The B.S. in Early Childhood Studies program offers a strong foundation in child development and early childhood education with the purpose of guiding students in creating environments that are healthy, respectful, nurturing, and challenging for all children. Aligning with the standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the BS in Early Childhood Studies courses are crafted for students already involved in early childhood settings as well as those seeking to work with and advocate for young children. 

Note: The B.S. in Early Childhood Studies program is only offered in Walden's competency-based education modality, Tempo Learning®.

Field experiences are a rich and important part of the program. Students gain guided practice and experience as they learn how to promote play, creativity, individual growth, exploration, discovery and healthy child development. Students are challenged to develop meaningful learning experiences and analyze assessment processes.

Field experience requirements are outlined in the Field Experience Handbook.

Students will be required to complete field experiences at the infant/toddler level, and at the PreK or K – grade 3 levels. There are 9 competencies that contain field experiences: DI4001, DI4002, DI4003, DI4004, DI4005, ML4001, ML4002, ML4003, and ML4004.

Students are responsible for finding their own field experiences during the program and must plan ahead to ensure that their field experiences are secured prior to beginning a competency with an associated field experience. Students may share a Letter of Introduction (see below) with potential field sites, as needed.

Students must email proof of professional liability insurance and a completed COVID 19 Acknowledgement of Risk form to [email protected] before they can begin a competency that contains field experiences. The competencies containing field experiences will be locked until proof of professional liability insurance and the COVID 19 Acknowledgement of Risk form are received. Students may need to renew their professional liability insurance during the program to ensure coverage throughout all field experience competencies. See the Field Experience Handbook for more information on the professional liability insurance requirement and suggested professional organizations that offer discounted coverage to student members.

Students are required to read the Field Experience Handbook. The handbook contains the program goals, student support services, policies, key information for field experiences, and resources.