Early Childhood Education A.A.S.
A55220
The Early Childhood Education curriculum prepares individuals to work with children from birth through eight in diverse learning environments. Students will combine learned theories with practice in actual settings with young children under the supervision of qualified teachers.
Coursework includes child growth and development; physical/nutritional needs of children; care and guidance of children; and communication skills with families and children. Students will foster the cognitive/language, physical/motor, social/emotional, and creative development of young children.
Graduates are prepared to plan and implement developmentally appropriate programs in early childhood settings. Employment opportunities include child development and child care programs, preschools, public and private schools, recreational centers, Head Start Programs, and school-age programs. Students should consult their advisor for information about course scheduling.
This program is nationally-accredited by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN (NAEYC). The competencies that follow are from the NAEYC standards and are compatible with the general education competencies and learning outcomes of WPCC as the key assessments used by NAEYC for evaluation and continued accreditation of the early childhood education program align with them. Note below the selected general education competencies associated with the selected NAEYC standards.
Upon successful completion of this program, the student should be able to:
- Know and understand young children’s characteristics and needs
- Know and understand the multiple influences on development and learning
- Use developmental knowledge to create healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments
- Know about and understand family and community characteristics (GE I.1)
- Support and empower families and communities through respectful, reciprocal relationships
- Involve families and communities in their children’s development and learning
- Understand the goals, benefits and uses of assessment
- Know about and use observation, documentation and other appropriate assessment tools and approaches (GE I.1)
- Understand and practice responsible assessment (GE I.1)
- Know about assessment partnerships with families and other professionals
- Know, understand, and use positive relationships and supportive interactions
- Know, understand and use effective approaches, strategies and tools for early education
- Know and understand the importance, central concepts, inquiry tools, and structures of content areas or academic disciplines
- Use own knowledge and other resources to design, implement, and evaluate meaningful, challenging curriculum to promote positive outcomes (GE II .9)
- Identify and involve oneself with early childhood field
- Know about and uphold ethical standards and other professional guidelines
- Engage in continuous, collaborative learning to inform practice (GE II. 9)
- Integrate knowledgeable, reflective, and critical perspectives on early education (GE I. 1)
- Engage in informed advocacy for children and the profession outcomes (GE II. )
- Demonstrate skills in mastering and applying foundation concepts from general education
- Demonstrate written and verbal communication (GE I. 1)
- Demonstrate skills in making connections between prior knowledge/experience and new learning
- Demonstrate skills in identifying and using professional resources
- Demonstrate skills in self-assessment and self-advocacy
**Cited from the NAEYC Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation—Associate Degree Programs (2003)
Program Continuation Policy
Early Childhood Education requires a high level of professionalism and knowledge in dealing with children, families, co-workers, and the community. As a result, students enrolled in this nationally-accredited early childhood program must continuously demonstrate growth in and development of ethical and professional conduct as well as application of knowledge to skills in teaching young children. Students therefore will be required to maintain an average GPA of 2.0 for all coursework throughout the entire program of study. Students receiving two grades of “D” or lower in core or other required major hour courses will be withdrawn from the program. Students may apply for readmission after one year.
Furthermore, before participating in practicum experiences, students may be required to submit to a criminal records check, a TB test, and/or attest to physical fitness. These requirements are at the discretion of the cooperating placement site but any student in this program of study should be prepared to agree to this request.
General Education
Required Courses
| ENG 111 | Expository Writing | 3 | FA, SP, SU |
| ENG 114 | Professional Research & Reporting | 3 | FA, SP, SU |
| PSY 150 | General Psychology | 3 | FA, SP, SU |
Humanities/Fine Arts
Select 3 SHC from the Humanities/Fine Arts list
Natural Science/Mathematics
(Select 4 SHC from the following courses)
| BIO 110 | Principles of Biology | 4 | FA, SP, SU |
| BIO 111 | General Biology I | 4 | FA, SP, SU |
| | | | |
| BIO 140 | Environmental Biology | 3 | FA, SP, SU |
| | And | | |
| BIO 140A | Environmental Biology Lab | 1 | FA, SP, SU |
| | Or | | |
| CHM 131 | Introduction to Chemistry | 3 | FA, SP |
| | And | | |
| CHM 131A | Introduction to Chemistry Lab | 1 | FA, SP |
| | | | |
| CHM 151 | General Chemistry I | 4 | FA, SP |
| GEL 120 | Physical Geology | 4 | SP, SU |
| | | | |
| MAT 140 | Survey of Mathematics | 3 | FA, SP, SU |
| | And | | |
| MAT 140A | Survey of Mathematics Lab | 1 | FA, SP, SU |
| | Or | | |
| MAT 155 | Statistical Analysis | 3 | FA, SP, SU |
| | And | | |
| MAT 155A | Statistical Analysis Lab | 1 | FA, SP, SU |
| | Or | | |
| MAT 161 | College Algebra | 3 | FA, SP, SU |
| | And | | |
| MAT 161A | College Algebra Lab | 1 | FA, SP, SU |
| | | | |
| PHY 151 | College Physics I | 4 | FA |
Major Courses
Core Required Course
| EDU 119 | Introduction to Early Childhood Education | 4 | FA, SP |
| EDU 131 | Child, Family, and Community | 3 | SP |
| EDU 144 | Child Development I | 3 | FA |
| EDU 145 | Child Development II | 3 | SP |
| EDU 146 | Child Guidance | 3 | FA |
| EDU 151 | Creative Activities | 3 | SP |
| EDU 153 | Health, Safety and Nutrition | 3 | SP |
| EDU 221 | Children With Exceptionalities | 3 | SP |
| EDU 271 | Educational Technology | 3 | SP |
| EDU 280 | Language and Literacy Experiences | 3 | FA |
| EDU 284 | Early Childhood Capstone Practicum | 4 | FA, SP |
Other Major Required Courses
| CIS 110 | Introduction to Computers | 3 | FA, SP, SU |
| EDU 184 | Early Childhood Introductory Practicum | 2 | FA, SP |
| EDU 234 | Infants, Toddlers, & Twos | 3 | FA |
| EDU 234A | Infants/Toddlers/Twos Lab | 1 | FA |
| EDU 251 | Exploration Activities | 3 | FA |
| EDU 259 | Curriculum Planning | 3 | FA, SP |
| SOC 210 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 | FA, SP, SU |
Behavioral Science Elective
(Select 3 SHC from the following courses)
| PSY 241 | Developmental Psychology | 3 | FA, SP, SU |
| PSY 281 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 | FA, SP, SU |
| SOC 213 | Sociology of the Family | 3 | FA, SP |
| SOC 220 | Social Problems | 3 | SP |
General Elective
(Select 3-4 SHC from the following courses)
Total Credit Hours: 75