The Early Childhood Multicultural Education Birth-3rd Grade Teacher Concentration is designed for educators in the field of early childhood, which includes PreK-3rd grade in the elementary schools. This Associate of Arts degree is fully transferable to any college or university in New Mexico with an early childhood associate or bachelor’s degree. CNM offers early childhood coursework in English and in Spanish.
Students completing a degree in Early Childhood Multicultural Education may also meet the requirements for the CNM Child Development Certificate. This certificate fulfills the coursework requirement for the New Mexico Child Development Certificate. Individuals must be currently working in a child-care setting to qualify for the state certificate. To apply for the New Mexico Child Development Certificate, an applicant must request a Certificate Packet from the New Mexico Kids Network office by calling (505) 250-6725. Successful completion requires verification of coursework completion, a professional resource file, a family opinion questionnaire, an observation, and oral interview.
Students completing all of the early childhood coursework within any degree concentration are eligible to apply for the One Year Vocational Certificate issued by the New Mexico Office of Child Development. For more information, contact the Office of Child Development.
This Associate of Arts program meets the universal coursework requirements as established by the New Mexico Early Childhood Higher Education Task Force acting under the authority of the New Mexico Early Learning Advisory Council.
Students transferring to a four-year college of education for a bachelor’s degree in education will need passing scores on the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators (Core) upon program completion. For more information on the Praxis Core, please go to: https://www.ets.org/praxis/nm
Special Requirements
A background check is required for students enrolled in the Early Childhood Multicultural Education practicum courses which are required for the successful completion of this degree or certificate.
Some courses are not eligible for Financial Aid. Please check the list here when considering a course.
Career Opportunities
Students in early childhood are immediately employable upon graduation. Well-qualified educators are needed as early care and education teachers, public school educational assistants, Head Start teachers, administrators, early interventionists, and home visitors. Students are encouraged to continue with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood to become qualified for additional career opportunities, such as teaching PreK-3rd grade in the public schools. The starting salary for teachers in New Mexico public schools is $41,000. Within seven years, teachers can earn a base salary of $60,000.
For the graduation policy refer to the Graduating from CNM section, cnm.edu or the Students tab in my CNM.
Ten Year Rule for CTE Courses
Career and technical education courses in this program will qualify for credit for a period of ten academic years. Due to changing technologies, trends, and professional demands, courses completed ten or more years in the past will satisfy program requirements only if they are approved by the instructional school in which they were offered. Cohorted programs may have additional restrictions.
