Program Overview
The Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program offers an academic certificate or a Master's concentration in Education Administration in the field of Early Care and Education. This program is targeted to meet the needs of experienced and emerging administrators in early care and education settings. Our vision is to promote quality in the early care and education system in Colorado by identifying, nurturing, and building leadership capacity in existing and future early childhood leaders. A committed, visible, diverse cadre of early childhood leaders will be developed and degreed to meet the challenges of achieving high quality ECE programs for infants and young children in Colorado, especially those who are at risk of failure due to socio-economic and language barriers.
Candidate Requirements
- A Bachelor's degree
- At least three years of experience in the field of early care and education
- The ability to secure release time to attend the five day summer retreat in July (Thursday through Monday) and 10 Friday evening/Saturday all day sessions during the academic year.
Program Components
The Buell Graduate Certificate program includes 25-quarter credit hours consisting of these components:
- Standards Based Curriculum - A rich set of literature based standards drive the content and design of the program. Standards are drawn from NAEYC, DEC, ISLLC, and the expertise of leaders in the field.
- Cohort Structure - A cohort provides the opportunity to develop lasting relationships, and a support base for continued professional growth and learning. Diversity in the cohort will be sought and valued.
- Summer Leadership Symposium and Retreat - A child development symposium will be held with nationally recognized early childhood experts to develop skills in communication, collaboration, and reflection on evidence-based practices and leadership issues in early care and education.
- Integrated Courses - In-depth and applied
coursework focuses on seven types of leadership essential for the preparation
of administrators in early care and education:
- Strategic
- Political
- Collaborative
- Symbolic
- Professional Learning
- Pedagogical
- Reflective
- Online Discussions - Bi-weekly on-line discussions
will provide practice in leadership skills and connect the course content
with real-life experiences.
Mentorship - Each student is paired with an existing leader in early care and education for ongoing support. - Capstone Project - The program culminates with the presentation of a yearlong applied project related to optimizing early care and education outcomes and significant, sustainable leadership.
- Convenient Course Schedule - Certificate classes are held during a 5 day retreat in July and 10 Friday afternoon/Saturday all day sessions over the course of one year.
- Orientation - An Orientation that includes a campus tour, computer and library training, and an introduction to the program is held for one day in June.
Completion of the MA component requires an additional 21 credits, at half the current rate of tuition.
Graduate Certificate
Upon completion of this program, participants will receive a Graduate Certificate in Educational Administration in the field of Leadership in Early Care and Education from the University of Denver. This Graduate Certificate provides the following:
- Achievement of the NAEYC Accreditation Leadership and Management Training Requirements for Administrators.
- Twenty-four (24) credits completed in the Buell Graduate Certificate program may, under certain conditions, be applied toward either the MA or PhD in Educational Administration degrees.
- Completion of the MA component requires an additional
21 credits, at half the current rate of tuition.
Tuition
Generous funding by the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation provides for each admitted fellow to receive a scholarship for the 25 required credits.
Contact
For questions or additional information on the program,
please feel free to contact:
Wendy Bickford, MA
Program Coordinator
Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program
University of Denver
2135 E. Wesley Ave., #311
Denver, CO 80208
(303) 871-2379
wbickfor@du.edu
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