Early Childhood Education (ECE)
Associate's Degree
Next program start date
May 08, 2024
Finish in as few as
18 months1
Learning includes
- Online
- Campus Support and Resources
You can earn your online Associate’s in Early Childhood Education for around $19K2 to help make your goals more affordable
You could save almost $5,400 more with self-directed assessments, which allow you to show that you don’t need to take a specific course.3 Make a positive difference in the lives of children as a well-equipped early childhood educator—earn your ECE Associate’s degree in as few as 18 months.1 With career-focused learning and flexible online courses, our Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education prepares you to meet the academic requirements for the CDA® credential application.4 Already have your CDA? You can request a course waiver for up to 12 credits, allowing you to finish in as few as 15 months and save an additional $2,520.15
Our ECE programs do not prepare students for licensed teaching positions in any public school setting, but students will have the opportunity to help shape the futures of young children from birth to age six in a childcare or non-public school setting or leadership role.
Take me to:
What Will I Be Prepared to Do When I’m Done?
Advance Your Education
Rasmussen University’s ladder curriculum allows you to easily transfer your Early Childhood Education Associate's degree credits toward an ECE Bachelor's degree—an average of 93 credits, which is equal to $25,017 transfer credits.6
Be a Positive Influence
Our Early Childhood Education courses give you the knowledge and skills you need to create a positive and thriving learning environment for your children and their families.
Pursue Potential Job Growth
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the projected job growth potential between 2020 and 2030 for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education, is 18%.7 An ECE Associate's degree online from Rasmussen University can help set you up for success in this growing field.
Take the Next Step—Talk to Us!
What Skills Will I Gain?
To grow your skills in your particular area of interest, choose between two specializations—Special Needs and Child Development. Both paths emphasize working with diverse families and dual language development while also exploring unique aspects of early childhood education.
Promote Inclusive Environments
Special Needs Specialization
Develop strategies for promoting and supporting an inclusive environment and explore how to support young children with special needs and English Language Learners in the early childhood setting.
Effective Education Techniques
Special Needs Specialization
Use your knowledge and skills from our coursework to create customized curriculum and education techniques to effectively help children with special needs develop their mental, emotional and physical capabilities.
Infant and Toddler Development
Child Development Specialization
Understand the importance of creating environments for childcare and education that foster optimum social/emotional, physical and cognitive development for children from birth to age 3.
Language Learning and Support
Child Development Specialization
Use your knowledge and skills to help infant, toddler, preschool and school-aged dual language learners acquire language and literacy, as well as working with families to support children's home languages.
Transferable Skills
Both Specializations
You’ll also develop the soft skills you will transfer into your role. Core courses develop your skills in critical thinking, communication, digital fluency, information literacy, diversity, equity and inclusion, and ethics and professional responsibility. Specifically, you'll further your diversity and teamwork skills as you explore diverse family dynamics and how building relationships and collaborating with families successfully supports each child's growth and development. Grow your digital fluency by utilizing appropriate technological tools to share information with families and colleagues about developmentally appropriate practices. Learn more about transferable skills.
What Types of Classes Will I Take?
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Early Childhood Education Curriculum and Instruction
- EEC 1202
- Online
- 4 Credits
This course promotes the development of young children in the academic, social, and emotional domains. It examines developmentally appropriate methods for writing and assessing behavioral objectives, lesson plans, and activity goals. Various curriculum models will be reviewed. Strategies to enhance parent and family involvement will be emphasized. Students will continue to explore the Child Development Associate Credential (CDA) standards and application requirements.
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Advocating for Children with Special Needs
- Special Needs Specialization
- EEC 2403
- Online
- 4 Credits
Explore current trends, resources and advocacy on behalf of young children with special needs. Examines the role of early childhood educators in supporting and advocating for young children with special needs and their families.
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The Exceptional Child
- Child Development Specialization
- EEX 2010
- Online
- 4 Credits
Explores the benefits of inclusion in the early childhood setting. Develops an understanding of exceptional development. Identifies the parties relevant to exceptional development and their roles as resources in support of the child and their families.
24 Courses to Complete
90 Credit Hours
Estimate Your Tuition
Rasmussen University is committed to making education more affordable for all students. Our tuition estimating tool can help you visualize the cost of your degree and see what savings opportunities are available to help you achieve it.
Rasmussen University believes in helping you make your education as affordable as possible.
Our interactive tuition estimator is designed to help you discover how much you could save on a degree from Rasmussen University.
Simply enter your ZIP code, select the program and credential you're interested in, and click “next”.
Right away, you can see the total estimated cost of your selected degree.
As you engage with the tool, you may see this number start to go down.
You also have the option to see how attending full-time or part-time could impact your tuition—and what your tuition estimate looks like, broken down by quarter.
The tuition estimator walks you through a number of ways you could reduce your overall tuition.
Click the tabs or the “back” and “next” buttons to move through the tool.
Within each tab, answer the question shown as accurately as you can, by interacting with the slider, select menu or radio buttons shown.
You might not feel totally confident in all of your answers. That's okay. This tool is just generating an estimate of how much your degree might cost.
The last tab of the tool shows you your results, including how much you could potentially save on your Rasmussen degree.
Remember, the numbers shown here are just estimates, and the true cost of your degree will vary.
Talk with an admissions advisor for more information about how to make your Rasmussen degree as affordable as possible.
Additional Ways to Save
While we aim to reduce your tuition through our credit transfer policies and other ways to help you save on your education—we encourage you to seek outside scholarships as well.
You can also receive course waivers if you have earned specific professional credentials:
Florida Child Care Professionals Credential (FCCPC)
Florida Early Childhood Professional Credential (ECPC)
Florida Child Care Apprenticeship Credential (CCAC)
Wisconsin Infant and Toddler Credential
Wisconsin Preschool Credential
Wisconsin Administration Credential
Wisconsin Leadership Credential
AIM4Excellence Director Credential
CDA Credential awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition
For more information, please view the School of Education Waivers from the course waiver section in the course catalog.
MN T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship Program
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® MINNESOTA is a scholarship program that helps early childhood and school-age care providers increase their levels of education, compensation and commitment to the field by earning college credits and degrees.WI T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship Program
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® WISCONSIN provides higher education scholarships to professionals who work in regulated early childhood and school-age care settings.FL T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship Program
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® FLORIDA provides scholarships for early childhood teachers and facility/family home directors to work toward earning an Associate’s, Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in early childhood education, a Florida Staff Credential, a Director Credential, a National CDA Assessment or credential renewals.IL Gateways Scholarship Program
The Gateways Scholarship Program will pay a portion of tuition for eligible professionals working in early care and education or school-age programs who want to earn college credit, credentials or degrees.
As an entitled institution, Rasmussen University has aligned coursework to the IL Gateways Credentials. More information on the IL Gateways Credentials can be found here.
What Should I Know Before I Enroll?
Entrance Requirements
There's no application fee and you can get started sooner with 8 start dates throughout the year.
Entrance requirements at the Rasmussen University School of Education vary depending on the program. We do not require enrolling students to submit standardized test scores; however, every entrant must have at least a high school diploma or the equivalent.
Transfer Student
We believe in giving credit where it’s due. Prospective students can transfer credits and receive course waivers in this ECE program. For example, if you already have your CDA credential, you may be eligible to transfer up to 12 credits toward your certificate. Talk to an admissions advisor today or explore our Transfer Policy page to review our seamless credit policies designed to maximize credits, potentially save money and expedite graduation.
Help Paying for College
Higher education should be a manageable investment. Talk to an admissions advisor and learn how these programs can make it more affordable with self-directed assessments, credit for prior learning, loans and grants, scholarship opportunities, corporate grants and military discounts for those who qualify.
Where Can I Find an ECE Degree Near Me?
At Rasmussen University, we want our courses to be available on your schedule, not the other way around. Select programs are available for enrollment through a specific campus and nationally online, but students complete the courses online and are able to utilize online and on-campus support and resources. See below to find out where you can find an online Early Childhood Education program near you.
- Online
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Florida
Florida Campuses
This is an online program, but students can enroll at one of these campuses.
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Illinois*
Illinois Campuses
*This program is offered online in Illinois.
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Kansas
Kansas Campuses
This is an online program, but students can enroll at one of these campuses.
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Minnesota
Minnesota Campuses
This is an online program, but students can enroll at one of these campuses.
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North Dakota
North Dakota Campuses
This is an online program, but students can enroll at one of these campuses.
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Wisconsin
Wisconsin Campuses
This is an online program, but students can enroll at one of these campuses.
