Technical College of the Lowcountry and North Greenville University announce transfer agreement
Officials with the Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) and North Greenville University (NGU) have signed an articulation agreement that enables TCL’s early care and education students interested in furthering their education to seamlessly transfer to NGU.
The agreement, signed on June 6, enables TCL students who have completed the college’s Associate of Applied Science in Early Care and Education degree program to easily transfer into NGU’s online Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Educational Studies program.
TCL students who transfer to NGU will be provided with advising and academic support for a successful transition and are eligible for a 10% discount on tuition, officials said.
“We are excited to partner with North Greenville University,” said TCL President Dr. Richard Gough. “This partnership will certainly help us meet our mission of providing accessible, high-quality academic education and workforce training here in the Lowcountry.”
NGU Provost Dr. Nathan Finn said the university is also excited to be collaborating with TCL.
“This partnership benefits not only our respective institutions, but more importantly the children of South Carolina,” Finn said. “Our state needs to significantly increase the number of well-prepared early childhood educators in the Lowcountry. This collaboration between NGU and TCL helps meet that need and will ultimately contribute to the flourishing of our young people for years to come.”
Kelli Boniecki, TCL’s Early Care and Education Program Director said the agreement is a win-win for everyone involved.
“One of the facets of the agreement we’re particularly excited about is that NGU’s online bachelor’s degree program allows students who have graduated from TCL and enrolled at NGU to work on their field placement practicum work and student teaching here in our schools. That means many of our students are more likely to stay and continue to work in the area, and that’s something everyone is excited about,” she said.
Gough agreed with Boniecki.
“The transfer agreement and program will help meet the demand for early care professionals and teachers, and having enough teachers is something everyone can agree is vitally important to the health and economic viability of a community,” he said.
Early childhood education professionals play a critical role in helping children ages birth to six develop a strong base for lifelong learning and learning abilities, Boniecki explained. Early childhood education encompasses a wide variety of activities aimed at promoting a child’s cognitive and social development.
Once students earn their bachelor’s degree, they are eligible to sit for the Early Childhood Education Praxis exam and can become certified to teach in a public school or other setting such as a childcare center, afterschool program or Head Start program.
To learn more about TCL’s Early Care and Education program, visit www.tcl.edu/academics/pathways/human-services/early-care-and-education-associate-in-applied-science.
To learn more about NGU’s online Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Educational Studies program visit www.ngu.edu/programs/early-childhood-education-online.