MA Early Childhood Education - Global Campus

"I have been doing my internship through the Early On program. This is something very unfamiliar for me. I have been working in a tuition-based center for almost five years and have had little to no interaction with state programs. I also have had little to no interaction with children that have special needs or disabilities. Throughout my internship with Early On, I have referred continuously to my class at NMU when we learned about children with special needs and disabilities. My NMU program and my internship have taught me many ways to make my classroom inclusive for all children and families."

"Learning deeper into the field of Early Childhood Education has helped me become both a better director and a better teacher. I am learning ways to work closely with families and make sure that we are encouraging family-centered education for the families we work with. I am learning new and helpful ways to interact with children that have disabilities, challenges, and also those that excel and need to be helped to achieve all they can. I am grateful for the knowledgeable professors at NMU as well as the peers I meet in courses, as it gives me opportunities to ask questions, learn and add to my professional toolbox. I am so glad I made the decision to pursue my degree with NMU!"

"A huge part of my work is professional development training for licensed childcare providers. The ECE courses at NMU align beautifully with my daily work. I have a deeper understanding of the importance of relationships between the child, family, school, and community."

"My course work in the Early Childhood Masters Program at NMU has not only empowered me with a deep understanding of child development but has provided me with the skills to create a developmentally appropriate classroom. The courses and instructor are professional, relevant, and share the importance of issues such as equity, inclusion, diversity trauma, and early intervention. One of the greatest opportunities I have had from this program is to be able to learn from the vast and varied experiences of my peers through group work and applicable discussions."

"In my internship with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) I was able to focus on equity in the consultation services provided by the Social and Emotional Consultants across Michigan. It was impactful to scaffold the learning I had within my early childhood education courses at NMU to support this project and make connections in my findings to best practices in our field. I was grateful for the support of my instructor in this project since my internship was not in a typical early childhood classroom but more of a systems-based focus and had some unique characteristics to balance. I felt that the courses I had taken up to my internship prepared me for this task and helped breakdown some of the silos in early childhood systems work across the state. Truly grateful for opportunities to reflect and craft an internship that I was passionate about and that aligned with my  work in the EC workforce and stretch my skillsets in focusing on equitable access for all children and families."