According to the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, childcare staffing shortages throughout the state have made it difficult to find early childhood educators to fill over 9,000 vacancies. These shortages of staff are impacting the industry’s ability to serve children and families.
To address this need, Michigan State University Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) currently offers a B.A. in Child Development: Birth to Kindergarten and Special Education (BK) that provides graduates with the skills and hands-on experience to successfully enter the work force.
“HDFS is dedicated to ensuring every child has access to high-quality early learning. As the demand for qualified professionals has intensified, our students are rising to the challenge, gaining expertise and hands-on experience at our Child Development Laboratories, and securing in-demand, rewarding positions after graduation.,” said Dr. Andrea Wittenborn, professor and chair of the MSU HDFS.
“This program is special in so many different ways and it is always going to have such a special place in my heart,” said Kate Logee, BK major. “You can tell the people in this program really want to make sure that the pre-service teachers that are coming in have the best experience that they can and leave here with having as much knowledge as they can, that this program cares so much about making sure that they're putting teachers into classrooms, because that's where the most learning can happen, and you can only learn so much in a lecture hall.”
“My favorite part is watching children reach the milestones that they worked so hard to get to and seeing how excited the parents are when their children reach those milestones and understanding that I had a role in that and watching my hard work from my classroom payoff,” said Abigail Rugh, BK major.
For students interested in early childhood teaching, the BK degree prepares them for teacher certification and licensure for teaching in infant/toddler, preschool and kindergarten classrooms.
In fact, 100% of MSU BK students passed the state teaching licensure exam between 2021 and 2024.
“I hope to make a positive impact on children in the future in my career in early childhood education by providing the first foundational steps of development in all sorts of aspects,” said Ava Fredericks, BK major.
Additionally, the program provides a way for undergraduates to continue into graduate study through the Shared Undergraduate to Master’s Degree Program.
“We're so excited about this four plus one program because we find it to be a very cutting-edge way to train students and get them on this accelerated path towards their graduate studies,” said Dr. Amanda Guinot Talbot, assistant professor and the undergraduate program director. “We are excited to see the growth of this, helping our students to get that leg up on their competition and move further into their studies.”
While the department is graduating quality educators, they hope to attract more students to the major to help address the statewide employment vacancies.
To learn more about majoring in Child Development: Birth to Kindergarten and Special Education including the linked program option, visit https://hdfs.msu.edu/academics/undergraduate/majors or if you’re ready to speak to one of our advisors, visit https://hdfs.msu.edu/academics/undergraduate/advising.