EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS
- Explain the mission and purpose of the early childhood professional
- Describe the various roles of professionals in the field of early childhood education
- Explain education expectations for those working in various roles in the field of early childhood education
- Describe the unique characteristics of various early childhood settings including family child care, center-based care and education (public and private), infant/toddler care, Head Start, public pre-kindergarten, primary grades, and after-school care
HISTORY & THEORIES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION (ECE)
- Describe contributions of historical figures to the field of early childhood education
- Compare the various theories of child development
- Compare the various learning theories
- Explain characteristics of early childhood program models
CURRENT ISSUES IN ECE – RESEARCH, TRENDS AND POLICY
- Identify current issues in early childhood education
- Describe the current trends in early childhood education in terms of their impact on children, families, and early childhood professionals
- Analyze the implications of research on early childhood education
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
- Describe the characteristics of children ages zero through age eight in each developmental domain
- Describe the typical age-related developmental accomplishments for each age group, including infants and toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, and children in the primary grades
- Explain how knowledge of child development impacts care and education of infants and toddlers
- Explain how knowledge of child development impacts teaching for preschoolers
- Explain how knowledge of child development impacts teaching of children in kindergarten
- Explain how knowledge of child development impacts teaching of children in the primary grades
EFFECTIVE TEACHING: DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES (DAP),ENVIRONMENTS, AND PLAY
- Explain the concept of developmentally appropriate practices
- Explain how DAP considers the age-related developmental characteristics of young children
- Explore how DAP addresses individual differences
- Describe how DAP is responsive to social and cultural contexts
- Apply developmentally appropriate teaching practices to learning in the developmental domains
- Describe how DAP influence the arrangement of the learning environment
- Critique the application of DAP to the early childhood education environment
- Explain the role of play in developmentally appropriate environments
SPECIAL NEEDS, AND CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY
- Describe early childhood education inclusive practices
- Analyze early childhood education interpersonal environments that are responsive to cultural, linguistic, and individual needs
- Analyze early childhood education physical environments that are responsive to cultural, linguistic, and individual needs
- Explain the terminology in special education
EFFECTIVE PRACTICE AND CURRICULUM STANDARDS
- Describe the various standards that promote recommended practices
- Explain how program quality standards impact curriculum development
- Explain how the developmental domains and knowledge of content areas relate to curriculum development
- Describe the characteristics of effective curriculum
- Explain how intentional teachers plan and implement curriculum
HEALTH, SAFETY, AND WELL-BEING OF ALL CHILDREN
- Describe practices that promote health, good nutrition, and cleanliness in early childhood settings
- Analyze the qualities of early childhood environments that promote safety in indoor and outdoor settings
- Explain practices that promote the health, safety, and well-being of all children
- Justify the role of play in healthful development and learning
GUIDING YOUNG CHILDREN
- Explain the guidance strategies that facilitate appropriate behavior in early childhood
- Identify how individual guidance strategies impact specific behaviors in children
- Determine how to use a variety of guidance strategies in the early childhood education classroom
- Promote practices that support the development of self-regulation skills
- Determine the effectiveness of early childhood environments in promoting appropriate behavior and reducing inappropriate behavior of children
FAMILY, SCHOOL, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
- Describe diverse family structures and impacts on family life that challenge children's learning
- Describe the benefits of creating positive relationships and meaningful family involvement
- Describe types of effective communication techniques for involving families in early childhood programs
- Explain the role of the early childhood education teacher in connecting families to community resources
ASSESSMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN
- Describe the different approaches used to assess young children
- Describe the advantages and disadvantages for various types of assessments in early childhood
- Explain the positive contributions of documenting assessment results to teaching and learning
- Explain how assessment findings shape decision making and influence teaching, learning, and early childhood program quality
PROFESSIONALISM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
- Explain what it means to be an ECE professional: ethical conduct and using evidencebased practices
- Describe the role of advocacy in the field of ECE
- Explain ways early childhood professionals can contribute the development of policies that impact early childhood education
- Explain what it means to be a culturally competent early childhood professional
DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICE
- Recognize the relationship between developmentally appropriate practices and quality
- Explain the three areas of knowledge (age-related expectations, individual differences, and social and cultural contexts) that form the core of developmentally appropriate practice
- Explain the role of active child engagement in developmentally appropriate practice
- Analyze stages of play in relation to developmentally appropriate practice
CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONS, MODELS, AND STANDARDS
- Compare the major early childhood theories
- Compare early childhood education program models
- Describe how federal- and state-based programs have impacted early childhood
- Describe what standards might affect curriculum development in the early years
- Explain the benefits and concerns of using standards in early childhood education
- Explain how early learning guidelines and state standards can be used in curriculum development
FAMILY PARTNERSHIPS
- Describe the benefits of establishing reciprocal relationships with families
- Critique different communication strategies for establishing reciprocal relationships with families
- Compare ways of involving families in curriculum development and implementation
ENVINROMENTS – PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL
- Evaluate a child-teacher relationship for children 0–8 to determine if it is warm and caring within a developmentally appropriate environment
- Describe appropriate guidance techniques for a given situation
- Critique a schedule for learning opportunities
- Critique a physical environment for learning opportunities
CURRICULUM PLANNING
- Describe the different elements a teacher must consider in developing curriculum plans
- Plan appropriate learning topics for young children
- Critique plans for learning experiences with young children
CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION
- Analyze the purpose of teacher-led small group instruction
- Analyze the purpose of teacher-led large group instruction
- Analyze the purpose of learning centers
- Analyze the purpose of outdoor learning activities
- Compare the uses of various instructional strategies
ASSESSMENT AND REFLECTION
- Describe the need and use for assessment in the classroom
- Compare the various forms of assessment
- Describe multiple uses of assessment in an early childhood classroom
MATH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY
- Describe the characteristics of a developmentally appropriate mathematics curriculum
- Describe the characteristics of a developmentally appropriate science curriculum
- Describe the characteristics of a developmentally appropriate technology curriculum
PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND CREATIVE ARTS
- Describe the characteristics of a developmentally appropriate visual arts curriculum
- Describe the characteristics of a developmentally appropriate music and movement curriculum
- Describe the characteristics of a developmentally appropriate drama curriculum
- Describe the characteristics of a developmentally appropriate physical education curriculum
LANGUAGE AND LITERACY
- Describe the characteristics of a developmentally appropriate literacy curriculum
- Describe how teachers support language development in children
- Describe how children's literature supports developmentally appropriate curriculum
SOCIAL STUDIES
- Describe learning experiences that support children
- Describe the characteristics of a developmentally appropriate social studies curriculum
- Describe the characteristics of a developmentally appropriate multicultural and anti-bias curriculum
INTEGRATING CURRICULUM
- Create a lesson that integrates developmentally appropriate content from at least two different curriculum areas
- Create a learning center that integrates developmentally appropriate content from at least three different curriculum areas
- Create an integrated theme or project that includes developmentally appropriate content from at least three different curriculum areas
Note: This program can be completed in 6 months. However, students will have online access to this program for a 24-month period.