Each semester you’ll be in an early childhood education setting. Identify an appropriate site, obtain your official clearances, and submit the paperwork for approval. You can use the same site to fulfill this requirement each semester without having to resubmit the required paperwork.
This course is designed to provide you with ideas and guidelines to work with young children.
Objectives:
- Describe the beliefs and philosophies of Piaget and Montessori.
- Organize and manage a classroom that provides many learning opportunities and advantages.
- Use intervention techniques to manage conflicts.
Additional Course Material:
- Textbook: A Guidance Approach for the Encouraging Classroom
This course will provide a foundation in basic mathematical operations and applications. Because practice is the key to mathematical success, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to practice the concepts you learn!
Objectives:
- Perform basic mathematical operations.
- Prepare a bank statement and work with every day math applications such as invoices, payroll, interest, annuities, mortgages, financial statements, taxes, insurance, and investments.
Additional Course Material:
- Textbook: Practical Business Math Procedures
Early childhood educators should be advocates for children and practitioners of best practices for working with children.
Objectives:
- Positively connect the children’s world to the greater realm of adult society.
- Use current research on interactions among families, schools, and communities to form a practical guide for early childhood educators.
- Complete two graded projects to practice your knowledge and skills.
Additional Course Material:
- Textbook: Child, Family, and Community
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ECE160-Cultural Diversity in the Early Childhood Program
This course will challenge you to examine the cultural influences on your attitudes and behaviors and how those cultural influences affect your professional judgment and practice.
Objectives:
- Analyze the cultural influences and differences in family childrearing practices, young children's social skills and behavior, and communication skills and styles.
- Describe how culture influences emergent literacy.
- Understand the importance of developing cultural competence.
ECE221-Administration of an Early Childhood Education Center
This course offers a comprehensive view of the procedures involved in establishing and administering a child care education program.
Objectives:
- Learn how to staff and budget for day-to-day administration.
- Learn about parent involvement and equipment acquisition.
ECE225-Family Child Care
This course includes the practical consideration of issues and responsibilities in providing family child care for infants and young children. Topics include developmental domains, developmentally appropriate practices, curriculum and creating a successful environment.
Objectives:
- Identify typical milestones and recommended practices for promoting development across all developmental domains (physical, cognitive, emotional, and social growth) in young children
- Identify activities that conform to DAP principles to meet the needs of a specific age level in early childhood education
- Define the needs of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers
- Identify recommended practices for managing a multiage environment
- Identify the components of an effective, developmentally appropriate early childhood curriculum
- Describe the caregiver's role in arranging the environment
- Identify the purpose of a daily schedule
- Describe strategies for guiding children's behavior
- Identify basic methods of assessment in the early childhood setting
- Identify strategies for promoting early literacy, creativity, and play
- Describe recommended policies and practices for transporting children
Prerequisites:
- ECE100 Orientation to Early Childhood Education
- ECE220 Child Growth and Development
ECE240-Assessment in Early Childhood Education
The current emphasis on producing high-quality, comprehensive programming for young children requires early-learning professionals to develop excellent observation and assessment skills.
Objectives:
- Understand the purpose of observation and assessment in the early childhood classroom.
- Describe the process of collecting and recording observations.
- Foster child development in each learning area.
- Share your observations with the children’s family members.
The goal of this field experience is to provide you with the hands-on experience necessary to develop the skills needed by Early Childhood Education professionals. Practice these skills under the direct supervision of a certified teacher or credentialed Early Childhood Education professional. This field experience encompasses a minimum of 300 hours of observation and activities in an Early Childhood Education Center. Although we recommend that you complete your field experience in 12 weeks, you have a maximum of six months to finish. It is the responsibility of the student to secure a site for his/her field experience.
Proctored Examination
You will be required to complete a proctored exam on selected courses each semester. These assessments will evaluate the knowledge and skills that you learned during the semester. You choose the time, the location, and the qualified exam supervisor.
