We have a BSEd degree available completely online. It is designed to build on your associate's degree so you can complete a 4-year degree. Coursework allows you to focus on children Birth-to-5, including children with special needs.

You will need at least a 2.5 GPA in your Associate's degree. If you don't have the minimum GPA, or haven't finished your associate's degree, you can enroll in the ECLC-AAS degree and work to complete the requirements.

You can teach in most Pre-K settings. The online coursework will prepare you to teach infants, toddlers, and children ages 3-5. Check with your state's Dept. of Education to see if this degree will allow you to teach in a Pre-K classroom in a public school setting.

No. The online major is a focus on children ages 0-5. There is no licensure attached to this major.

Yes! When you fill out your application, indicate your previous college course work. Contact those institutions and have them send an official copy of your transcript to ECLC's attention at the address under "contact us" on this website. Our advisors will evaluate your previous course work and transfer as many credits as possible towards our online degrees.

If you will be submitting transcripts demonstrating more than 60 hours of college course work, you do not need to send us your high school transcripts. Otherwise, we do need them! You'd be surprised at how long high schools hold on to their records! If you're applying to the Associate's degree, contact your high school and ask about a transcript to be sent to ECLC's attention at the address under "Contact Us" on this website. We need to see that you did graduate from high school, which is our only admissions requirement. We'll also accept a copy of your GED certificate. Make sure you let us know if your transcript will arrive under your maiden name. Many high schools didn't use social security numbers for tracking.

You can take as much, or as little, as you need to meet your professional development goals. We have many students who want more training in literacy or math and science curriculum, so they just take that course. Others enroll in the degree and finish their degree with us. Federal financial aid can only be used by students who matriculate in the degree program, so if you need to have financial aid to cover the tuition costs for the one course you'd like to take, then you'll need to officially apply to our program. You can download the application in the Advisor's Office.

Absolutely! Many of our students apply for, and receive, financial assistance from the federal government and their state government that helps pay for the tuition costs. See the fafsa website in the Advisor's Office to apply for aid online. If you qualify, you'll get an award letter letting you know which grants and loans for which you qualify. Remember, grants are like scholarships; they don't need to be paid back. Loans, even low-interest or no-interest loans, will bring loan payments when you finish your degree. By the way, a computer is considered an educational related expense when you're enrolled in distance education, so you can use your surplus aid to purchase a home computer.

No. We do not use test results from either the SAT or the ACT for admission decisions.

First of all, we have advisors who will help you make these types of decisions. Second, you'll be taking placement tests in both English and math that will help your advisor know what level will match your current ability. These tests are available online for free and do not need a proctor. (Warning: Being dishonest on these tests means being placed in a course that's too advanced!) Every college has their own tests, so even if you recently tested for another university, we'll still require you to take our tests. They're specific to our unique courses.

Our tuition for 2008-09 is $648 per 3 credit hour course for the Associate's degree. (Residents of Ohio pay $618 per course.) Bachelor's courses are $816 for non-Ohio residents and $786 for Ohio residents. We will waive your application fee, matriculation fee, and registration fees.

No, we don't offer online CDA training. Once you have your CDA, we can help you count that credential towards your associate degree.

Our associate's degree articulates with the on-campus teacher licensure program for Grades K-3, which is taught here in Cincinnati. It also articulates with the online 4-year degree in Birth-to-five. There is no teacher licensure associated with this degree. "Articulates" means that credit from one degree count towards another degree. When looking at options for moving to a 4-year degree, you should always ask how much of your associate's articulates.

Our Associate's degree has been approved to carry Pre-Kindergarten licensure in the State of Ohio. Any student who successfully completes our degree program is eligible to apply. This license only refers to Pre-K and does not include Kindergarten or Grades 1-8. Students outside Ohio should contact their State Department of Education to see if the Pre-K license from Ohio is recognized.

Most teacher education programs for Kindergarten and upper grades are 4-year degrees, with extensive practica experiences in a Kindergarten setting AND in a grade school setting. Our degrees focus on the necessary skills to teach children ages 0-5, with a practicum in a preschool setting only.

