Early Childhood Education Program
Early Childhood Education Program
Early Childhood Education Program
Early childhood teachers and administrators provide foundational support for children and families in our communities.
Program Overview
The early childhood program offers a Technical Certificate and two degrees - Associate of Science in Early Childhood Education and Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education.
The A.A.S. Early Childhood Education degree program at Southwest Tennessee Community College is accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The current accreditation term runs from July 2022 through December 2024.
Scholarship funding is available through www.southwest.tn.edu/tecta.
Mission: The Early Childhood Education Program will anticipate and respond to the educational needs of employers and higher education institutions in Shelby County, the state of Tennessee and the surrounding region as we prepare students to acquire and demonstrate developmentally appropriate practices that ensure quality services for children from birth to age eight.
Academic Maps
Early Childhood Education A.A.S.
Early Childhood Education T.C.
Early Childhood Education A.S.
National Association for the Education of Young Children Standards
The AAS-ECE program uses the NAEYC standards as the defined learning objectives for all students within the program. Please refer to their website for a list of standards.
The chart below provides available information on the number and percentage of program graduates employed in the early childhood profession or pursuing further education in the profession within one year of graduation for each of the three most recent academic years for which information is available.
| Academic Year | Number of Graduates | Percentage of Graduates employed in the early childhood profession within one year of graduation* | Percentage of Graduates pursuing further education in the early childhood profession within one year of graduation* |
| 2019 | 7 | 83% | 17% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0% | 100% |
| 2017 | 10 | 80% | 0% |
Associate of Applied Science – Early Childhood Education
| Academic year in which a Fall cohort of full-time candidates enrolled in the program (select three sequential years) | Percentage of those candidates who completed the program within 150% of the published two-year timeframe | Percentage of those candidates who completed the program within 100%, 200% (twice) or 300% (three times) of the published timeframe. (Please circle, underline or bold the indicator above on which the program will report.) |
| 2014-2015 | 25% | 25% |
| 2015-2016 | 44% | 0% |
| 2016-2017 | 3% | 6% |
| 2017-2018 | 0% | 0% |
The chart below indicates the number and percentage of program completers for the three most recent academic years.
| Academic Year | Number of program completers | % of program completers who were attending full-time (at the time of completion) | % of program completers who were attending part-time (at the time of completion) |
| 18-19 | 5 | 66.66% | 33.34% |
| 19-20 | 5 | 33.34% | 66.66% |
| 20-21 | 5 | 20% | 80% |
Contact Us
- Debra Kallaher, Asst. Professor and ECE Program Coordinator
- earlychildhood@southwest.tn.edu
- Union Avenue Campus Building C, Room 202
- 901-333-5353
