The Elementary Education program is facilitated by Salem College. Salem, the oldest educational institution for women in America, now enrolls approximately 450 students, with approximately 25% of its students enrolled in educator preparation programs. While Salem College is an historically women-serving institution, Graduate and Professional Studies and the Marth H. Fleer Center for Adult Education programs are coeducational. Through this focus, Salem prepares teachers who understand the impact of education on the overall health of children, families, and communities. The Elementary Education program emphasizes a whole-child approach that addresses physical and emotional well-being as well as cognitive development. The program follows a two-phased design. Phase 1 focuses on initial teacher preparation and culminates with the student teaching internship. Phase 2, designed to be completed while teaching, addresses advanced competencies and leads to an advanced-level teaching license.