The Childhood Education Program is based on developmental and constructivist principles. Learners, through various interactions, develop an understanding of the curriculum rather than having it told to them.  The interactions begin with experiences and activities that challenge learners' existing knowledge that then lead to new knowledge.

Overall, the program focus is on the development of the candidate who is the learner as well as the person who will teach others. Experiences in this program are active where learners create meaningful representations of the program's concepts.

The purpose of the program is to prepare qualified candidates for an elementary school teaching career. The program is designed for students who have already completed a B.A. or B.S. degree in a field outside of education (liberal arts & science), and will provide the course work and field experiences necessary for initial certification in childhood education.  The M.S. degree is obtained at the end of the thesis semester that students complete after the student teaching experience.