Early Care and Education Individualized Concentrations at University Without Walls

All courses in the early care and education concentrations are offered completely online. Courses in health and human services will be offered in a blended format, with both online assignments and fewer live meetings. Students pursuing other concentrations in the Professional Studies may select from online or blended courses, depending on their area of interest.

Contact information:
Early Care and Education Individualized Concentrations
413.545.1378
earlycare@uww.umass.edu

Students interested in early care and education (without state licensure) can design their first ever bachelors degree through UWW's Individualized Concentrations that incorporates the learning acquired working with children in family or group child care and related fields.

Students enrolled in the individualized degree program pursuing a concentration in early care and education have an opportunity to complete their first ever UMass Amherst bachelors degree with appropriate UWW and UMass courses offered entirely online. Head Start and other preschool teachers, as well as childcare providers, benefit from these courses designed in collaboration with early care and education agencies and taught by faculty members with demonstrated expertise in their fields. Students share experiences, information, ideas, and techniques with each other as they take the required UWW courses—and usually the later courses--as a cohort. Learn more about costs…

Students interested in other areas associated with education, such as alternative education, or child and youth development can design a degree that incorporates the learning acquired working with children in a wide range of situations—sports, family or group child care, scouting, youth groups, and more. These concentrations may combine a selection of UWW-sponsored courses in health and human services or education with other available courses associated offered by UMass Amherst.

Note: UWW also offers a concentration in Liberal Arts and Young Children’s Learning through our Educator Licensure Program designed for public school paraprofessionals and others who seek Massachusetts educator licensure in elementary and early childhood education. This program is seperate from the Early Care and Education concentration and is taught entirely on weeknights on campus at UMass Amherst.

Among the courses offered for early care and education students are:

Introduction to Multicultural Education
Seminar in Early Childhood Methods and Curriculum
Principles and Methods of Teaching Reading and Language Arts
Principles and Methods of Teaching Mathematics
Introduction to Inclusion
Observing and Assessing Children’s Behavior
Classroom Behavior Management

Special Funding Available

Participants in this program with one or more years of experience as an early childhood educator in Massachusetts may be eligible for Early Childhood Educators Scholarship Program funding through the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA). For more information about this program call OSFA (617) 727-9420 or see the OSFA web site

Students in this program who are not eligible for the Early Childhood Educators Scholarship Program are eligible for the same financial aid other UMass students receive. Some of this aid comes in the form of grants and some in the form of loans. Some loans are “forgiven” if students remain working in Head Start programs or inner city schools after graduation.