Education – Birth to Third Grade
Love working with young children? This major will prepare you to make a difference in a critical period in a child’s life, setting the stage for a lifetime of learning. As an Alverno education major, you’ll learn how to nurture kids’ intellectual and social-emotional growth and foster essential life skills.
In the classroom
You’ll thrive in small classes led by dedicated faculty mentors who have deep experience as current or former early childhood teachers. You’ll
explore how you learn best, plus learn how to lead and engage students with different learning styles.
Alverno also offers specializations that will make you even more marketable, including a certificate through the our Early Childhood Outdoor Preschool Environmental Education
Program (ECOPEEP), the first nature-based early childhood education program targeted to urban settings in the United States.
Beyond the classroom
You’ll get hands-on experience in real classrooms early and often, ensuring you’re ready to step up to the front of the classroom with confidence. You’ll also have the opportunity to observe young children at Alverno’s nationally-accredited Early Learning Center, where you might work as a classroom assistant.
Alverno is connected to more than 150 private and public schools throughout metro Milwaukee and beyond. Field experiences are usually 4–5 hours a week and combine observation and teaching experience, building so that you’re teaching more and more as you progress through the program. You’ll clock more than 250 hours of classroom practice through your field experiences, which will prepare you for the culmination of your major: full-time student teaching.
Education Quick Links
— Sinah, Education majorI’m studying education because I love children and have always been passionate about helping them learn! I have done some field experiences in elementary classrooms and have learned so much already. I can clearly see and make connections with all my learning experiences at Alverno, as they come to life when I step into these classrooms in our community.
Education + The Alverno Difference
There’s no better place to study education — Alverno has won numerous national awards for its innovative practices, outstanding teaching and high classroom engagement. Educators from around the world visit Alverno’s campus to study our curriculum and groundbreaking approach to learning and assessment. You’ll learn how to bring this effective approach to your own classroom.
Instead of letter grades, we focus on your personal development and real-world skills — equipping you with the crucial communication, critical thinking and problem-solving skills you need to thrive. Our learning approach is centered around the 8 Abilities, which will set you apart from the crowd.
Licensure Options & Minors
After you graduate, you’ll be eligible for a Wisconsin license to teach children from birth through third grade — expanding your career options to daycares, preschools and elementary schools. If you opt for a minor in special education, bilingual/bicultural (requires assessment fluency), and/or teaching English language learners, you’ll be eligible for those additional licenses.
New – Special Education Scholarship Opportunity
Alverno’s Developing Diversity in Exceptional Educator Preparation (DDEEP) program provides 24 scholarships per academic year to racially, ethnically, linguistically and ability diverse students who wish to serve as a special education teacher.
Students must meet eligibility requirements and commit to serve as a special education teacher for at least two years for every year the scholarship is received.
