Overview
During the early childhood education internship, teacher candidates student teach in early learning programs (serving children birth to age 5). Internships are 6 or 12 credit hours.
| 6 Credit Hours | 12 Credit Hours |
| 260 contact hours, with 3 weeks of lead teaching | 520 contact hours, with 3 weeks of lead teaching |
| Overall GPA 2.0 required | Overall GPA 3.0 required |
An overall GPA of 2.5 is required for an off-campus internship.
Field Site Requirements
The program should demonstrate a commitment to developmentally appropriate practices and, preferably, be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Use this link (https://ais.naeyc.org/search_programs) to search for an NAEYC-accredited early childhood program in your area. Please contact the HDFS ECE Internship Coordinator if you do not have an accredited early learning program in your area.
For an early learning program to be a potential field site, the primary purpose of the program must be educational, not recreational or solely custodial. Using DHR guidelines, the daily schedule for the field site program, though flexible, should include at minimum:
- Active and quiet play Indoor and outdoor play
- Organized and free activities
- Group play and solitary play
- Activities using toys and imaginative play
- Time for music, instruments, and singing
- Time for art activities, puzzles, and books
- Special time for individual adult attention and interaction
- Scheduled rest time
- Scheduled time for meals and snacks
If you plan to complete your lab hours where you work, you will be unable to complete your experience in your own classroom. Students should complete field experiences in a classroom other than their own.
Internship Planning
Students may not enroll in HD 495 without having completed the internship planning steps and without having submitted the Teacher Candidacy Form, the Confidentiality Contract, and a criminal history check report summary. Permission of the HDFS ECE Internship Coordinator is required to enroll in HD 495.
Complete internship planning steps in the semester before your intended internship semester.
- If you want to intern in the Spring semester, you will need to complete necessary steps in the prior Fall semester.
- All internship planning must be completed by the first day of Study Week (“Dead Week”) in the planning semester (the semester prior to internship).
1. Complete advising with your faculty advisor during HDFS departmental advising (prior to registration of courses). This is mandatory.
2. Complete the Internship Application. Attach your completed Confidentiality Contract and Criminal History Check Report Summary to the Teacher Candidacy Form. Please read each prompt carefully.
3. The ECE Internship Coordinator will review your application materials.
- Using the information provided in the form, you will be placed in one of three NAEYC-accredited early learning programs in the Tuscaloosa area.
- Distance learning students will complete their internships in NAEYC-accredited programs in their areas.
4. You will receive notification regarding your placement from the ECE Internship Coordinator.
5. Teacher candidates should meet with their on-site supervisors before the end of the semester to discuss an attendance schedule, develop specific objectives for the teacher internship, satisfy any site-specific credentialing requirements, and go over general responsibilities.
- Teacher candidates who are student teaching will complete lead teaching, in which they will be required to be present and teach every day of specified weeks, for the entire week. Be sure to plan any coursework that accompanies your internship accordingly. Your advisor can help you in this planning.
- While not currently required, Pediatric CPR Certification, Pediatric AED Certification, and Pediatric First Aid Certification are highly recommended and may be required by individual programs as part of their credentialing requirements for licensing and/or accreditation.
- It is also recommended that students have professional liability insurance during their student teaching internship.
Pre-Kindergarten: Birth to Age 4 Child Development Teaching Certificate
Teacher candidates who are pursuing the Pre-Kindergarten: Birth to Age 4 Child Development Teaching Certificate have additional requirements established by The Alabama State Department of Education that must be met. Please refer to the Teacher Certification Checklist and connect with your advisor to learn more about the certification process.