Early Childhood Education

In addition to the Associate in Applied Science degree, students may choose from two certificates:

• Early Childhood Educator Assistant (5511)
• Early Childhood Educator Certificate (5501)

The Early Childhood Education credentials are stackable credentials. Meaning, when you earn a credential or certification, it leads seamlessly into the next.

Early Childhood Educator Assistant - Gateway Level 2 Credential (18 credits)

Early Childhood Educator - Gateway Level 3 Credential (29 credits)

Early Childhood Education AAS - Gateway Level 4 Credential (60 credits)

Program Outcomes for the Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education (5500)

Outcome Measure #1: The number of program completers 

Academic Year	Number of program completers	% of program completers who were attending full-time (at the time of completion)	% of program completers who were attending part-time1 (at the time of completion)
2023	4	50.0	50.0
2024	9	22.2	77.8
2025	8	37.5	62.5

 

Outcome Measure #2: The program completion rate

Academic year in which a Fall cohort of full-time candidates enrolled in the program (select three sequential years)	Percentage of those candidates who completed the program within 150% of the published timeframe	Percentage of those candidates who completed the program within 200% (twice the published timeframe)
2020	100%	100%
2021	75%	100%
2022	100%	100%

 

Outcome Measure #3: Institutional Selected Data

Academic Year	% of Part-Time Candidates Enrolled in the Program (% of Total Enrollment)	Retention Rate among Part-Time Candidates	% of Full-Time Candidates Enrolled in the Program (% of Total Enrollment)	Retention Rate among Full-Time Candidates
2022	64.8	51.4	35.2	47.4
2023	72.7	40.6	27.3	41.7
2024	54.4%	43.2%	45.6%	48.4%

 

Rock Valley College Associates of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education program prepares degree candidates to be proficient in the Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators. Visit the National Association for the Education of Young Children to learn more.

Candidate Performance

Standard 1: Child Development and Learning in Context	89.7% of candidates met competency
Standard 2: Family–Teacher Partnerships and Community Connections	92.2% of candidates met competency
Standard 3: Child Observation, Documentation, and Assessment	91.7% of candidates met competency
Standard 4: Developmentally, Culturally, and Linguistically Appropriate Teaching Practices	97.6% of candidates met competency
Standard 5: Knowledge, Application, and Integration of Academic Content in the Early Childhood Curriculum	94.5% of candidates met competency
Standard 6: Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator	93.6% of candidates met competency

 

Rock Valley College is pleased to announce the award of an Early Childhood Education grant in the amount of $773,663.68 from the Illinois Community College Board to provide streamlined paths to degrees, licenses, and credentials to members of the early childhood incumbent workforce in the field of early childhood (EC) education. These funds are provided as part of a larger statewide initiative to establish the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity.

Signed into Illinois law in 2021, the Early Childhood Access for Equity Consortium Act (ECACE) mandates the transfer of the AAS, without the need for additional coursework to receiving universities. Per the legislative language: “A public university may not require students transferring pursuant to this Section to repeat courses taken and completed successfully at the community college and applied toward the associate degree granted pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section. All courses completed successfully in the AAS degree program must count toward baccalaureate degree completion. Students entering with an AAS may not be required to take a total number of credits greater than those students first starting in a baccalaureate degree program. This includes any courses in which credit for prior learning was used to determine course equivalency and credit was awarded by the evaluating institution. Additional coursework may be required if a student is seeking to add one or more endorsements to the student's Illinois Professional Educator License.”

The funds received through this grant will support the institution as we seek to improve the way educational programming is offered to students, by creating stackable credential opportunities throughout the Early Childhood Education pathway, as well a smooth transition to a four-year institution.  More importantly, the grant allows the college to provide additional support services to help students as they progress throughout their educational journey.