Infant-Toddler Studies, B.A.
The undergraduate major in Infant-Toddler Studies provides undergraduate students with a solid foundation in early childhood development and significant concepts necessary for supporting healthy infant and toddler growth, learning, and development from prenatal to age three. Students who pursue this major are interested in working in a variety of settings that support best practices for children and families prenatal to age three. Topics in this major include best practices in curriculum, early intervention, assessment, culturally relevant pedagogy, infant mental health, trauma-informed practice, and other relevant topics necessary for supporting infants, toddlers, and families across a wide spectrum of programs, communities, and funding streams.
Candidates who complete the program will be eligible to earn a credential in Early Intervention in Illinois as well as the currently entitled Gateways to Opportunity Level 5 Early Childhood Education and Infant/Toddler credentials.
This program does NOT lead to a Professional Educator License. Students will not be eligible to be licensed to teach in settings that require a licensed teacher.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
At the completion of B.A. in Infant-Toddler Studies, students will be able to:
PLO-1 Demonstrate competency in using knowledge of learners, content and pedagogical knowledge of the critical years of birth to five to inform their planning in the learning environment;
PLO-2 Demonstrate competency in creating healthy and safe active learning environments that support individual and collaborative learning, encourage positive social interactions and identity for children ages birth to five;
PLO-3 Demonstrate competency in using a variety of instructional strategies, connect concepts and different perspectives to build on children’s (birth to five) critical stages of development;
PLO-4 Demonstrate competency in observing and assessing children ages birth to five with a focus on using data to inform children’s learning and their own teaching to inform future planning and possible early intervention strategies;
PLO-5 Demonstrate competency in modifying curriculum and instruction based on the needs of children to provide culturally relevant and responsive developmentally appropriate curricula and programming for children ages birth to five;
PLO-6 Demonstrate competency in collaborating with diverse families, using knowledge and understanding of individual contexts to plan for and support the development and learning for children ages birth to five;
PLO-7 Demonstrate competency in reflective practice, professionalism, leadership and advocacy to further advance the field of early care and education; and
PLO-8 Demonstrate competency in promoting healthy social and emotional development and mental wellness from prenatal stages of development through three years of age.
Program Details:
- Requires 180 QH including 70 QH of General Education for completion
- There are field hours built into courses across the entire program, taken each term, that candidates must complete. They are mapped to the following Credentials:
- Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Level 5 ECE Credential.
- Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Level 5 Infant-Toddler Credential.
- Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Level 2 Director’s Credential (for those completing the Early Care and Education Administration concentration).
- Illinois Department of Human Services’ Early Intervention Specialist Developmental Therapist Credential.
Note: The Infant-Toddler Studies major includes all content and field hours necessary for each of these credentials (except for the Director’s Credential, which requires the Early Care and Education Administration concentration coursework). Candidates will need to pursue each of these credentials independently and may need to apply and pay a fee for each of them separate from their degree program.
- Requires completion of 35 QH of the ITS major to be completed at NLU: ECE 303, ECE 321, ECE 341, ECE 342, ECE 400, and ECE 480
- A minimum grade of "C" or better in all General Education and elective courses is required
- A minimum grade of “C” or better in all courses in the Educator Preparation Core is required including ITS major and chosen concentration
- A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required prior to taking ECE 400
- Credit by examination is accepted for elective credit
- Candidates may choose one of the following concentrations:
Required Courses
General Education Requirements
Communications
| ENG 101 | Beginning English Composition | 5 |
| ENG 201 | Intermediate English | 5 |
| ENG 203 | Effective Speaking for the Undergraduate | 5 |
Note: Students transferring credit from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use any three general education courses in the following disciplines: academic writing, oral communications, and written communications.
Humanities and Fine Arts
Choose two courses from the list below:
| HIS 103 | History Across the Globe | 5 |
| PHI 107 | Ethics, Logic and Critical Inquiry | 5 |
| ART 105 | Race, Identity and Experience in American Art | 5 |
Note: Students transferring credit from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use any two general education courses in the following disciplines:
- Humanities: foreign language, history, literature, philosophy, religious studies, interdisciplinary humanities and fine arts, interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences
- Fine Arts: visual arts (including art history, art appreciation, and studio arts, such as drawing, painting, digital art, or film), film and cinema studies, and performing arts (including music appreciation, music theory, and music performance, theatre appreciation and performance, and dance)
Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Note: Students transferring credit from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use any three general education courses in the following disciplines:
- Mathematics: college-level and not developmental in nature
- Natural Sciences: physics, chemistry, earth science, astronomy, geology, physical geography, biology, human anatomy and physiology, microbiology, genetics, botany and zoology; and interdisciplinary fields such as environmental science, and ecology and conservation
- Mathematics or Natural Sciences
Social and Behavioral Sciences
| HIS 102 | Civics and American Government | 5 |
| PSY 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 5 |
Note: Students transferring credit from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use any two general education courses in the area of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the following disciplines: anthropology, economics, geography, history, human geography, political science, psychology, sociology, interdisciplinary social/behavioral science, interdisciplinary humanities and social and behavioral science.
Program Specific General Education Requirements
The following courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better:
| EDU 200 | Applied Educational Psychology | 5 |
| EDU 220 | Children’s Literature for Educators | 5 |
Additional General Education Requirements
| GEN 103 | Student Success Seminar | 5 |
| or | |
| GEN 203 | NLU & You: Tools & Strategies for Student Success | 3 |
Note: GEN 103 is required for the first-time freshman students only. Students transferring in less than 90 QH are required to complete GEN 203.
Career Development Requirements
First-time Daytime Students - 5 QH
| CAR 214 | Creating and Communicating the Professional Brand | 5 |
| or | |
| BRV 200 | Braven Leadership and Career Accelerator | 5 |
Transfer Students - 5 QH
| BRV 200 | Braven Leadership and Career Accelerator | 5 |
| or | |
| CAR 214 | Creating and Communicating the Professional Brand | 5 |
| or | |
| CAR 202 | Creating Professional Identity | 0 TO 2 |
| and | |
| CAR 203 | You The Professional | 3 |
Educator Preparation Core - 35 QH
| EAL 300 | Educational Foundations for Learning English as an Additional Language | 5 |
| EAL 331 | Cross Cultural Studies for Working with English Language Learners | 5 |
| ECE 334 | Language and Early Literacy Development | 5 |
| EDU 210 | Educational Philosophy- A Historical Account | 5 |
| EDU 290 | Professionalism and Ethical Engagement with Children, Families and the Community | 5 |
| EDU 299 | Practicum I Child Development | 5 |
| EDU 305 | Equity in Education | 5 |
Infant -Toddler Studies Major - 55 QH
| ECE 301 | Understanding Infants & Toddlers | 5 |
| ECE 302 | Health, Safety and Wellness in Infant/Toddler Environments | 5 |
| ECE 303 | Issues, Trends and Leadership in Early Childhood Education | 5 |
| ECE 321 | Curriculum and Assessment, Infant/Toddler Settings | 5 |
| ECE 324 | Integrated Preprimary Methodology in Early Childhood Education | 5 |
| ECE 341 | Early Intervention and Screening for Infants & Toddlers | 5 |
| ECE 342 | Culturally Responsive Infant/Toddler Settings | 5 |
| ECE 400 | Infant/Toddler Mental Health and Trauma Informed Practice | 5 |
| ECE 480 | Internship in Infant/Toddler Studies | 5 |
| EDU 350 | Teacher Preparation Curriculum and Assessment | 5 |
Concentration- 15 QH
See links to concentrations above