Technical is announcing  plans to expand course offerings to include a two-year online associate in science (A.S.) degree in early childhood education.

Southeast Technical’s new early childhood education program will help students fulfill stricter state mandates for preschool education, and will also benefit those pursuing careers as a professional nanny, assistant teacher, substitute teacher, childcare worker, childcare center staff, or child advocate. Through a 2+2 articulation agreement with Southwest Minnesota State University, students can also complete half of the credits needed to become an elementary teacher through the two-year online early childhood education program at Southeast Technical.

“We are enthusiastic to broaden the opportunities for our current and future students,” said Southeast Technical instructor Rachel Cataract, who teaches in the college’s professional nanny and family childcare program.

Cataract also noted that the program’s structure will help both traditional and non-traditional students gain new skills in an efficient manner: “The online format creates a flexible learning environment for active students, while the low student-instructor ratio nurtures personal development through reflective practice, insight, inquiry, deepened understanding, and lifelong learning.”

Students interested in pursuing a career in early childhood education are encouraged to learn more at the early childhood education page. Scholarships for this program area are available at through the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Minnesota program.