Birth through Five/Preschool Special Education
An emphasis in Birth through Five/Preschool Special Education is for individuals interested in teaching young children, both with and without disabilities. Training in this program will prepare pre-service teachers to teach in inclusive early learning, preschool, Pre-K and Kindergarten programs, along with early intervention (0-3) and preschool special education (3-5) programs. Graduates will earn degree in Special Education with both Birth through Five and Preschool Special Education certification. Candidates in this emphasis are eligible for initial Georgia certification (BSED and MAT) or can add to existing teaching certifications (M.Ed., EDS). Because the Birth through Five certification is considered a general education degree and the Preschool Special Education is a special education certification area this program emphasis can be added to existing certifications in either Early Childhood Education or Special Education for advanced pay in Georgia schools.
Graduates holding a Birth through Five teaching certificate are in field to teach in Pre-K, Kindergarten, Early Head Start, Head Start and Early Learning programs. Preschool Special Education certification allows graduates to teach in early intervention (ages 0-3) and preschool special education (ages 3-5). The Georgia Birth-Five certification is based on both Division of Early Childhood/Council for Exceptional Children (DEC) and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards.
Coursework in the Birth Through Five Program covers a variety of topic areas, including: child development, typical and atypical language development, positive behavior supports, programming for infants & toddlers, programming for 3-5 year olds, methods for early childhood special education, instruction in reading, and collaboration among families and professionals. In the undergraduate program, students are also enrolled in quality inclusive field placements during each semester of enrollment in the program. The first three semesters include 9 hours per week of practicum placement, and the fourth semester consists of full-time student teaching. Field placement settings include children and families from high-poverty, rural, suburban and urban communities.
A limited number of undergraduate and graduate fellowships are available through Responsive Early Education for Diversity (REED) is a federal grant project that is linked to the Birth through Five Program. Along with the Birth through Five personnel preparation curriculum, this project targets the following focus areas: 1. meeting the needs of young learners and families who live in poverty; 2. meeting the needs of English language learners, specifically, our growing Latino population; 3. early literacy for diverse learners; and 4. positive behavior support. These focus areas are threaded throughout the curriculum along with the principle of teaming and partnering with families and other professionals. In addition, the REED seminar series also addresses these focus areas. Seminars are offered once a semester and are open for program scholars as well as community early care teachers, providers and families.
For more information about the Birth through Five Program, visit our program website at http://www.uga.edu/0-5/ .