Jul. 25—MIDLAND — Midland College (MC) now offers a bachelor's degree for West Texans interested in pursuing a career in early childhood education.

Registration to begin classes this fall is now underway.

"One of the major parts of our mission at Midland College is to train and educate Permian Basin citizens to meet the workforce demands of our community, and this program definitely fulfills a need in our community for early childhood teachers." MC President Dr. Steve Thomas said.

The new bachelor's-level program prepares students to teach pre-kindergarten through third grade. Students graduating with a Midland College bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education will be eligible to take the state teacher certification exam in pre-k through 3rd grade.

"We purposefully designed the curriculum in both the current associate-level degree and the new bachelor's degree to give college students a unique opportunity in a lab environment at the Midland College Pre-Kindergarten Academy," Vice President of Instructional Services Dr. Damon Kennedy said.

Midland College's Pre-Kindergarten Academy came about as a result of a $300,000 planning grant and feasibility study conducted by Midland College and the Midland Independent School District (MISD). The Academy welcomed its first group of sixty-eight 3- and 4-year-olds on August 14, 2019. Funding by the Midland Development Corporation provided modular buildings that are currently nestled between the Helen Greathouse Children's Center and the Physical Education Building on the MC main campus. The Midland College Pre-K Academy also serves as a hands-on learning site for college students enrolled in educational programs.

Thanks to the tremendous success of the Pre-K Academy, Midland College has now begun construction of a permanent structure on the MC campus that will not only increase the pre-k academy's capacity from 68 to 288, but also provide classroom and office space for the college's growing Education Division. The new Pre-K Academy & Center for Teaching Excellence is scheduled to open in fall 2023 and will expand the hands-on training site for Midland College's new Bachelor of Applied Science program in Early Childhood Education. Funding is provided by lead gifts of $10 million each from Permian Strategic Partnership and Scharbauer Foundation, Inc. Other major donors include Abell-Hanger Foundation, The Beal Foundation, Henry Foundation and Warren Charitable Foundation. Individuals, families and businesses are providing additional financial support.

Midland College provides full scholarships for students enrolled in both the existing Associate of Arts in Teaching program as well as the new Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education program.

For a list of current project donors, visit tinyurl.com/yzpe6x24.

For more information and to begin the enrollment process, contact Denise McKown, MC dean of Education & Early Childhood, 432-685-6839 ([email protected]) or the MC Enrollment Navigation office at 432-685-4501, [email protected], www.midland.edu/enroll.

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