Early Childhood Education (AA)

Program Educational Goals

The ECE AA program addresses the National Association for the Education of Young Children Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/sc_ps_summary.pdf). The program uses course grades and assessments of assignments in key courses to ensure that these standards are met.

Students who successfully complete this program will be able to:

1. Develop and implement experiences for children based in an understanding of child development and learning for children birth to age 5 (STANDARD 1: Child Development and Learning in Context)
2. Develop and implement experiences for young children that demonstrate an understanding of the importance of developing strong relationships with families and the broader community in and around the school (STANDARD 2: Family-Teacher Partnerships and Community Connections). 
3. Employ appropriate professional practices to observe, document, and assess learning in formal and informal learning environments and situations and use this information in planning appropriate educational experiences for young children (STANDARD 3: Child Observation, Documentation, and Assessment)
4. Develop and implement lessons and teaching practices that are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate (STANDARD 4: Developmentally, Culturally, and Linguistically Appropriate Teaching Practices)
5. Demonstrate appropriate content knowledge by applying and integrating academic content in developing and implementing educational experiences for young children with and without disabilities. (STANDARD 5: Knowledge, Application, and Integration of Academic Content in the Early Childhood Curriculum)
6. Describe and demonstrate professionalism in coursework, and other academic and professional experiences and educational settings (STANDARD 6: Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator).