According to Cynthia Meo, Coordinator for the ECE Program, “The accreditation process was an immense year-long undertaking and the whole college community could not have been more helpful, providing us with whatever we needed and making themselves personally available when the Accreditation Review Team was here for the three days.”

NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D. said, “I am exceedingly grateful and proud of the excellent work of our faculty and staff. This program is a source of great joy, as we work with the children and provide excellent support to our communities.”

A four semester program comprised of 64 credits, NVCC’s program prepares graduates for beginning positions in Early Childhood Education. One of the unique distinctions about NVCCC’s program is that it allows students to practice the skills they learn in the classroom during their student teaching in the College’s Center for Early Childhood Education laboratory school (CDC), a state-of-the-art early care and education facility guided by the Reggio Emilia Approach philosophy that has been in operation at the college since 1977.

Typical positions for which graduates are qualified include: Lead Teacher or Assistant Teacher in a Birth-5 Early Childhood Programs or be eligible to transfer to a State of CT Teacher Certification Pre-K-Grade 3 Baccalaureate Program at a 4-year college. Graduates of the program are eligible to apply for the Early Childhood Teacher Credential (ECTC), a competency-based credential awarded by the Connecticut State Office of Early Childhood, which allows the graduate to meet the educational requirements to work in a Connecticut state-funded preschool program.  For students who want the option to continue their education, the ECE program offers many transfer options to several Connecticut State Universities, to UConn's Human Development and Family Studies Programs Program, and to Charter Oak College's Child Studies Program. For more information, visit nv.edu/ece.