University of Michigan - Flint

Visit the Early Childhood Education Department website.

You enjoy working with children. You would like to expand the career options available to you. Take your elementary education degree to the next step and add the early childhood education certification to your resume!

• Enhance. Adding the early childhood certification (ZA endorsement) to your academic background qualifies you to work with children in a wide age range. Young children have specific needs that have to be taken into account in the educational setting
• Explore. Take advantage of the Early Childhood Development Center – a child care center on campus that focuses on providing a strong educational experience in combination with traditional daycare services. Many student pursuing their ZA endorsement choose to volunteer here.
• Options. Obtaining your ZA endorsement increases the age range of children that you are qualified to work with. Make yourself available for a larger number of jobs.
• Experience. Through the Early Childhood Development Center and student teaching experiences, students will gain invaluable hands on experience prior to entering the field.
• Travel. Study abroad! The education department has several travel opportunities available for education students who are interested in completing part of their student teaching in another country.

Your early childhood certification (ZA endorsement) is required by most daycare centers and elementary schools. Many of our elementary education majors choose to enhance their degree with a ZA endorsement. Adding this element to your degree will provide more job opportunities and make you stand out from other job candidates. Our graduates have gone on to the following:

• Daycare Instructor
• Preschool Teacher
• Elementary School Teacher
• Research

Visit the Early Childhood Education Department website.