March 2025...It's been a hot minute since I've updated this page, and boy oh boy, life has continued to fly by. Teaching amidst COVID-19, a new early childhood pathway (EI/ECSE licensure), and a new bilingual pathway. Here's what's happening...
We now have two flexible undergrad early childhood pathways-1) Early Childhood Studies BS (non-licensure degree), and 2) Early Childhood Studies with Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) license BS degree. We are the first university in Oregon to offer an EI/ECSE license at the undergraduate level-whoohoo!!
We are also very excited to announce we have added a bilingual (Spanish) flexible degree completion option for both of our pathways. We have added several bilingual faculty, many of whom are our own graduates, to work with us to provide this amazing option. We have so much to celebrate!!
January 2017...Things are hopping at Western Oregon University right now. Four of our faculty (myself, Linda Craven, Maria Laine, Maria Peterson-Ahmad) returned from a two-week teaching trip to Tianhua College in Shanghai. This makes trip number four for Linda and myself. Our partnership with Tianhua is going strong, and we are expecting our first group of 30-50 students from Shanghai to arrive at WOU Fall 2017. We can't wait!
In addition to the partnership with have with Tianhua, we are also working on a partnership with Head Start programs to provide an off-campus cohort for our Early Childhood Studies (non-licensure) major. Be watching for more news about that!
I just returned (8/30/15) from a two-week teaching trip to Tianhua College in Shanghai, China. WOU and Tianhua have a partnership to support preservice early childhood educators. Our August trips were the first in a 10-year plan to take our Early Childhood Program to Tianhua, and to begin to bring their preservice teachers to WOU to complete our Early Childhood Studies major. My colleague Linda Craven took our ED 220 (Introduction to EC) to China two prior to my trip. I taught our ED 380 (Infant and Toddler Development). We both had a great time and look forward to returning very soon!
Fall 2013...I am thrilled to announce that the College of Education and the Teaching Research Institute here at WOU received a $1,000,000 grant from the Office of Special Education Programs. We received this grant to fund Project PIECE (Promoting Inclusive Early Childhood Educators), a project that funds three cohorts of students to go through our early childhood program to receive their Bachelor's and a teaching authorization. Then, they will also get their Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) endorsement at the graduate level.
There are multiple research opportunities with Project PIECE. Keep checking back for updates :)
We now have two flexible undergrad early childhood pathways-1) Early Childhood Studies BS (non-licensure degree), and 2) Early Childhood Studies with Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) license BS degree. We are the first university in Oregon to offer an EI/ECSE license at the undergraduate level-whoohoo!!
We are also very excited to announce we have added a bilingual (Spanish) flexible degree completion option for both of our pathways. We have added several bilingual faculty, many of whom are our own graduates, to work with us to provide this amazing option. We have so much to celebrate!!
January 2017...Things are hopping at Western Oregon University right now. Four of our faculty (myself, Linda Craven, Maria Laine, Maria Peterson-Ahmad) returned from a two-week teaching trip to Tianhua College in Shanghai. This makes trip number four for Linda and myself. Our partnership with Tianhua is going strong, and we are expecting our first group of 30-50 students from Shanghai to arrive at WOU Fall 2017. We can't wait!
In addition to the partnership with have with Tianhua, we are also working on a partnership with Head Start programs to provide an off-campus cohort for our Early Childhood Studies (non-licensure) major. Be watching for more news about that!
I just returned (8/30/15) from a two-week teaching trip to Tianhua College in Shanghai, China. WOU and Tianhua have a partnership to support preservice early childhood educators. Our August trips were the first in a 10-year plan to take our Early Childhood Program to Tianhua, and to begin to bring their preservice teachers to WOU to complete our Early Childhood Studies major. My colleague Linda Craven took our ED 220 (Introduction to EC) to China two prior to my trip. I taught our ED 380 (Infant and Toddler Development). We both had a great time and look forward to returning very soon!
Fall 2013...I am thrilled to announce that the College of Education and the Teaching Research Institute here at WOU received a $1,000,000 grant from the Office of Special Education Programs. We received this grant to fund Project PIECE (Promoting Inclusive Early Childhood Educators), a project that funds three cohorts of students to go through our early childhood program to receive their Bachelor's and a teaching authorization. Then, they will also get their Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) endorsement at the graduate level.
There are multiple research opportunities with Project PIECE. Keep checking back for updates :)