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Education, Early Childhood - Associate in Arts (681)

Associate in Arts (681)

To teach young children (birth to age 8) in Illinois public schools, teachers must be licensed by the State of Illinois. Since admission is competitive, completion of the recommended courses does not guarantee admission. Community college students are strongly encouraged to complete an Associate in Arts (AA) degree prior to transfer. A minimum grade point average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale), dependent on the transfer school requirements, and the passage of the Illinois Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP) or equivalent ACT plus Writing score are required for program admission.

Information regarding Illinois standards for Professional Educator License is available on the Illinois State Board of Education Website at www.isbe.net.

Students who have already chosen the university to which they plan to transfer should consult that institution's catalog or department advisor and an SVCC academic advisor in planning their program. Individualized articulation sheets for some universities are available in the advising office.

Criminal History Check Policy

Illinois law requires Illinois school boards to conduct a criminal background investigation on applicants for employment. This law also prohibits the employment of a person who has been convicted of committing or attempting to commit any one or more of a number of offenses. At present, offenses include first degree murder; any Class X felony; juvenile pimping; soliciting for a juvenile prostitute; exploitation of a child; obscenity; child pornography; harmful material; criminal sexual assault; aggravated criminal sexual assault; offenses set forth in the Cannabis Control Act; and crimes defined in the Illinois Controlled Substance Act. Employment must be denied whether the offenses and/or conviction occurred inside or outside the state of Illinois.

All students entering the initial observation course must first submit to a criminal background check (CBC). You will be notified by the College of the fees, date, time and location of the finger printing process. In addition, students listed on the Illinois Sex Offenders Registry, Illinois Violent Offender Against Youth Registry and the National Sex Offenders Registry will be denied entrance into these programs.

If any of the above returns with an incident "hit", you will be notified and need to meet with SVCC faculty/staff who will review your results and discuss how it might affect your ability to participate in these programs. An adverse decision may be appealed through the institutional academic appeal process.

Program Contacts at Sauk Valley Community College
Academic Advising, 815/835-6354;
Janis Jones, Assistant Professor of Education, 815/835-6410.

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