A Career Working with Children

Overview

The Child Development Program comprises three classes focused on competency-based learning, emphasizing theories of human development and growth. Additionally, there is a fourth competency-based class dedicated to special education.

Students gain practical experience through field observations and interactions with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. These practical components include studying program goals, guidance techniques, health and nutrition practices, and creating conducive indoor and outdoor environments. The program also covers special education requirements, effective curriculum planning—including play-based activities and projects that foster family and societal relationships—and project-based experiences in child development program supervision.

Key areas of emphasis include program development, supervision, evaluation, recruitment and retention of staff and volunteers, staff relations, facility maintenance, business practices, health and nutrition for staff and students, parental involvement, and public relations.

Child Development 1: Foundations (90 hours)

Brief Course Description: This competency-based course is the first in a sequence of four designed for early childhood education. It provides students with project-based experiences in child development programs. Instruction includes an orientation, workplace safety policies and procedures, techniques on communications and critical thinking, and employability skills. Emphasis is placed on the theories of human development and growth. Field observations and experiences with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are provided as application components of studying child development program goals, guidance techniques, health and nutrition practices, indoor and outdoor environments, and special education requirements.

Cost of Tuition: $0
Cost of Books, Supplies and/or Fees: (See Advisor)
Financial Aid: May be available. (See Advisor)
Course Prerequisites: STEP Orientation
Reading Assessment Requirement: (See Advisor)
Math Assessment Requirement: (See Advisor)
STEP Orientation: Yes

Child Development 2: Curriculum (90 hours)

Brief Course Description: This competency-based course is the second in a sequence of three designed for early childhood education. It provides students with project-based experiences in child development curricula. Instruction includes an introduction and reviews of workplace safety policies and procedures and employability skills. Emphasis is placed on the principles and practices of effective curriculum planning including play-based curricular activities and activities that enhance familial and societal relationships of students. Field observations and experiences with groups of young children are included as part of the planning, delivery, and evaluation of the health, arts, language arts, math, science, social studies, and physical education curricula.

Cost of Tuition: $0
Cost of Books, Supplies and/or Fees: (See Advisor)
Financial Aid: May be available. (See Advisor)
Course Prerequisites: Completion of Child Development 1: Foundations
Reading Assessment Requirement: Not applicable
Math Assessment Requirement: Not applicable
STEP Orientation: Not applicable

Child Development 3: Supervision (90 hours)

Brief Course Description: This competency-based course is the last in a sequence of three designed for administrative assistant training. It provides students with technical instruction and practical experience in business mathematics. It includes an introduction, reviews of workplace safety procedures and employability skills, and entrepreneurial skills. Emphasis is placed on the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and mixed numbers as well as the applications of the mathematical rules in the computation of word and money problems.

Cost of Tuition: $0
Cost of Books, Supplies and/or Fees:(See Advisor)
Financial Aid: May be available. (See Advisor)
Course Prerequisites: Completion of Child Development 2: Curriculum
Reading Assessment Requirement: Not applicable
Math Assessment Requirement: Not applicable
STEP Orientation: Not applicable

Education 4: Special Education (90 hours)

Brief Course Description: This competency-based course is the last in a sequence of four designed for teacher training. It provides students with project-based experiences in special education programs. Emphasis is placed on the policies, principles, and practices in special education highlighted by portfolio development based on field observations

Cost of Tuition: $0
Cost of Books, Supplies and/or Fees: (See Advisor)
Financial Aid: May be available. (See Advisor)
Course Prerequisites: Completion of Child Development 3: Supervision
Reading Assessment Requirement: Not applicable
Math Assessment Requirement: Not applicable
STEP Orientation: Not applicable

Separate costs for books, exams, supplies, preparation, certifications and/or licenses provided by outside vendors may be incured.

Once a Certificate of Completion is earned in a course, that course cannot be repeated.