BA Early Childhood Education

"Education can be a celebration,
   rather than a constant insult..."
—Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Naropa founder

The Early Childhood Education major offers a unique contemplative approach for those who love young children. To nurture and guide the natural unfolding of young children, we begin by developing mindfulness and genuineness within ourselves. This authenticity and respect fosters care and teaching that awakens a broad spectrum of intelligence and creativity within children and teachers themselves.

The Program
The two-year Early Childhood Education program emphasizes personal observation-based child development and diverse learning and teaching styles. The process of personal awakening, integration and effective teaching begins with mindfulness and awareness practices, such as meditation, space awareness and traditional arts. Such practices draw their inspiration and wisdom from the Buddhist and Shambhala traditions.

Once the journey towards compassionate teaching has begun, the student explores contemplative teaching skills drawn from holistic and spiritual traditions, such as Waldorf, Montessori and Shambhala. These skills grow from firsthand observation practice and course study with master teachers in a variety of contemplative preschool settings. Other studies involve experiential anatomy of early movement, observed child development, contemplative teaching methods and current issues in education. The department faculty mentors every student so that their personal educational journey and developing teaching methods are synchronized with their unique, emerging teaching style.

Internship
The culmination of the BA degree is the internship program in which students apprentice with experienced teachers in affiliated Waldorf, Montessori or Shambhala contemplative preschools. This highly individualized on-the-job training helps students develop and refine their teaching skills in exemplary educational environments.

Alaya Preschool
Throughout the students' educational journey, they work closely with the children, teachers and administrators at Naropa's Alaya Preschool, which has over twenty years of experience in contemplative early education. This opportunity to learn and practice contemplative education firsthand is a powerful and effective addition to the students’ development as teachers. Many of our graduates now work as teachers at Alaya.

The Department of Contemplative Education also offers minors in Early Childhood Education and Contemplative Education and a certificate program in Early Childhood Education.