Early Childhood Education, A.S.

Most professional core courses are offered once per academic year as full-semester courses. Professional core courses are offered as either hybrid or online. The program can be completed in five (5) semesters if enrolled as a full-time student.

Professional Core Courses

• CHD1220 Child Development for Teachers of Young Children (3 credit hours)
• EEC1601 Observing and Recording Behavior (3 credit hours)
• EEC2200 Curriculum in Childhood Education (3 credit hours)
• EEC2401 Home and Community in Childhood Education (3 credit hours)
• EEX1600 Classroom Management (3 credit hours)
• EEX2010 Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families (3 credit hours)
• HUN1410 Nutrition for Children (3 credit hours)
• RED2010 Reading and Language Arts in the Early Childhood Classroom (3 credit hours)
• CHD2381 Educating the Young Thinker (3 credit hours)
• EEC2520 Foundations of Child Care and Education Administration (3 credit hours)
• EDF1006 Educational Field Experience (1/2/3 credit hours)
• EEC1602 Education for the Young Child (3 credit hours)
• EEC1907 Directed Observation and Participation - Early Childhood (3 credit hours)
• EEC2931 Seminar in Childhood Education (3 credit hours)

After successfully completing the program, the students will be able to perform the following:

• Understand how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
• Understand individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
• Work with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
• Understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and create learning experiences that make the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
• Understand how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.
• Understand and use multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.
• Plan instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.
• Understand and use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.