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Early Childhood Special Educator
Early childhood special educators specialize in working with young
children with disabilities. They use specific strategies and
interventions to help young children with physical and cognitive
disabilities progress socially and educationally. They work closely with
the family and other professionals to help children progress.
Nature of Work:
- Work as a team member in providing for the needs of infants,
toddlers, and young children, who have sensory and physical impairments,
are cognitively and/or emotionally challenged, and/or have experienced
environmental or genetic trauma before, at, or since birth.
- Interface with families and other service providers, such as
occupational/physical therapists, social service-providers, and medical
personnel, in planning, delivering, and evaluating interventions that
positively impact the developmental needs of the child.
- Provide direct services in a variety of settings - classroom, home,
or center-based programs- that may include technical/medical
interventions, as well as developmentally appropriate learning
activities.
Education Required
- At least a Bachelors Degree with an endorsement for teaching Early
Childhood Special Education. Coursework would include developmental
milestones, assessment of infants and very young children, and a wide
array of disabling conditions in children birth to 5 years of age.
- A Masters Degree in Early Childhood Special Education is offered at
several of the large state universities.
Personal Qualities
- Good organization and collaboration skills.
- High energy level and ability to handle multiple tasks
simultaneously.
- Interest in medical terminology and unusual medical conditions.
- Ability to perform strenuous physical tasks, such as lifting and
carrying young children.
Job Outlook and Advancement
- Current level of need for personnel in this career field is very
high. Recent legislation has provided for more jobs, with many grants
being awarded to non-profit agencies targeted at "seeking out" this
population of children and serving them more effectively.
- Advancement may come through promotion to supervisor status in
agencies, which contract with school districts, or the district,
itself.
- Positions in Higher education- colleges and universities, as well as
teachers in community colleges- are available for experienced early
childhood special educators, and will become more in demand as the trend
toward increased interventions/education for younger children
continues.
How to Prepare for a Career
- Work in an early childhood or day care center that welcomes children
with disabilities.
- Visit a local early childhood center for children with disabilities,
such as the Easter Seal Clinic or a public school setting that houses an
Early Childhood classroom.
- Talk to professionals in the field to get a good idea of the level
of commitment and activity needed to perform this job well.
- Inquire from your local community college and/or college/university
about the availability of coursework that leads to this degree and
certification.
Resource Information
Division of Early Childhood of The Council for Exceptional
Children
27 Fort Missoula Road, Suite
2
Missoula, MT 59804
406-543-0872 (Phone)
406-543-0887 (Fax)
dec@dec-sped.org
National Association for the Education of Young Children
1509 16th Street, N.W.Washington, DC 20036
E-mail: naeyc@naeyc.org
http://www.naeyc.org/
National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
(NECTAC)
Campus Box 8040, UNC-CH
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8040
Phone: (919)962-2001
Fax: (919)966-9463
TTY: (919)843-3269
E-mail: nectac@unc.edu
http://www.nectac.org/
Zero To Three/National Center for Infant, Toddlers and
Families
734 15th Street, NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005-2101
Phone:(202) 638-1144
Fax: (202) 638-0851
http://www.zerotothree.org/
| Early childhood special educators, children with disabilities, bachelor's degree |
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