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Why Pursue a Degree in Early Childhood Development?
What happens during a child’s first years matters for a lifetime—impacting their brain development. Earning an early childhood education degree gives you the chance to help parents, including military families, seeking high-quality childcare.
If you love the idea of working with young children, an online early childhood education program may be right for you. Students join our early childhood education program to gain knowledge about career opportunities in the field or to learn more about caring for their own young children.
What You Will Learn in AMU’s Early Childhood Education Associate Degree Program
Learn from early childhood educators across the country about:
- Supporting positive growth in early childhood
- Preparing developmentally appropriate learning environments for different ages
- Communicating with parents/guardians
- Understanding different family dynamics that may arise in a childcare practice
Growth Opportunities in Early Childhood Education
Lack of access to high-quality early childhood care is a concern for many civilian and military families.
More than 300,000 active-duty servicemembers have children under the age of six, yet there is a large gap in availability of childcare options. Some 72% of those surveyed in the 2022 Military Family Lifestyle Survey said they needed some form of childcare but 38% said they were unable to find childcare that works for their family.
The Government Accountability Office also found long waitlists for on-base childcare. This has led to a high demand for professionals in early childhood development. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be roughly 153,100 openings for childcare workers, 56,300 openings for preschool teachers, and 151,000 openings for teacher’s aide/assistants on average, from 2022 to 2032
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [career information accessed November 2023]
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm#tab-6
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/preschool-teachers.htm#tab-6
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/teacher-assistants.htm#tab-6
Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Why Earn Your Childhood Education Associate Degree Online?
Online degree programs allow you to attend classes from anywhere with an internet connection, even while deployed. When you pursue your online degree you can gain essential skills while balancing work, family, and other obligations. Participating in a virtual classroom also connects you to fellow students from around the country to enrich your learning experience.
Online education can open the door to meeting a wider group of people, whether you’re looking to learn from peers or make new connections. Here at American Military University, we have 70-plus student organizations, including one of the largest Student Veterans of America chapters.
Benefits for Military Families
AMU is the #1 higher education provider to the U.S. military and top choice for veterans using their GI Bill® benefit1. As a military-friendly university, we offer special benefits, such as education and career support through the Department of Defense’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership.
Affordability
Our degree programs are very affordable. We were ranked in the top 11% for return on educational investment, compared to 4,500 colleges and universities2. In addition to offering a Preferred Military Rate to servicemembers and their families, we provide no-cost ebooks for undergraduate courses.
Flexibility
Students also appreciate the flexibility to earn their early childhood development degree by completing weekly assignments at their own pace. Online classes start monthly and run for 8 weeks. You can log on anytime to get weekly assignments for early childhood education courses and participate in discussion threads.
American Military University is part of American Public University System (APUS). All statistics cited, data, and accolades are current for APUS as of December 2023.
1 Based on FY 2019 Department of Defense tuition assistance data, as reported by Military Times, 2020, and Veterans Administration student enrollment data of students using the GI Bill® as of March 23, 2023.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
2 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce report, Ranking 4,500 Colleges by ROI (2022), based on a 20-year return on investment, or net present value.
How Else Can You Save on your Early Childhood Education Degree?
Explore more ways to save money on your online degree through:
- Veteran Tuition Grant program for veterans and their extended families
- Possible transfer credits1 for previous academic, military, professional, or other learned experiences. Transfer credits enable you to save time and money toward earning your degree. The University accepts up to 45 credits toward an associate degree. Please contact an Admissions Counselor at 877-755-2787 for complete information.
- Scholarships
Our early childhood education courses are led by master’s and doctoral-level faculty from around the country with diverse experiences as:
- Directors and administrators of childcare programs
- Head Start preschool teachers or serving in Head Start in an administrative capacity
- Professional development specialists helping those preparing to seek the CDA credential upon program completion
In addition to their practitioner roles, faculty also have experience teaching early childhood education and early childhood development courses in higher education. They help prepare students with the knowledge to work in:
- On-base, home-based, and center-based childcare centers
- Early childhood programs
- Private preschools/pre-kindergarten
Helping Servicemembers and Military Spouses Transition to University Life
Founded by a retired U.S. Marine as a distance learning university for servicemembers, AMU is committed to student success. Our roots are in the military, but we are open to all. Our academic advisors are here to provide guidance throughout your time at the University, helping you map out a degree plan, balance your course load, work with professors, and more.
Military education senior managers at bases across the country are also on hand to help active-duty and veteran servicemembers as well as military spouses with everything from applications to preparing for graduation.
Through our partnerships with Uwill and TalkCampus, we’re also able to offer all our students 24/7 mental health support in 25 different languages. We also have a University chaplain who has extensive experience working with servicemembers impacted by post-traumatic stress disorder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. American Military University is part of American Public University System (APUS), which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
An associate of applied science is for students looking to enter the workforce instead of pursuing a higher-level degree. An associate of science degree focuses more on technical and quantitative aspects of child development. An associate of arts degree focuses on the humanities and qualitative content.
This depends on your academic and professional goals. An early childhood associate degree prepares students with the knowledge to enter the early childhood development field. If you are looking to work as a non-licensed preschool teacher or childcare center director, you may want to earn a bachelor’s degree since this is a requirement for some states.
Many states and accrediting bodies require teachers to have their CDA credential. Your online associate’s degree in child development can prepare you academically to pursue a CDA credential.
No. However, if you choose to pursue a Child Development Associate credential, one of the requirements is a specified number of hours of hands-on experience working with children in the age group of your CDA application.
Childcare professionals certified by their military base are able to provide child care in their homes for small groups of children. Military-certified child care providers must meet specific requirements, including:
- Engaging children in developmentally appropriate activities
- Providing school readiness as well as social and emotional development support
- Operating in a safe, warm home environment
- Securing proper licensing and a favorable background check
To check your state’s requirements, visit the National Database of Child Care Licensing.
Child Development Associate® is a registered trademark of the Council for Professional Recognition.