Teaching Children in Poverty Certificate

Program Coordinator: Carol Greene (207 Speight Building; 252-328-5316; greeneh@ecu.edu)

The teaching children in poverty certificate prepares teachers to work with children living in poverty. Students learn about the cognitive, social, and emotional implications of poverty on children and families, including poverty’s effects on children’s development and the impact of poverty-related stress and trauma on children’s learning and attention. Additionally, students learn educational and assessment strategies that address the specific needs of children from poverty in the areas of cognition and social and emotional learning and development, and apply them to classroom practice.

I. Admission Requirements

Admission to the certificate program include the general admission requirements of the MAEd as follows:

must currently hold or be eligible for an initial teaching license
must have an overall GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale on all undergraduate work from an institution accredited by a regional association
must hold a BA, BS, or an equivalent degree from an accredited college or university

Students interested in pursuing this certificate enroll as a nondegree seeking students or pursue the certificate concurrently while enrolled in an ECU graduate program. Admission is based on completion of the ECU certificate application and approval by the program coordinator.

II. Certificate Requirements

The certificate requires 12 s.h. as follows: