The study of Early Childhood Education (ECE) traditionally covers the ages of 0–8 years old, a timeframe that takes a child from birth through the second or third grade. These years are critical to a child’s development, and those who choose ECE as a profession must be prepared to enter the workforce with a fundamental understanding of how to take care of kids, how to talk to them, how to teach them, and how to help them reach their full potential as they grow older.

Early Childhood Education (ECE) – the development of social, cognitive, and emotional skills in the first five years of life – can have a profound impact later in life, with research pointing to improved academic achievement, better physical and mental health, and more. .

Early childhood education administration is the process of planning, organizing, directing, and coordinating the activities and resources of early childhood education programs. The role involves managing a variety of responsibilities, including setting up a budget, hiring and managing staff, designing curriculum, and communicating with parents and students.

For much of Mauri Garcia’s life, the barriers she faced seemed insurmountable. Her mother is from El Salvador and her father is a Black man from the south whom she says lived through segregation, and her family is all too familiar with adversity and discrimination. 

Although her mom was an elementary school teacher her entire childhood, faculty member Dr. Dana Dillard never intended to become a teacher herself. Despite growing up with a father who suffered from severe mental illness and becoming pregnant at the age of 19 while in an abusive relationship, Dr. Dillard instead focused on her education and her son. Now she is celebrating nearly a decade at the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC).