The Master of Arts in Teaching in Elementary Early Childhood Education is a 32-credit-hour program designed to prepare and support early childhood educators in the field. The program develops Relay students to become culturally responsive and inclusive early childhood educators through an intentional, yet flexible, pathway composed of Foundations courses, Early Childhood Content Pedagogy courses, Clinical Practice courses, and a selection of Flex courses. 

In their Foundations courses, Relay students in the Early Childhood Education program will learn to establish culturally responsive and inclusive classrooms through systems for instructional planning, teaching multilingual learners, teaching exceptional learners, and family/community engagement. 

Early Childhood Content Pedagogy courses integrate learning from Foundations courses with an Early Childhood content focus that includes methods for engaging learners with developmentally appropriate play-based instruction in literacy, math, science, and social sciences. Relay students also develop systems for data-informed cycles of assessing, planning, teaching, and reflecting to meet the diverse needs of all students. 

The program culminates in a capstone project in which Relay students demonstrate the impact of their practice on early childhood students’ outcomes, including academic progress, social-emotional development, and student experience.

Academic Plans
Relay’s programs are tailored to local contexts and are designed to meet educational requirements for educator certification/licensure in multiple states; therefore, academic plans for each program vary by state and clinical experience pathway (e.g., Resident/non-Resident). State- and program-specific academic plans for all program offerings described in this catalog may be accessed  on the Academic Plans site. Students are provided with a detailed course schedule at orientation.