Getting college students back in school

One of the consequences of Hurricane Katrina is that many college students who were studying in the Gulf Coast area must now find higher education programs elsewhere to which they can transfer. When possible, academic advisors from the programs in which they were originally enrolled are the best sources of information and recommendations. Two resources may be useful for advisors and students as they consider next steps.

Directory of all early childhood programs

The Council for Professional Recognition publishes a list of all early childhood programs across the country, called the National Directory of Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Institutions. Programs are listed by state and include degree level (associate's, baccalaureate, and graduate) and contact information.

To see this directory, go to http://www.cdacouncil.org

List of NAEYC nationally recognized programs

Many institutions choose to seek accreditation through the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). NAEYC partners with NCATE to review the quality of early childhood programs within those institutions. Programs that are nationally recognized by NAEYC are high-quality programs that meet all of NAEYC's teacher preparation standards. Programs leading to baccalaureate and graduate degrees (but not associate degrees) are eligible for recognition under the NCATE system.

To see the list of NAEYC recognized and NCATE accredited programs, go to http://www.ncate.org/public/listofaccredinst.asp

NAEYC is developing a system to accredit associate degree programs, but resources from this system are not yet available.

Online Course availability:
Sloan-C is working with the Southern Regional Education board (SREB) and the Sloan Foundation on a project called the "Sloan Semester" to bring free online courses to students displaced from colleges shut down due to damage to Hurricane Katrina.