Early Childhood Education Degrees in Texas
By becoming an early childhood teacher in Texas and advocating for evidence-based teaching requirements, you can lay the educational foundation that will help young Texans succeed throughout their education. It’s one of the most valuable contributions you can make to society. Your work will not just benefit Texas, but the country as a whole.
Due to its large population, Texas is responsible for producing many of the country’s educational materials and setting curricular standards. By becoming an early childhood teacher in Texas and advocating for evidence-based teaching requirements, you can help the students of Texas succeed.
Becoming an Early Childhood Teacher in Texas
As an aspiring teacher, you likely already know the value of education. You may know that your path to a rewarding teaching career begins with the right training.
Get more information on degree options in Texas by contacting early childhood education programs below.
Early education is one of the most impactful parts of the national education system. It equalizes academic differences caused by income gaps, socioeconomic differences, and different levels of parental involvement. S
tate legislators know that a reliable early education system needs a solid base of professionals to run smoothly. The Texas Early Childhood Professional Development System helps teachers learn about new job openings, get new training opportunities, and connect with other educators and administrators.
There are several early childhood teaching degree programs to give you a strong start to your career.
Discover which option best fits your needs by reaching out to Texas schools today.
Getting Your Early Childhood Education Degree in Texas
For most new teaching students, the most straightforward route to licensure is a Bachelor’s degree. This undergraduate degree is an excellent option for new high school graduates and adults who are pursuing their first college degree.
The majority of early childhood education programs can be completed in four years, but some schools require five years of undergraduate education. Some of your credits come from general academic courses in mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences, and other topics.
Upon getting accepted to a teaching program, you can expand your financial aid search to include grants that are only open to teaching students. The T.E.A.C.H. Texas Early Childhood Scholarship is one of the most well-developed scholarships programs in this state.
Common Early Childhood Education Courses
- Math, Science, and Social Studies Curriculum
- Literacy Development in the Early Years
- Creative Expression for Young Children
- Classroom Management for Teachers
- Inquiry-Bused Learning
- Early Childhood Curriculum Design
- Child Development
In the process of learning about child development, curriculum planning, teaching theories, and classroom techniques for academic subjects, you must also learn how to work with students.
Early childhood ranges from birth through eight years of age, and children grow and change quite a bit during that time. What works in a preschool may not work in a first grade classroom.
By getting experience in local classrooms, you can prepare yourself for whatever teaching challenges may come your way in the future. When you add in your student teaching hours, you may spend close to 1,000 hours in Texas classrooms.
The Texas Education Agency has specific requirements you must meet to become a licensed teacher. They administer the Texas Certification Tests, which allow you to become an early childhood educator in one subject or several subjects. Once you have passed your exams and provided proof of your education, you may start your career.
Are you ready to jump into the field of early childhood education? Texas is the place to get started.
Check out the list of programs below and reach out to those that catch your eye.
Working as an Early Childhood Educator in Texas
The teacher shortage has increased across the country in recent years, and Texas is one of the most heavily affected states. By 2026, careeronestop expects job openings for Texas early education teachers to increase 19 percent from 2016 levels, which means about 4,090 annual job openings. Between now and 2026, statewide demand for elementary school teachers may swell by 20 percent, representing about 14,000 openings.
Salaries in Texas are often a bit higher than national averages, with preschool teachers currently earning a mean average of $33,590 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). The mean average income for a Texas elementary school teacher is $50,040 (BLS, 2017).
In your role as an educator, you must be willing to advocate for your students and for the improvement of your field. You may want to become involved in professional organizations like the Texas Early Learning Council.
If you’re excited to work with kids and help them learn as much as possible, an early childhood education degree is the next step for you.
Contact Texas teaching programs for more information.
