The Early Childhood Education Department has the ECE Initial Certificate, available as a stackable certificate. This stackable certificate includes a 20 credit short certificate of specialization that combines the 12 credits of the ECE Initial Certificate and 8 credits of specialization in a selected topic. This applies toward the ECE State Certificate (47 credits), an ECE Intermediate Certificate (57 credits), an ECE ATA Degree (90 credits), and an ECE AAS-T Degree (101 credits). The ECE State Certificate is designed to provide the core learning necessary for preparing students for entry level career positions in early childhood (birth to eight years) settings and for providing the opportunity to continue their professional academic education.