Early Childhood Education

Develop knowledge and skills to ensure good health, nutrition, and safety of children in group care and education programs. Recognize the signs of abuse and neglect, learn about responsibilities for mandated reporting, and learn about available community resources. This course requires students to work or volunteer directly with children outside of class time.

Investigate learning theory, program planning, tools and methods for curriculum development promoting language, fine/gross motor, social-emotional, cognitive and creative skills and growth in children birth through age 8 utilizing developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive practice.

This class focuses on the adult's role in designing, evaluating, and improving indoor and outdoor environments that ensure quality learning and nurturing experiences, and optimize the development of young children. This course requires the student to directly work/volunteer with children.

Build foundation for explaining how children develop in all domains, conception through early adolescence. Explore various developmental theories, methods for documenting growth, and impact of brain development. Topics and issues addressed: stress, trauma, culture, race, gender identity, socioeconomic status, family status, language, and health.

Examine the principles and theories promoting social competence in young children and creating safe learning environments. Develop skills promoting effective interactions, providing positive individual guidance, and enhancing group experiences. Work/volunteer directly with children.

Develop understanding about the family and community contexts in which a child develops. Explore cultures and demographics of families in society, community resources, strategies for involving families in the education of their child, and tools for effective communication. This course requires the student to directly work/volunteer with children outside of class time.

ENGL& 101 is counted toward general education requirements.
Must be eligible for ENGL& 101 through English Placement Exam or completion of ENGL 097/ ENGL 098.

English 101 is a college-level writing course that emphasizes academic writing and major strategies of reading and writing analytically. Writing assignments focus on engaging with and responding to a variety of texts. Instruction encourages students to develop, through revision and reflection, as readers, writers, and critical thinkers. Prereq: Eligibility for ENGL&101.

This course examines changes in early care and education over time; including social, political and societal trends. Current local, state, national and global trends will be compared and critiqued. Using a historical approach, students will analyze key influences in the field and reflect upon the diversity embedded in this flield. Students will observe and differentiate between models of early care and education, and develop a personal teaching philosophy.

This course focuses on using learning theory and key concepts of cognition development in young children to design math/science curriculum. Students will describe how learning occurs for young children and critique learning theory. They will learn to apply learning theory to their instruction, and design strategies to teach math and science content based on the understanding of cognition and state guidelines for early learning. Prerequisite: Entry into the BAS program.

Examines methods of communication for children aged 0-8 years. Covers the development of communication skills and foundations of language and literacy. Using developmentally appropriate practice, students design and implement strategies to promote development of language, literacy and communication skills in an early learning setting. Includes analysis of approaches to instruction, development of curriculum and assessment of communication abilities. Prerequisite: Admission into ECE.

Students will analyze the meaning of creativity using music, art, movement, and imaginative play to promote development across domains (physical, cognitive, social-emotional). Students will examine different approaches to creativity, design curriculum incorporating creativity and demonstrate developmentally appropriate practices supporting creativity in the classroom. Prerequisite: entry into the ECE BAS program.

Students will analyze the meaning of creativity using music, art, movement, and imaginative play to promote development across domains (physical, cognitive, social-emotional). Students will examine different approaches to creativity, design curriculum incorporating creativity and demonstrate developmentally appropriate practices supporting creativity in the classroom. Prerequisite: entry into the ECE BAS program.

Explore equity issues in early childhood education and reflect on biases present in ourselves, communities of practice and the systems in which our children live. Includes study of embedded bias and its impact on identity development and strategies to counter structural bias. Prerequisite: Entry into the ECE BAS program.

Examines the impact of family and community on child development. Using the ecological theory, students will integrate family and community into an early learning program and demonstrate culturally responsive interactions with others. Explores the demographics of our communities and design and implementation strategies for partnership and collaboration with family and community organizations that support child development.

Examines models of inclusion in early learning settings across age groups. Covers the process for early identification of children with special needs and the development of strategies for providing appropriate education to a variety of learners (including children with disabilities, dual language learners, and children undergoing adverse childhood experiences). Compliance with state law and policy is included.

Examines appropriate use of media and technology in early learning settings. Explores various perspectives on using electronic media (computers, tablets, television, etc.) in early childhood programs using current research and recommendations. Policies on classroom use of media/instructional technology and strategies for communication of policies to families are included.

Explores the dimensions of social and emotional development in children birth-8 and the relationship between social and emotional development and behavior. Students develop and apply strategies to support positive social and emotional development and demonstrate competency in teaching practice that promote positive behavior in early learning settings. Prereq: Entry into the ECE BAS program.

Focuses on the language, literacy and communication skills of children who are dual language learners, ages birth through 8. Assessment and instruction strategies applied to early learning settings. Emphasis is placed on identifying, strengthening and building upon the family and community connections of young children who are dual language learners. Prerequisite: Entry into the ECE BAS program.

Examines child development holistically and across physical, cognitive social and emotional domains. Includes the importance of play in child development. Covers planning and preparing an effective system of ongoing assessment to support child development and the appropriate use of screening and assessment tools. Prereq: Entry into the ECE BAS program.

Examine the professionalization of the early care and education field. We will identify professional organizations and examine how they support children, families and early care and education professionals. We will look at national, state and local standard development and implementation as well as address the importance of advocacy for vulnerable populations. We will explore and contribute to professional development in a variety of formats in the ECE field. Prerequisite: Entry into the ECE BAS program.

The culminating course in the Early Childhood Education BAS. Students will use an inquiry approach to research a specific area for improvement, and design and implement significant change in an educational setting. Students will reflect upon previous coursework, research and teaching practice to produce a culminating document that will include a revised teaching philosophy.

Explores strategies, topics, and concepts to develop research practices for Bachelor's level study. Focuses on in-depth investigation of the organization, retrieval, and evaluation of professional and discipline-specific digital and print information sources.