Dr. Chris A. Tex says he’s lucky to be alive. Severely malnourished, dehydrated, and on the brink of death as an infant in Tijuana, Mexico, the faculty member at the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC) also had a broken arm and a broken leg when he was brought to a local clinic for care.

Despite traumatic beginnings, Dr. Tex only wants to give back to others and serve as a public health steward. After he was adopted by a caring couple in Illinois, he grew up happy and heathy – and now he’s living a life of paying it forward.

If helping young kids is your passion, you’ve likely already found your way into early childhood education. All those days spent babysitting the neighborhood kids and playing school instilled in you the ambitious goal of shaping young minds.

Like many industries, education is an evolving field. As methods of classroom instruction and curriculum development continue to change, those who want to make education their career must continually upgrade their skillsets to meet these challenges. Fortunately, a Master of Arts in Education offers the most current insight, knowledge, and perspective you’ll need to compete in this growing field.

Jeremy Morales was once a self-described quitter, dropping out of high school as a teen and trying several different jobs before ultimately giving them all up. 

“Back in the day, I quit a lot,” he confesses. Now, having completed more than half of his bachelor’s degree at the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC), he says he has no plans to stop, and is letting his desire to better himself and the community around him be his guide.

Background research is an important part of research, and while it should not be the only research done for an academic paper, it should also not be omitted from your research process. Let’s explore background research in more detail!

What Is Background Research?

If you’re asked to write on a topic that you’re not already knowledgeable about, you’ll need some background knowledge, or introductory knowledge. Background research is known as the research that gives you some introductory knowledge about a topic.

Early Childhood Education (ECE) is widely linked to better outcomes for children as they grow into their K–12 years. Research shows that a robust early childhood (which begins at birth and runs through age 8) learning experience closes the school-readiness gap when that learning program focuses on the development of their emotional, social, physical, language and cognitive skills.

You love taking care of people and making the world a better place by changing one life at a time. Now you’re considering leveling up — leaving a bigger impact and affecting many lives at once — and you’re ready to take the next big step. So how can you advance within clinical services and what does your next move look like? Get the skills necessary to succeed in a new role, perhaps even as a director of clinical services. Use this guide to map out the skills, education, and experience needed to start making career moves. 

An early childhood education associate degree may be able to open up a variety of career paths for you. With this degree, you can pursue work at a daycare or preschool. You might also choose to work with young minds outside of an academic setting, as a camp counselor, for example. Some people with an Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education (ECE) go on to get their bachelor’s degree (BA).