Graduation Requirements

See Academic Regulations for college-wide Graduation Requirements .

Entrance/Admission Requirements

Planning Tools: Sequence of Courses

	TWO-YEAR (FALL and SPRING TERMS): Open/Print this Planning Tool		YEAR-ROUND (FALL, SUMMER, SPRING and WINTER TERMS): Open/Print this Planning Tool

General Education Requirements: 23-26 credits

An approved list of general education courses can be found in the General Education Requirements and degree program required courses  section of the catalog. Choose general education courses from the following topics:

Program Requirements: 34-37 credits

• EDU 131 - Children’s Literature 3 credit hours
• EDU 132 - Introduction to Early Childhood Development 3 credit hours
• EDU 133 - Growth and Development 3 credit hours
• EDU 214 - Introduction to Special Education 3 credit hours
• EDU 229 - Observing and Assessing Young Children 1 credit hour
• EDU 230 - Educator Portfolio Development 1 credit hour
• EDU 231 - Infant/Toddler Child Care 3 credit hours
• EDU 232 - School-Age Child Care 3 credit hours
• EDU 235 - Child Care Administration 3 credit hours
• EDU 239 - Quality Parent and School Partnerships 1 credit hour
• EDU 242 - Foundations of Reading and Language Arts 3 credit hours
• EDU 247 - Early Childhood: Methods and Materials 3 credit hours
• EDU 248 - Instructional Strategies 1 credit hour

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• ASL 111 - American Sign Language 1 3 credit hours (or higher) OR
• SPA 111 - Elementary Spanish 1 3 credit hours (or higher)

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• Electives 0-3 credit hours
  *for those who complete ENG 121 .

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Describe a developmentally appropriate educational program for children from birth to eight years of age.
• Explain the major research methods and assessment techniques used to study children from birth to eight years of age.
• Discuss the physical development of children from birth through 8 years of age.
• Describe the social-emotional development of children from birth through eight years of age.
• Describe the cognitive development of children from birth through 8 years of age.
• Demonstrate knowledge of key federal, state, and local legislation and court rulings affecting children and at-risk across a range of factors, and their families, and the implications of practice.
• Discuss the effects of bias (e.g., gender, race, culture, ability levels) on development.
• Describe how a developing teacher uses a portfolio to aid in becoming a reflective practitioner.
• Reflect on the experiences of being with children in a learning environment.
• Demonstrate an understanding of significant issues and current trends in Early Childhood Education.
• Demonstrate knowledge of Early childhood Professional Code of Ethics by NAEYC.
• Compare and contrast the variety of curriculum models and programs in Early Childhood.
• Develop and write their own philosophy of Early childhood Education.
• Demonstrate an understanding of diverse populations in Early Childhood Education.
• Identify the principles of developmentally appropriate practice in Early Childhood Education.
• Begin to develop a Teacher Education portfolio.
• Discuss the major roles and responsibilities of an Early childhood educator.
• Demonstrate knowledge of current and emerging research on early brain development and the implications for practice in early childhood programs.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of significant relationships on early brain development, subsequent development across domains, and linkages with later school readiness.
• Discuss current and emerging research on brain development, and the relationship to language development, emergent literacy, and reading acquisition.
• Explain the relationship and role of each component of language acquisition to reading development.
• Discuss the interactive nature of the reading process.
• Analyze the effects of phonemic awareness and phonics on developing readers.
• Analyze the essential connection of language development, reading acquisition, and writing.
• Articulate the historical, philosophical, and legal basis of services for young children with special needs.
• Explain the similarities and differences among typical and atypical human growth and development.
• Identify current trends that affect children, families, and programs for children.
• Apply knowledge of cultural and linguistic diversity and the significance of socio-cultural and political contexts for development and learning, and recognize that children are best understood in the contexts of family, culture, and society.
• Identify specific disabilities, including the etiology, characteristics, and classification of common disabilities in young children, and describe specific implications for development and learning from birth.
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of the concepts, inquiry tools, and structure of content areas to create meaningful, challenging learning experiences and environment for all children.
• Describe the major and current approaches to theories of child development and learning.
• Identify the approaches to learning.
• Describe how culture and diversity influence growth and development.
• Examine how culture and diversity impact learning and school readiness.
• Describe the important role of family and community in development and the variety of ways individuals can organize to fulfill these roles.

This program aligns with all the college’s core competencies. For a full list of Core Competencies, click here.

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