Change Lives — Theirs and Yours

The online Bachelor of Arts in Early Care & Education (ECE) at the University of Washington builds on your cultural and contextual knowledge of children's learning and provides real-world opportunities for you to apply your learning, knowledge, and skills in early learning settings with diverse families and communities. 

The curriculum is rooted in the belief that all young children and their families have the right to equitable opportunities to learn and develop in a just and culturally-thriving society. You will be prepared to advance this mission through interdisciplinary coursework and community-based learning with community partners. 

A Flexible Community-Based Program

Community is at the heart of the ECE program. You can continue living and working in your community while pursuing your Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree through a flexible online model. In this practice-based program, you will:

• Apply your learning in a community-based learning site, which can be your workplace or a volunteer setting.
• Travel through the program in a cohort and are placed into smaller groups within courses to connect and collaborate.
• Be supported each step of the way, with student-centered teaching and advising to help you successfully navigate the program and achieve your goals.

Seeking to Transform Inequitable Systems

The ECE program recognizes and emphasizes the importance of equity and diversity. The program addresses common barriers to higher education for the early care and education community, including affordability, access, relevance, and effectiveness. You will be given the space to self-reflect on your identities and how they impact and are impacted by larger systems of power in order to critically think about early learning, equity and community. By the end of this program, you will be able to move from reflection to practice. 

Relevant, Practice-Based Curriculum

Learn about early childhood education and apply practices in community-based settings.
EXPLORE ACADEMICS

A Valuable UW Degree at a Lower Cost

The per-credit cost is lower than on-campus programs, and students are eligible for financial aid, scholarships, and emergency aid.
SEE COSTS & AID

Support for Your Success

Get the help you need — from tech support and personalized guidance to a network of peers, advisors and instructors — to complete your degree and realize your goals.
LEARN ABOUT SUPPORT

Leverage Online Flexibility

With course content you can access online at any time and a schedule designed to support work/life balance, you can work and earn your degree at the same time.
EXPLORE ONLINE LEARNING

“The program was perfect for me, because I had the ability to complete my degree at a highly respected institution and I could do it online. Finishing my degree at the UW was a dream come true.”
— Grace Ingram, Program Graduate
Read student stories

Honoring Indigenous Land and Calls to Action

The ECE program shares a commitment that is essential to the process of working to be in good relationship with the Indigenous land on which our lives and institutions exist and the peoples of the land.

The ECE program, like the University of Washington, acknowledges that we exist on the unceded lands and waters of the first people of Seattle, Lushootseed speaking Peoples, the Duwamish and Coast Salish people, “stewards of the land since time immemorial.” We honor with gratitude the land itself and the many Indigenous peoples who still thrive in this place—alive and strong.

The University of Washington is committing support the land acknowledgment above through various actions:

• At the University of Washington, wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House is one act of giving back land and an act of commitment to recruit, support, and retain American Indian and Alaska Native students.
• The Office of Tribal Relations is located in Seattle and coordinates the government-to-government relationship between the University of Washington and American Indian tribes across Washington state and northwest region.
• First Nations at UW is an undergraduate intertribal registered student organization at the University of Washington in Seattle. They host events both on and off campus with the intention of educating the community about Native cultures, spreading awareness of issues affecting the Native community, and upholding our respective customs and traditions.

We recognize this acknowledgment is one step in a life-long practice of moving to be in solidarity with Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island and globally. With this in mind, we want to amplify these calls to action:

• Learn about the people whose land you live on: https://native-land.ca/ is a good starting point and/or text your zip code to 907-312-5085 for more information.
• Challenge and reject all stereotypes about Indigenous people.
• Insist that you, your community and relatives, and your early learning centers learn accurate information about the histories, cultures, and contemporary lives of Indigenous peoples both inside and outside of your University and early learning systems.