UH offers new
education degreeThe program has been in the
works for nine years and will
focus on early childhood
A new master's degree offered at the University of Hawaii should help develop leaders in early childhood education, a field that tends to get shortchanged in funding and respect, advocates say.
"We're evolving into a profession, and sometimes you need those letters after your name to be taken seriously," said Gina Medrano, a preschool teacher in Kapaa, who joined 30 other students in the program that started this summer.
The interdisciplinary degree in early childhood education covers infancy to age 5, including children with special needs, and has attracted people from every island except Lanai, according to Stephanie Feeney, UH professor and coordinator of the program.
"It took us nine years to get this program," she said. "It's an institutional recognition of the importance of this period between birth and age 5, which gets talked about but doesn't get funded."
Chaminade University, which has for years offered a master's degree in early childhood education based on the Montessori philosophy, revised its program in May to give students more options.
Candidates can tailor their electives to their interests and need not take Montessori classes, according to Sheri Schonleber, associate professor of early childhood education at Chaminade. Someone interested in infants and toddlers, for example, could focus on that age group, she said. Leadership is another possible area of emphasis.
The Hawaii Teacher Standards Board also raised the profile of the field when it began issuing licenses in January for public school teachers who want to specialize in early education, from pre-kindergarten through third grade. The traditional license for elementary education covers kindergarten through sixth grade.
"It was an acknowledgment that developmental levels of kids require sometimes a unique set of skills," said Sharon Mahoe, executive director of the board.
She said the decision to offer the license came in response to requests from teachers, especially from out of state, who specialize in the younger age group.
Both UH and Chaminade offer programs approved by the state for students pursuing such licenses.
Schonleber said she is encouraged by the new emphasis on early childhood.
"I think it's going to really make a difference in the quality of the programs that are going to be available for children," she said.
Chaminade offers the core courses for its master's degree on campus as well as online. Students in the UH master's program take their core courses in intensive three-week summer sessions at the Manoa campus, three years in a row. Other courses are available online or through the university's outreach program.
"I live on Kauai, so access to a program like this is very difficult," Medrano said. "What I like about this is, it's only three weeks in the summer, so it's doable for working people."
The new UH program has attracted a range of participants, including preschool directors and teachers, as well as people working in early-intervention, family-based, hospital-based and community programs. The largest contingent, 10 students, is affiliated with Kamehameha preschools.
Several students said they appreciate the chance to connect with others from across the spectrum of early-childhood work.
The degree is jointly sponsored by the College of Edu-cation and the College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources.
University of Hawaii
