Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education (B.A.)

If you want to impact the learning of children from birth to grade three, you’ll want to consider NLU’s Early Childhood Education program, which leads to a Type 04 Certificate. You’ll broaden your understanding of topics ranging from ethics and psychology—and your experiences will become part of the curriculum.

This program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

How You Will Learn:

Early Childhood Education is taught by NLU faculty in a classroom setting.
A major benefit of this type of this participatory learning model is the interaction you will have with the faculty—and with your fellow students. NLU is nationally ranked by U.S. News and World Report for offering small classes—and nearly all of your Early Childhood Education classes will have a maximum enrollment of 20.

What You Will Learn:

  • A broader understanding of the role of the teacher in the context of family life, culture and society.
  • How to strengthen your presentation, written and oral presentation skills.
  • How to write and evaluate curricula for lesson plans.
  • How to develop appropriate teaching methods by analyzing
    student needs.
  • How to use technology in the early childhood curriculum.

Qualifications:

To qualify for your type 04 teaching certificate, you need to fulfill the requirements on one of our certificate-granting programs. Please note that NCE's programs in Early Childhood Administration and Early Childhood Practice are not included. The state of Illinois also requires that you take core courses that meet the standard specifically related to the type 04 teaching credential in Early Childhood Education.

Where You Can Take the Program:

At NLU’s campuses in Chicago and Skokie (North Shore).

Admission Requirements

All applicants must meet NLU's general admission requirements. Refer to the appropriate application checklist available online at www.nl.edu/applyonline.

Locations

  • CHICAGO DOWNTOWN CAMPUS

    NLU’s Chicago campus on South Michigan Avenue occupies five floors of the historic Peoples Gas Building. This landmark building, across the street from the Art Institute of Chicago and Grant Park, is easily accessible by train, bus and car and is surrounded by restaurants, parking lots/garages and shops.

    122 S. Michigan Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60603
    800.443.5522

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  • ELGIN

    Conveniently located in a fast-growing business district off I-90 and Route 31, NLU Elgin features 10 classrooms with high-tech media equipment; a computer lab with high-speed Internet access; two conference rooms; and comfortable student lounges. Parking is free at this recently remodeled and upgraded teaching site, which now includes wireless Internet access.

    620 Tollgate Road
    Elgin, IL 60123
    800.443.5522

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  • NORTH SHORE

    Opened in the summer of 2006, NLU North Shore at Skokie is a state-of-the-art modern campus located just off the Edens Expressway near the Old Orchard Shopping Center. The campus includes 44 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a walk-in lab in the library; six conference rooms; a public café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; and multiple, comfortable student lounge areas.

    5202 Old Orchard Road
    Skokie, IL 60077
    800.443.5522

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  • LISLE

    Located just minutes from the East-West Tollway (I-88), NLU Lisle features 42 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a separate walk-in lab in the library; a café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; conference rooms; and six comfortable student lounge areas with wireless access.

    850 Warrenville Road
    Lisle, IL 60532
    800.443.5522

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  • WHEELING

    Located in one of Chicago's major northwest suburbs, the newly renovated NLU Wheeling includes 20 classrooms with high-tech media equipment, four conference rooms, four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, large student lounge areas with wireless capabilities and interactive video capabilities, and an extensive research library. The site also houses the university library research collection.

    1000 Capitol Drive
    Wheeling, IL 60090
    800.443.5522

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  • FLORIDA (TAMPA)

    Established in 1988 and located in one of the city's major business districts, NLU's Tampa campus serves students in 13 counties in central Florida. In addition to six classrooms, the campus features a conference room, a computer lab with high-speed Internet access, an extensive research library and comfortable student lounges.

    4950 West Kennedy Blvd. #300
    Tampa, FL 33609
    800.366.6581 | www.nl.edu/florida

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  • WISCONSIN

    NLU's Milwaukee campus has a proud history of serving graduate students in education in southeastern Wisconsin. Nearly one in five certified Wisconsin teachers looks to NLU for graduate education programs – more than any other university in the state. In addition to classrooms with high-tech media equipment, the campus offers a state-of-the-art computer lab with wireless Internet access and an extensive IDS research library.

    12000 West Park Place, Suite 100
    Milwaukee, WI 53224-3007
    414.577.2658

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