Childhood Education Teacher Certification

The elementary certification program is currently offered at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The program leads to New York State teacher certification in grades 1–6. It combines a program of study with both liberal arts and educational coursework. Students are required to obtain 24 liberal arts credits out of a total of 32 in order to be eligible for state certification as an undergraduate.

Students should begin the certification program as early as possible in their academic career at Colgate. Students are required to apply to the teacher preparation program with a suggested deadline of November 1 of their sophomore year. Students will complete student teaching during the fall term of their senior year or in an extended ninth-semester. This professional semester includes two teaching methodology seminars, and an advanced course on the diagnosis and remediation of reading problems.

For more information visit the educational studies department page.

Certificate Requirements

Education as a Social Institution

• EDUC 101 - The American School

Social and Cultural Diversity in Schooling, Teaching, and Learning

One course from Social and Cultural Diversity in Schooling, Teaching, and Learning  

The Nature of Childhood Education and Development

All of the courses from The Nature of Childhood Education and Development  

Professional Student Teaching Semester

• EDUC 453 - Seminar on Inclusive Curriculum and Instruction in Science/Mathematics
• EDUC 455 - Student Teaching
• EDUC 456 - Dignity in Schools (0.25 credits), also satisfies DASA training

Professional Seminars

• EDUC 451 - Seminar on Inclusive Curriculum and Instruction in English/Social Studies
• EDUC 454 - Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading Problems

Course requirements outside of Educational Studies

• Two science courses in biology, chemistry, physics, geology, or astronomy
• Two courses in social sciences
• Two mathematics courses

Other Requirements

• Fieldwork — a minimum of 100 hours for a single certificate
• Child abuse workshop (two hours of training in the identification of suspected child abuse/maltreatment)
• Violence intervention and prevention workshop
• Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma, Implicit Bias, and Identification of Child Abuse
• Fingerprinting