Academic Certificate

Three year boy looking up at the Ben Franklin statue on campus

Earn an academic certificate to build your capacity to support programs, policies, education, and the well-being of young children and their families.

The Early Childhood Education and Family Studies (ECEFS) Academic Certificate prepares students for work in roles across the early childhood education sector — early childhood teachers, preschool directors, curriculum developers, tech entrepreneurs, foundation program officers, policy analysts, counselors, and advocates. With a combination of academic preparation and field-based learning, students who earn the certificate will make purposeful contributions to transforming the field of early childhood education.

Program Details

Fall Entry Term
4 Courses
On Campus Modality

Overview

The ECEFS Academic Certificate prepares students to meet the growing demand for skilled professionals dedicated to shaping the foundational years of child development. Through a focused curriculum and hands-on field experience, students gain the knowledge and tools needed to drive meaningful change in education, policy, and advocacy.

The certificate consists of four courses, including a required proseminar. Many Penn GSE programs will have a Planned Program of Study that aligns with the certificate, allowing students to integrate it into their degree pathways in flexible ways.

The required course of study provides students with advanced, research-driven knowledge of early childhood development and its application to science-based innovation in policy and practice. Students will engage with interdisciplinary frameworks that supports collaboration and culture, enabling them to initiate and sustain projects across a range of constituencies. Additionally, students will participate in field-based learning experiences at early childhood education sites aligned with their professional interests, ensuring they gain practical insight into translating theory into meaningful, real-world impact.

Core competencies include:

Demonstrable knowledge of the range of issues influencing early childhood learning and development, spanning education, health, and child welfare.
Ability to analyze the intersections of research, practice, and policy.
Understanding the field's severity of the problems and opportunities for positive change.

Scholarship Opportunity

The ECEFS Academic Certificate has a scholarship opportunities for eligible Master's students who have an interest in and are committed to early childhood development and/or education. Learn more about the Suzanne McGraw Scholar.

The ECEFS Academic Certificate is designed to align with the full-time program of study for the following programs:

Master's	Doctoral
Education Policy, M.S.Ed. Education, Culture, and Society, M.S.Ed. Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development, M.S.Ed. International Educational Development, M.S.Ed. Language, Globalization, and Intercultural Studies, M.S.Ed. Literacy Studies, M.S.Ed. and Reading Specialist Certification Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, M.S.Ed. Teaching, Learning, and Leadership, M.S.Ed.	Educational Linguistics, Ph.D. Educational Linguistics, Ed.D. Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development, Ph.D. Literacy Studies, Ph.D. Literacy Studies, Ed.D. Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education, Ph.D. Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education, Ed.D. Education, Culture, and Society, Ph.D. Education Policy, Ph.D.

Do you have questions about the coursework?

We're happy to help! Contact the program leadership below:

Program Manager: Ardath Weiss, ardath@upenn.edu
Program Director: Sharon Wolf, Ph.D

Curriculum

The ECEFS Academic Certificate program consists of four courses: a required proseminar and three additional courses. Many Penn GSE programs offer a Planned Program of Study aligned with the ECEFS Academic Certificate program, allowing students to integrate the program into their curriculum in various ways.

Course offerings may change from year to year depending on faculty availability. Please search Path@Penn by term and course number to see what is offered each semester. Learn more about each course in the University Catalog.

Course Code	Course Title
EDUC 6580 (required course)	Pro Seminar: Special Topics in Early Childhood, Families, and Equity
EDUC 5252	Language Diversity and Education
EDUC 5406	Migration, Displacement, & Education (formerly listed as EDUC 5430)
EDUC 5480	Education & International Development
EDUC 5560	Human Development
EDUC 5562	Personality and Social Development
EDUC 5568	Cognitive Development
EDUC 5911 (course number subject to change)	Artificial Intelligence for Children and Youth: Learning, Creating, and Understanding
EDUC 5912	Math Tutoring in Urban Elementary Schools
EDUC 6101	Curriculum Design and Enactment
EDUC 6139 *Depending on advising from Ardath Weiss/PM	Design of Learning Environments
EDUC 6345	Issues in Education and Health: Disparities and Prevention in Schools and Communities
EDUC 6510	Cultural Perspectives on Human Development
EDUC 6720	Methods of Economic Evaluation in Education
EDUC 6739	Applied Policy Analysis
EDUC 7531	Risk, Resilience, and Prevention Science
EDUC 7539	Poverty and Child Development
EDUC 7770	Education Policy Research Practicum
EDUC 9999 (An independent study can be completed under the supervision of the certificate director, Dr. Sharon Wolf)	Independent Study

There will be a Planned Program of Study aligned with the ECEFS Certificate for many of the programs, and students will be able to integrate the Academic Certificate into their program of study in different ways. Student advising support will be provided through your program and the certificate program.