Early Childhood Education (BS)
"History will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children." - Nelson Mandela
"History will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children." - Nelson Mandela
The Early Childhood Education major prepares pre-service teachers to become knowledgeable and skilled educators and advocates for young children from birth to age eight, by coupling theories of child development and practical experience. In addition, standards from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the State of Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality are incorporated as students learn to plan and assess environments, materials, activities, and interactions that will facilitate children's emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development.
In combination with the Comprehensive Elementary Education major, the Early Childhood Education course work meets the State's requirements for a Michigan Elementary (K-8) teacher certificate with the Early Childhood ZS (general and special education) endorsement.
"I am currently working as Bilingual Kindergarten Teacher in Dearborn Public Schools.
I chose Madonna University because of the small class sizes and family atmosphere that surrounded the university. I liked that I could go to any teacher that I had and be able to speak to them on a personal level because no matter how much time had passed since I was in their class, they were always able to remember me and my situations. This made it easy for me to take chances in my education and really help me discover who I am, not only as a person, but as an educator as well."
Learn to support the growth and development of children from birth through age four, through developmentally appropriate practices that can be leveraged in a variety of careers. Combine your passion for working with children with our highly experienced faculty to explore research-based coursework supported by opportunities in the field.
With a focus on infants and toddlers birth through age three, this three-course (9 semester hour) certificate will give you a well-rounded understanding of how best to support the growth and development of our youngest learners.
B.S. University of Michigan – Flint
M.S. Oakland University
Ed.S. Oakland University
Ph.D. Oakland University
734-432-5785, 2230G
Dr. Sue Ann Sharma is an Assistant Professor and Director of Graduate Literacy in the College of Education at Madonna University. She is passionate about preparing teachers to meet the diverse needs of learners and developing instructional literacy leaders. Dr. Sharma is a literacy advocate and has served on the International Reading Association’s Literacy Reform Task Force. Dr. Sharma is the past president of the Michigan Reading Association, and also holds appointments on the Michigan Reading Association’s Board of Directors and Michigan Reading Journal Review Board.
B.S. State University of New York at Cortland
M.S. Central Michigan University
732-432-5654, 2230B
Tess Kelly is the Placement Coordinator for the College of Education at Madonna University. She has also served as an adjunct faculty in the Teacher Education, Early Childhood, and Children and Families programs.
Christine has been teaching part time in the college of education at Madonna University since 2015. Christine also works full time at HighScope Educational Research Foundation as and Early Childhood Specialist. She has 20 years of experience in the early childhood field as a classroom teacher, center director, and instructional coach/trainer. Christine has authored several books and articles in addition to contributing to the development of many classroom and digital teacher resources. Christine has served on several local, state, and national education councils and boards. She is active in advocacy work to advance equitable access to education.
In addition to being an adjunct professor in the Early Childhood Education Department at Madonna University, Holly Delgado is an Early Child Specialist at HighScope Educational Research Foundation. She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Central Michigan University and a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education from Northeastern Illinois University. She is a certified teacher in both Michigan and Illinois and has experience as a teacher, coach, trainer, and administrator. Holly has spent over fifteen years working in inclusive classrooms and home-based environments, as well as self-contained early childhood special education classrooms, for children ages birth to five. Her work outside of the classroom includes developing and facilitating professional development surrounding best practices in the field of early childhood education at the local, state, national and international levels.
B.A. University of Michigan - Dearborn
M.Ed. University of Michigan - Dearborn
Ph.D. Oakland University
Dr. Anne Donato holds a doctorate in Early Childhood Education, with a primary emphasis on differentiated instruction. Her passion lies in literacy efforts that provide inclusion of all students into the world of reading. In addition to teaching, Dr. Donato has taught, lobbied, consulted, and advocated for early childhood education for over 25 years, in both the private and public sectors, including NAEYC and at the international level.
Ph.D., Eastern Michigan University
Ed. S., Wayne State University
M.A. Eastern Michigan University
B.S. Northern Michigan University
lsharon@madonna.edu
734-432-5334, Room 2230F
Dr. Les Sharon is the Director of the Masters of Science in Transformational EducationalLeadership and the Director of Student Teaching. His professional background includesthirty-three years in K-12 education as a special education teacher, general education teacher,Reading Recovery teacher, and building principal. His work focuses on the formal preparation offuture educational leaders that will someday transform struggling schools into effective,high-achieving learning communities that meet the needs of all students. He received his Ph.Din Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University and holds endorsements inelementary and secondary administration, general education (K-8 all-subjects), and specialeducation including cognitively impaired and learning disabilities.
Dr. Sharon’s research interests include examining the role status functions play in schoolorganizations as they relate to curriculum enactment as well as role of language in effectiveschool leadership. He works closely with the Beijing Comparative Educational Institute and withcolleagues at the Xi’an University to provide educational opportunities for school leaders andteachers all over China. Dr. Sharon served as an adjunct professor before joining MadonnaUniversity full-time as an assistant professor.
