The Early Education and Care in Inclusive Settings (EECIS) Program is a BA degree program that combines academic theory and professional knowledge and competencies. The EECIS major is designed for individuals who intend to work with children (birth through age 8) and their families in a wide variety of settings, including:
after-school programs
center-based programs
early-intervention programs
family child care
family support programs
Head Start programs
public schools (pre-K–grade 2)
The EECIS Program is designed for
practitioners who are currently working in the field and are interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree, and
undergraduates interested in the growing field of early childhood studies.
The EECIS course of study is aligned with the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care professional certification requirements, and the competencies and standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Division of Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children.
Why Apply to UMass Boston's Early Education and Care in Inclusive Settings BA Program?
This program offers opportunities for students to learn to about early childhood education from birth to age 8 and participate in early childhood settings and classrooms. Our graduates are prepared to work in urban, diverse, and inclusive settings and serve children and their families as soon as they graduate. Our program is designed to serve people already working in the field or working adults who want to work in early childhood education careers, as well as students looking to enter the field right after college.
This is a 39-credit program with eight core courses taken by all EECIS majors and five courses taken in the student’s chosen concentration area. All students also complete a 150-hour internship and a 300-hour internship in the field in their chosen concentration area.
Concentrations
Early Intervention
Infant/Toddler Care and Education
Preschool Education and Care
Leadership and Supervision
Early Childhood Licensure*
*Licensure Concentration requires completion of three (3) MTELs: Communication & Literacy; Early Childhood; and Foundations of Reading
Outcomes
Graduates of the EECIS Program have a working knowledge of the dimensions of typical and atypical child growth and learning (language development, cognition, approaches to learning, social and emotional development, and physical and motor development); skills in assessment, curriculum development and implementation, family support, home and center-based program development and implementation, ethics and professionalism, and proficiency in leadership, administration, and supervision. EECIS graduates are able to create and/or modify environments, curriculum, and individualized and family development plans to ensure access and involvement by all children and their families in educational settings.
Careers
The EECIS Program, housed within a public urban university, is dedicated to the training of educators who are prepared to teach individuals from various diverse backgrounds in school and early childhood settings.
Mona Abo-Zena, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education and Care; Graduate Program Director, Masters' Programs in Early Childhood Education, College of Education and Human Development
Serra Acar, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education and Care, College of Education and Human Development
Anne Douglass, Professor; Founder and Exec. Director Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation; Graduate Program Director, Post Master's Certificate Programs in Early Education and Care; College of Education and Human Development
Lianna Pizzo, Associate Professor, Early Childhood Education and Care, College of Education and Human Development
Songtian (Tim) Zeng, Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education and Human Development & Director of Research, Institute for Early Education Leadership & Innovation
