Each student will need to visit and practice in multiple field sites and will need to successfully complete a range of assignments in order to complete an associate or baccalaureate degree.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires P4 certified teachers to have specified hours of different types of field placements:
- Stage 1 (observation)
- Stage 2 (exploration)
- Stage 3 (pre-student teaching)
- Stage 4 (student teaching)
NAEYC accreditation of early childhood teacher education programs requires that all program graduates have field experience in at least 2 of these age groups (0-3, 3-5, 5-8) and at least 2 of these types of early learning programs (child care, Head Start, early grades).
