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We live in an increasingly mobile society. For adults, this means moving for employment, to find affordable housing or to follow a military assignment. These factors trickle down to the lives of children, influencing their family dynamics, educational opportunities and socioemotional health. Mizzou Online's bachelor of science in human development and family science with an emphasis in early childhood education in a mobile society trains educators and administrators of preschool, Head Start, after-school and similar educational programs to create safe, dynamic and compassionate settings where all children can thrive.
Offered through Mizzou’s participation in the IDEA consortium, this degree completion program additionally accommodates adults on the move or who live far from a college campus. For those with a minimum of 30 credit hours of undergraduate course work, you’ll take fully online courses through Mizzou and partnering universities and complete one practicum field experience and a capstone at early childhood programs close to home.
Please note: This program does not lead to basic teaching certification.
Quick facts
Official name
Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education in a Mobile SocietyCampus
Program type
Bachelor's degreeAcademic home
College of Education & Human Development | Department of Human Development and Family ScienceDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning CommissionFreshman credit hours
120Freshman estimated cost
$53,760.00Transfer credit hours
66Transfer estimated cost
$29,568.00*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
About the online bachelor’s in early childhood education in a mobile society
Childhood sets the stage for success. These early years introduce basic academic and social skills that children carry with them throughout their educational journey. Yet, changes in location and lifestyle can interrupt this path. Educators, program instructors and administrators play a role in helping these individuals stay on track.
The online bachelor’s in human development and family science with an emphasis in early childhood education in a mobile society trains you to support every child in your classroom or early childhood program. You’ll learn to develop respectful, engaging environments that encourage curiosity and foster personal growth. You’ll also understand how to connect with families and uplift the surrounding community.
To impart this knowledge, this 48-credit-hour degree completion program:
- Introduces you to factors that influence childhood development and learning
- Instructs you in creating healthful, intellectually stimulating learning environments for children up to eight years of age
- Emphasizes the importance of partnering with families and other community professionals to support the development of each child
- Trains you to develop assessments designed to influence each child’s progress
- Equips you to work with diverse children and their families, including military members, immigrants and homeless populations
- Helps you translate research, theory and observations into learning environments that promote early childhood development
- Provides a holistic, intersectional view of early childhood learning, exploring topics related to personal growth, curriculum, educational activities, technology use, age-appropriate experiences, family and assessments of children in various contexts
Career prospects
Prepare to nurture and guide children from preschool through early elementary years in various early education, after-school, care and agency environments, particularly in communities with highly mobile populations.
Along with helping you complete your bachelor’s degree, this program gives you an edge in a field predicted to see steady demand over the next decade. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 6% more positions for childcare workers and 8% more for preschool and childcare center directors.
Positions may include:
- Early childhood education centers or in-home programs
- Family childcare educators
- Infant/toddler specialists
- Head Start and Pre-K programs
- Childcare resource and referral agencies
- Early childhood program directors
- Before- and after-school care programs
Program structure
Entry into the program requires at least 30 completed credit hours of undergraduate course work from Mizzou or transferred from another institution.
Once enrolled, you’ll complete all course work online, including through other universities taking part in IDEA. You may fulfill requirements through semester-based courses. Start and finish dates vary based on the university overseeing the course.
Field experiences in Practicum II and the Capstone course are completed face-to-face, according to the observation hours required. Two distinct field experiences place you with professional early childhood programs working with children and their families. Here, you will observe and interact with children and eventually provide leadership in an early childhood program. In the process, you will practice all theories and techniques acquired through the degree program.
Core course work covers
The online bachelor’s in early childhood education in a mobile society exposes you to:
- Developing programs in relation to community needs
- Research methods in the social sciences
- Cultural and diversity considerations for families
- Principles of human and child development
- The roles of teachers and administrators in early childhood programs
- Providing developmentally appropriate guidance and programming
- Creating safe, healthy childhood learning environments
- The influence of technology on early childhood education
- Understanding family structures in communication
- Teaching assessment and intervention methods
- Assessing and identifying disabilities in early childhood
Delivery
100% onlineIDEA
IDEA is a consortium of 20 renowned public universities from across the United States, offering online degree and certificate programs in human sciences and agriculture. Students apply to and are admitted by one university, enroll in all of their courses through that university and graduate from that university. However, the online courses are taught by faculty in the discipline from several universities.
Accreditation
The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.