91°µÍø

Have you already completed a bachelor’s degree at a regionally accredited college or university? Are you interested in becoming a licensed early childhood educator?  If so, this is the program for you!  As an 91°µÍø Early Childhood Education post-bac teacher licensure student, you will learn to care for, teach and work with children, birth through age eight. In this program, you will explore child development, language and literacy, science, technology, creativity, math, trauma-informed and equity-focused teaching alongside other future teachers from diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.

Here you will work with faculty made up of experienced preschool and early-elementary teachers, leaders and directors who remain active on federal, national, state and local boards and with agencies. Your faculty are helping to inform the current trends, policies and practices in the ECE profession by conducting research, speaking nationally and locally, and partnering with districts and centers. This excellent faculty bring all of that knowledge and experience to your class content.

Small class sizes enable you to develop lasting support networks of peers and receive the individual attention you deserve while gaining practical experience and relevant real-world knowledge to become a professional, knowledgeable, and agentic early childhood educator.

Explore a list of courses and additional requirements for this post-baccalaureate teacher licensure program.

We encourage you to schedule an appointment with an Early Childhood Education faculty advisor to further discuss this program and to develop a plan for your coursework.

Through completing our licensure program and earning your Colorado teaching license in Early Childhood Education, you will qualify to teach in public schools Pre-kindergarten through third grade. You will also meet Colorado Department of Human Services requirements for Early Childhood Teacher, Childcare Center Director, and COShines Professional Level II or III.

Early Childhood Education teacher candidates at Metropolitan State University of Denver are prepared to teach and work in a wide variety of environments. These settings include urban, rural, public, private and charter schools and centers; informal education settings; and state-licensing, policy-advocacy and nonprofit organizations.

Most 91°µÍø Early Childhood Education students become public school teachers at the level of pre-kindergarten through third grade. Others go to work as teachers or directors in childcare centers, become licensing agents, or work in government agencies, non-profit organizations.

In 2025, the average Elementary School Teacher salary in Colorado is $58,344 with a salary range typically between $50,936 and $71,116 per year. The average Preschool Teacher salary in Colorado is $55,625 with a salary range typically between $40,465 and $69,311 per year. (govsalaries.com)

Preschool and Childcare center teachers average salary in 2024 was $37,120 per year ($17.85 per hour). Preschool and Childcare center directors average salary in 2024 was $56,270 per year ($27.05 per hour). (us bureau of labor statistics 2024)

Visit our department webpage to learn more about our highly experienced, dedicated and caring faculty!

All School of Education teacher licensure programs are authorized by the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

ECE coursework is also aligned with the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) most recent professional development standards and the Colorado Early Childhood Educators and Administrators Competencies.