The CDA is an important first step on your professional development quest. It marks your success as you studied, completed your competency statements, compiled your portfolio, and satisfied the Council for Professional Recognition. We understand your dedication to your field, and we've devised test-out options for those teachers who completed their training in a program setting, rather than a college setting. The tests measure what you know in areas of health, safety, and professional practice. If you pass the test, you're able to buy credit for the corresponding course at a greatly reduced rate, without taking the course. If you don't know the information in the test, you'll need to enroll in the courses to assure yourself you have the strong foundation necessary to perform well in the more advanced courses. Teachers who completed their training in a college setting may submit their college transcripts for transfer consideration.

Through a special agreement with the Dept. of Defense, we can offer credit towards the completion of our associate's degree for completion of the childcare modules for infants, toddlers, family childcare and preschoolers only. Our agreement does not include the modules for school-age care. When you have completed an additional 9 hours in our program, have applied to our program, and have presented your IDP or 1098 for evaluation, you will be awarded 18 credit hours. It's a great way to get a head start on your associate's degree!

Many states have CEU requirements for CDA renewal or other purpose. You can meet those requirements by attending conferences, participating in workshops, and other professional development opportunities. Usually, these types of events do not assess the learning that has taken place, only that you have spent some time in a chair. But we bet that you don't teach your kids a new concept and then send them home. We bet you do some assessment to be sure that they learned what you were teaching. You ask them questions, you ask them to demonstrate their new skill, you incorporate this new skill into the next day's lesson. This is the way college credit works. We must know that you learned what we were teaching, so we assess you, through tests or written assignments. If you prove you mastered the skills, you are awarded college credit. Because CEUs don't carry significant assessments, they can't carry college credit.

Our degrees were designed so they are entirely on-line. You never have to visit us here in Cincinnati. We'd love to see you at our graduation ceremony as you pick up your diploma, but participation in that event is not a requirement.

Every quarter we publish the list of books that you will need for each course. Many of these books are well-known resources that you may already own, or that may be part of your center's resource center. If you need to purchase your books, you may order them via e-Campus.com, an on-line bookstore. You can choose your method of delivery there, which is helpful if you need them overnight!

There are several ways to watch a course's videos, depending on your technology comfort level. You can borrow the DVDs from e-Campus.com when you order your books. If you have cable, DSL, or another hi-speed internet provider, you can actually watch the videos over the internet for free.

We have designed our courses so that you have very few tests! That doesn't mean you are not assessed on a regular basis; most courses have 2-3 page papers that are due periodically during a quarter term. We have placement tests that you'll take soon after you apply. Those will tell us what level of math and English is right for you. Cheating on those tests means a placement in a level that is too advanced - there's very little cheating on those tests! A few courses do have on-line tests which are given on the honor system. We're proud of the integrity of our students and their high standards!

You will need Microsoft Word for typing up your homework assignments; contact us for the special agreement we have with Microsoft for our registered students. When you're on the Internet, you access Blackboard, our virtual classroom, without downloading anything to your computer. We have a free special course where you can practice your new technology skills before you start your first course with us. The free downloads Adobe Acrobat Reader and Windows Media Player are also helpful. You can find links to those programs here under the "Prospective Students" section of this website.

Many of our students have a standard dial-up Internet service and it works well with our courses. If you're going to watch the video lecture series via the Internet, you'll need a hi-speed Internet provider, like RoadRunner. Check with your local cable TV provider.

Most advisors will tell you that you should study 9-10 hours per week per course. That includes reading the texts, watching the lectures, using the Internet for interaction with other students and your fellow students, doing your homework, and submitting it via Blackboard. Distance education allows YOU to choose which hours you block off for studying. Some students prefer early morning hours, and others prefer to stay up late, after their own kids are in bed.

The average age of the ECLC student is 39, which means that most of our students did not grow up in the Age of Technology. Our office staff and help desk offers assistance and general hand-holding as needed! You should be able to use the very basic functions of Microsoft Word and know how to access and browse the internet. If you got this far on our website, you're probably OK!