The Childhood Education Program prepares candidates for New York State certification in Childhood Education (1-6). The program is built around a progressive, child-centered philosophy, one that values the multiple facets of children's experience. Attention is paid to ethnic and racial diversity; to the importance of family and community in child-rearing; and to a holistic understanding of the emotional, social, intellectual, and physical lives of children in contemporary society. In terms of pedagogical arts, candidates receive extensive preparation in literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies instruction, as well as in formal and informal methods of assessing children's progress.