Thinking of Going to School for Early Childhood? We’ll Get You Started!
If you’re considering going to school for early childhood education, you’re already on the right track. Careers in early childhood make a huge difference in communities and the lives of children—just ask Mikila, or Maria, or any of the state’s many early childhood professionals who find meaning and joy in their work.
Supporting and educating young children and families is important, skilled work, and many early childhood jobs require a certificate or degree. Luckily, there has never been a better time to go to school for early childhood in New Mexico, and we have everything you need to get started.
Financial Aid (It’s Free!)
The first thing you need to know is that colleges and universities all over New Mexico offer early childhood education programs FOR FREE. You read that right: FOR. FREE. Thanks to New Mexico’s Opportunity Scholarship program and other supports, most people won’t need to pay any tuition at all.
If you’re already an early childhood professional and you want to go back to school while you work, New Mexico has a scholarship program just for you! The scholarship is for people who work at least 20 hours per week at a New Mexico early childhood program, and are going back to school for early childhood. The program pays for any tuition that isn’t covered by other programs, plus the cost of textbooks and certain other expenses. It is recommended, but not required, that scholarship recipients take at least six credit hours per year to make steady progress. All the details, including a link to start your application, are here.
Anyone enrolling in college with a New Mexico scholarship is encouraged but not required to fill out the FAFSA, a federal form that collects financial information and can determine if you are eligible for certain types of grants or scholarships. If you can fill it out, you should! Even if your tuition is already covered by a New Mexico scholarship, the FAFSA could help you qualify for a Pell grant or another type of financial aid that can be paid to you in cash if your tuition is already paid. The FAFSA is important, but it can be complicated for families with mixed immigration statuses and it’s important to know that you can get New Mexico scholarships even without the FAFSA.
Finding a Program
OK, so it’s free. Now, what early childhood program should you enroll in? If you’re unsure what type of early childhood professional you want to be, consider taking our quiz to help you think about the type of degree or certificate that is best for your goals. Whether you’re a newcomer or you’re already an early childhood professional, you’ll need to find the right degree or certificate program for you. New Mexico offers early childhood programs that start with certificates and associate degrees, up to bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and even PhDs.
In general, there’s no reason to look any further than New Mexico’s many in-state colleges and universities. New Mexico’s scholarships cannot be used at out-of-state online colleges, so you could end up paying out-of-pocket if you enroll out of state. Plus, colleges and universities in New Mexico teach the standards that will be expected in early childhood programs here. So, stay local!
Luckily, New Mexico has colleges and universities in communities all over the state, and many of them offer programs that are at least partially online and designed for the schedules of students who are already professionals. If you aren’t sure about the higher education options near you, you can start by looking at this map. New Mexico’s Early Childhood Education and Care Department also provides a list of early childhood degree and certificate programs (the list starts on page 7), plus live links to the state’s colleges and universities (scroll down to “Links to Higher Education Institutions”).
If you prefer to learn in Spanish, several colleges in New Mexico offer early childhood certificate and associate degree programs completely in Spanish. Even if the program or language you need isn’t located in your community, you can take many programs online from wherever you are in the state. All programs are different, and New Mexico offers a combination of fully online classes that you do on your own time, online classes that meet through online video, in-person classes, and hybrid programs that combine online and in-person learning. Explore the specific program you’re interested in to find out if it’s a schedule that works for you.