Early Childhood Care and Education (AAS.ECE)

Develop skills to foster the next generation by working in Early Childhood Education! Create your own curriculum by making lesson plans and activities. Throughout the program you will gain valuable experience working with children in schools and daycare centers. After completing the course, graduates will achieve a level 4 in the EVE / FS system connected with the Gateways Entitled Institution.

Meet the Faculty

Tanille Ulm – Early Childhood Education Instructor

“I make sure my students leave Lake Land feeling equipped and ready to go in with themes and lesson plans. I hit ‘having a plan B’ pretty hard as a topic. Because that age group has such a short attention span, the students have to be prepared for just about anything. In this field, it’s not so much the income that matters, it’s the outcome. The best thing about this line of work is knowing that you can have a direct positive impact on children’s lives. My students can graduate from Lake Land after two years at a Level 4 status in Gateways. I bring in experts from the community to do trainings, and students can get DCFS credit for that. This can help increase their opportunities later on in the field.”

Alumni Spotlight

Jenna Layton, 2nd Grade Teacher at Stewardson-Strasburg Elementary School "“I had really influential teachers from elementary school through college, and that helped me further my knowledge of what I wanted to be. I have loved working with kids ever since I was little and knew this was something I have always wanted to do. I love seeing students learn how to become better writers and having them get an ‘ah-ha’ moment when learning something new in math. Seeing them grow into confident readers is one of the most rewarding things in my career. I strive to teach them that they will take with them for a lifetime. Having students get excited about school and creating a safe and positive environment for learning is so rewarding. I had a good educational experience, I want them to have a positive school experience and hopefully remember me as not just their teacher, but someone who they could confide in and look up to. I hope one day I will inspire a student to become a teacher just as I had teachers inspire me growing up. Lake Land is the best first place to get you acclimated to what you want to do. They teach you how to be prepared and have everything ready, while also teaching you how to be flexible and able to adapt.”"