Early Childhood Education & Family Studies, AAS
Program Code: AAS.EARLYCHILDFAM
This program provides a foundation in the ten core knowledge categories: Family and Community Systems; Diversity; Health, Safety and Nutrition; Human Growth and Development; Learning Environments and Curriculum; Observation and Assessment; Personal, Professional and Leadership Development; Program Management; Special Needs; and Understanding and Guiding Behavior (The Oregon Registry, 2008).
Students must obtain a First-Aid certificate with infant-toddler CPR by the end of the first year.
For information contact Dawn Hendricks, 503-594-6158 or dawn.hendricks@clackamas.edu
Related Instruction Outcomes
Computation
- 1 course - MTH-050 Technical Mathematics I or MTH-065 Algebra II or MTH-098 College Math Foundations
- Use appropriate mathematics to solve problems.
Communication
- 1 course - WR-121Z Composition I
- Read actively, think critically, and write purposefully and capably for professional audiences.
Human Relations
- 1 course - ED-258 Culturally Responsive Teaching & Education
- Engage in ethical communication processes that accomplish goals.
Physical Education/Health/Safety/First Aid
- 1 course - HPE-295 Health & Fitness for Life
- Use effective life skills to improve and maintain mental and physical well-being.
Program Outcomes
These program learning outcomes (PLOs) were adopted from National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) early childhood teacher preparation standards and competencies. These standards represent what students should know and be able to do as a result of graduating from our program.
Child Development and Learning in Context
1a. understand the developmental period of early childhood from birth through age eight across physical, cognitive, social and emotional, and linguistic domains including bilingual/multilingual development;
1b. understand and value each child as an individual with unique developmental variations, experiences, strengths, interests, abilities, challenges, approaches to learning, and with the capacity to make choices;
1c. understand the ways that child development and the learning process occur within multiple contexts, including family, culture, language, community, and early learning settings as well as within a larger societal context that includes structural inequities;
1d. use this multidimensional knowledge - that is, knowledge about the developmental period of early childhood, about individual children, and about development and learning in cultural contexts - to make evidence-based decisions that support each child;
Family-Teacher Partnerships and Community Connections
Early childhood educators understand that successful early childhood education depends upon educators' partnerships with the families of the young children they serve.
2a. know about, understand and value the diversity in families;
2b. collaborate as partners with families in young children's development and learning through respectful, reciprocal relationships and engagement;
2c. use community resources to support young children's learning and development and to support families, and build partnerships between early learning settings, schools and community organizations and agencies;
Child Observation, Documentation, and Assessment
3a. understand that assessments (formal and informal, formative and summative) are conducted to make informed choices about instruction and for planning in early learning settings;
3b. know a wide range of types of assessments, their purposes and their associated methods and tools;
3c. use screening and assessment tools in ways that are ethically grounded and developmentally, ability, culturally, and linguistically appropriate in order to document developmental progress and promote positive outcomes for each child;
3d. build assessment partnerships with families and professional colleagues;
Developmentally, Culturally, and Linguistically Appropriate Teaching Practices
Early childhood educators understand that teaching and learning with young children is a complex enterprise, and its details vary depending on children's ages and characteristics and on the settings in which teaching and learning occur.
4a. understand and demonstrate positive, caring, supportive relationships and interactions as the foundation of early childhood educators' work with young children;
4b. understand and use teaching skills that are responsive to the learning trajectory of young children and to the needs of each child, recognizing that differentiating instruction, incorporating play as a core teaching practice, and supporting the development of executive function skills is critical for young children;
4c. use a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically relevant, anti-bias and evidence-based teaching skills and strategies that reflect the principles of universal design for learning;
Knowledge, Application, and Integration of Academic Content in the Early Childhood Curriculum
Early childhood educators have knowledge of the content of the academic disciplines (e.g., language and literacy, the arts, mathematics, social studies, science, technology and engineering, physical education) and of the pedagogical methods for teaching each discipline.
5a. understand content knowledge and resources - the central concepts, methods and tools of inquiry, and structure, and resources for the academic disciplines in an early education curriculum;
5b. understand pedagogical content knowledge - how young children learn in each discipline—and how to use the teacher knowledge and practices described in Standards 1 through 4 to support young children's learning in each content area;
5c. modify teaching practices by applying, expanding, integrating and updating their content knowledge in the disciplines, their knowledge of curriculum content resources, and their pedagogical content knowledge;
Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator
6a. identify and involve oneself with the early childhood field and serve as an informed advocate for young children, families and the profession;
6b. know about and uphold ethical and other early childhood professional guidelines;
6c. use professional communication skills, including technology mediated strategies, to effectively support young children's learning and development and work with families and colleagues;
6d. engage in continuous, collaborative learning to inform practice;
6e. develop and sustain the habit of reflective and intentional practice in their daily practice with young children and as members of the early childhood profession.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Term | Credits | |
| ECE-150 | Introduction to Early Childhood Education & Family Studies | 4.00 |
| ECE-235 | Safety, Health and Nutrition | 3.00 |
| ED-216 | Foundations of Teaching & Education | 4.00 |
| FYE-101 | First Year Experience Level I | 2.00 |
| WR-121Z | Composition I | 4.00 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Winter Term | ||
| ECE-121 | Observation and Guidance I in ECE Settings | 4.00 |
| ECE-154 | Language & Literacy Development in Young Children | 4.00 |
| HDF-225 | Prenatal, Infant & Toddler Development | 3.00 |
| Select one of the following: | 4.00 | |
| Technical Mathematics I | ||
| Algebra II | ||
| College Math Foundations | ||
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring Term | ||
| ECE-240 | Environments and Curriculum Planning | 4.00 |
| ECE-280 | Early Childhood Education/CWE | 3.00 |
| ED-258 | Culturally Responsive Teaching & Education | 3.00 |
| HDF-247 | Preschool Through Adolescent Child Development | 3.00 |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Term | ||
| ECE-221 | Observation & Guidance II in ECE Settings | 4.00 |
| ECE-241 | Environments and Curriculum Planning: Infants and Toddlers | 3.00 |
| ED-114 | Instructional Strategies for Math | 3.00 |
| ED-246 | School, Family & Community Relations | 4.00 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Winter Term | ||
| ECE-291 | Practicum II | 4.00 |
| ED-254 | Instructional Strategies for Dual Language Learners | 3.00 |
| ED-269 | Overview of Special Education | 3.00 |
| Electives | 4.00 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Spring Term | ||
| ECE-179 | The Professional in Early Childhood Education and Family Studies | 4.00 |
| ECE-239 | Trauma-Informed Practices in Early Care and Education | 3.00 |
| ECE-292 | Practicum III | 4.00 |
| HDF-140 | Contemporary American Families | 3.00 |
| HPE-295 | Health & Fitness for Life | 3.00 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Total Credits | 90 | |
Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BA-101Z | Introduction to Business | 4.00 |
| BI-101 | General Biology; Cellular Biology | 4.00 |
| COMM-111Z | Public Speaking | 4.00 |
| COMM-140 | Introduction to Intercultural Communication | 4.00 |
| MTH-105Z | Math in Society | 4.00 |
| PSY-215 | Introduction to Developmental Psychology | 4.00 |
| SOC-204Z | Introduction to Sociology | 4.00 |
| SPN-101 | First-Year Spanish I | 4.00 |
| SPN-102 | First-Year Spanish II | 4.00 |
| WR-122Z | Composition II | 4.00 |
All courses must be passed with a C or better
Career opportunities include:
- lead teacher in private and public early learning programs serving infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and as teacher assistants in kindergarten – 3rd grade classrooms
- family support personnel (e.g. family advocates, parent practitioners, family life paraprofessionals, etc.) in various education settings or child and family support agencies