Across the state and nation, early childhood education teachers are in high demand—and there’s little wonder why. It takes incredibly special people to work with the youngest students.

You’ve got to be patient, caring and warm. You’ve got to know how to embrace the chaos, realize that fancy clothes are overrated and be ready to deal with tears and infectious giggles—sometimes all at once. And, most importantly, you’ve got to be able to make learning fun and engaging with lessons that strengthen cognitive, emotional and physical development.

In other words, working in early childhood education isn’t easy.

But the rewards are priceless. Study after study has shown the critical importance of high-quality early learning programs in building the foundations for success in school and in career. In other words, a robust early learning program can change a child’s life.

As an early childhood educator, you’ll have the awesome responsibility—and the incredible privilege—to create positive, stimulating and practice-informed learning experiences for young children, primarily ages 2 ½ through 6. Your mission: Instill children with a joy to learn.

That, of course, is no small task. But we’ll help you get there.

Our Early Childhood Education bachelor’s degree is aligned with state requirements and National Association for the Education of Young Children standards. Our ECE major is also flexible, offered through online courses that allow you to fit instruction into a busy schedule. And of course, our program offers robust student supports and stresses hands-on learning.

Early Childhood Education with Montessori Credential

Dr. Maria Montessori believed in the incredible genius of children—inquisitive by their very nature, hungry for knowledge, and more than capable of setting out to find their own solutions to the world’s problems. The role of the teacher, she believed, should dovetail with this concept of how children learn: Educators, she wrote, should be guides and mentors—not answer bearers.

“Never help a child with a task,” she famously wrote, “at which he feels he can succeed.” In other words, allow children to learn by doing, offer them hints instead of detailed instruction, let them soak in the how and the why and the what at their own pace—and in their own way.

The educational theorist was writing and studying in the early 20th century, but Montessori’s child-centered approach to education, dubbed the Montessori Method, has more than stood the test of time. According to the American Montessori Society, there are more than 4,000 Montessori schools across the United States and thousands more worldwide.

And there’s little wonder why.

Montessori schools pride themselves on letting children be children. On creating robust educational environments that invite discovery, that facilitate learning through active play, and that foster multi-age peer relationships to promote social, emotional and cognitive development.  

Our bachelor’s degree in education with a Montessori credential will prepare you to lead a classroom in a Montessori environment, teaching young children ages 2 ½ to 6. Our Montessori program meets rigorous Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education standards along with Early Childhood Education state requirements—and our graduates work in Montessori Method educational environments across Hawaii and the nation.

Early Childhood Education (B.S.) – Online

Early Childhood Education with Montessori Credential (B.S.) – Online

Early Childhood Education (A.S.) – Online