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Overview,
Degree Programs and
Faculty
Our Purpose
Working with children is one of the highest and noblest professions. Good Christian teachers, children's ministers and youth workers help raise the quality of life for the children they serve!
The early childhood education program at Point endeavors to equip each student to be an effective practitioner and mentor teacher. A caring, effective mentor teacher is one who nurtures each child and fulfills the responsibilities of providing developmentally appropriate learning experiences to meet the needs, capabilities and interests of individual children in pre-kindergarten through grade five. A caring, effective mentor teacher also recognizes and respects individual differences and emphasizes the acquisition of essential skills, concepts and knowledge, along with the development of critical thinking, ethical and lawful social behavior and responsible citizenship.
The child and youth development program at Point is ideal for the person interested in working with children outside the school classroom setting. The program emphasizes the integration of knowledge of human development with the skills and expertise essential for developing, implementing and evaluating effective programs for children, youth and families.
Our Program
The early childhood education program at Point prepares teachers through courses in biblical, general and professional studies. The program includes educational experience with children in culturally diverse schools in the surrounding communities. A semester of student teaching ends the program. ECE participants also qualify for employment as teachers of English as a second language (ESOL).
The Department of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). This accreditation includes the initial teacher preparation level. The Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC) has granted accreditation to the early childhood education preparation program (preschool through fifth grade) and the English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) endorsement program.
When all criteria are met, the ECE graduate is recommended by the Department of Education to the Georgia PSC for the initial level-four teaching certificate. The ECE degree program also includes the courses which lead to the endorsement in English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
In the child and youth development program, students take foundational course work in human development, education and sociocultural contexts. Students combine foundational course work with a selected area of specialization. Specializations are offered in children’s ministry, youth programs administration or early childhood (non-licensure). A student’s program of study culminates in an internship in the area of specialization.
Your Career and Ministry
In the last few years, graduates of the early childhood education program have often been offered positions before completing their last year of classes. Point-educated teachers also receive high marks from their supervisors, colleagues and students, and are employed by educational institutions across the nation, both public and private. Many of our graduates also serve as effective teachers in the church setting.
The child and youth development major prepares students to enter a variety of child and youth care employment settings, ranging from day care centers to youth corrections programs; from community-based programs such as the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club to nonprofit early childhood programs such as church preschools. Students may also prepare for a career in children’s ministry, a perfect complement to the biblical studies minor earned by all Point graduates.
The Department of Education offers the bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees in early childhood education and middle grades education, each with a minor in biblical studies.
Early Childhood Education
The early childhood education (ECE) program consists of three components: biblical studies, general studies and professional studies. Each component is equally important and is supported by the other two components. Biblical studies courses form the foundation for the Christian principles necessary for mentoring; general studies equip teachers with the knowledge they need; and finally, professional studies courses provide knowledge about how children learn, how to plan for learning, and how to deliver instruction and evaluate the learning of students. The Department of Education prepares ECE graduates to become certified teachers of children in preschool through the fifth grade.
Middle Grades Education
The middle grades education major prepares teachers for certification in grades four through eight. Students majoring in middle grades education are required to choose a primary concentration and a secondary concentration in addition to professional education courses. The areas of concentration include language arts, science, social studies or mathematics.
Child and Youth Development
The department also offers the bachelor of science degree in child and youth development, with a minor in biblical studies. Students may choose from three specializations: children's ministry, early childhood (non-licensure), or youth programs administration.
Full-time faculty members:
James C. Donovan, Ph.D.
Professor of Education, Department Chair
Lacey A. Southerland, Ph.D. (
web page)
Director of Early Childhood Education and Professor of Education
Susan Ryan, Ed.D.
Associate Professor of Education and English
Part-time and adjunct faculty members:
Kim Boyd
Adjunct Instructor of Special Education
Kimberly P. Macenczak
Professor of Education; Vice President for Academic Affairs
Josh Noland
Adjunct Instructor of Education
Laura Rubin
Adjunct Instructor of Education
Melissa Stinson
Adjunct Instructor of Education
Lynn Wiseley
Adjunct Instructor of Education and Teacher Media Center Director
Staff:
Woody, Reneé
Teacher Media Center Staff
For more detailed information on the department and its degree programs, see the Point Catalog or contact the registrar or department chair.