Early Childhood Education, AAS

Program: ECEA

The Early Childhood Education associate degree curriculum provides an understanding of early childhood theory and its application to childcare and educational settings. The program prepares individuals to work with children from infancy through middle childhood in a variety of childcare/early learning environments such as Head Start, childcare centers, child development programs, public education classrooms, early intervention and recreation programs, etc. In alignment with NAEYC standards, candidates will engage in: promoting child development and learning, building family and community relationships, observing, documenting, assessing and supporting young children, using developmentally effective approaches, using content knowledge to build meaningful curriculum, and demonstrating the knowledge, skills and dispositions of an early childhood professional.

Graduates of this degree plan will achieve the following program and institutional outcomes:

• Design, execute and assess meaningful, challenging curricula that promote comprehensive child development and learning outcomes for every child.
• Integrate health, safety and nutrition practices according to local, state and national standards.
• Create respectful, reciprocal relationships with children’s families and communities to foster involvement and support children’s development and learning.
• Observe, document and assess to support young children and families teaching and learning.
• Incorporate developmentally-appropriate guidance strategies to positively impact child behavior and social-emotional development.
• Organize work effectively to create a purposeful, responsive program, including preparation of written plans, progress records, parent communication and various reports.
• Utilize current technology and resources to locate and evaluate information needed to accomplish a goal, and then communicate findings in visual, written and/or oral formats.
• Transfer knowledge, skills, and behaviors acquired through formal and informal learning and life experiences to new situations.
• Employ strategies for reflection on learning and practice in order to adjust learning processes for continual improvement.
• Follow established methods of inquiry and mathematical reasoning to form conclusions and make decisions.
• Participate in social, academic, and professional communities for individual growth and to function as a citizen of a multicultural world.