About the Institute
The institute has designed a program to fill a need not currently met by the traditional early childhood bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education. This innovative bachelor’s degree program is designed for working professionals teaching in varied early childhood settings. The institute’s programs intentionally build upon the professionals’ current experiences as educators and offers coursework that incorporates reflective protocols and evidence-based practices to meet the needs of all learners in their classrooms.
This exciting program allows students to enroll in a supportive cohort and progress via one of two distinct pathways: moving individuals with associate’s degrees (or their equivalent) to bachelor’s degrees or assisting those with bachelor’s degrees in other fields to earn second bachelor’s degrees. Each student will be provided with an individualized academic plan that maps courses and program supports based on personalized requirements in order to monitor the successful completion of their teacher education program.
This innovative program has been developed as a hybrid model to meet the needs of working adult learners by combining face-to-face learning and flexible online content components. Students are also provided with academic and non-academic support to ensure their success. Through the T.E.A.C.H. Rhode Island® program, generous scholarship opportunities are available for educators working 30+ hours weekly in early childhood settings (see T.E.A.C.H. R.I ® scholarship information).
Finally, this program restructures the way students complete practicum assignments and student teaching experiences to ensure that this non-traditional cohort program offers students pathways to fulfill the objectives of these experiences while remaining in their current classrooms and receiving the guidance of knowledgeable mentors in the field.
