Early Childhood: A.A.S.

Program Mission

The mission of the Early Childhood A.A.S. program is to prepare students for immediate employment in early childhood settings as a Lead Teacher. The Early Childhood A.A.S. Degree program is made up of a planned sequence of college courses that emphasize the professional practices based on child development theories. Accessibility is offered to a culturally and socio-economically diverse population.

Program Learning Outcomes

Explain the history, philosophy and ethics of early childhood and elementary education.
Describe child development and learning theories relevant to young children and how they relate to children's development and learning.
Apply and evaluate developmentally appropriate practice in accordance with various ages and stages of development.
Demonstrate a proficiency in various formal and informal assessment methods used to document children's development (EX: anecdotals, checklists, running records, time samples, frequency counts, work samples).
Interpret observations and evaluate children's social, physical, literacy, intellectual, creative and emotional development for developmentally appropriate practice.
Identify common developmental delays and four types of child abuse.
Produce a comprehensive child study that demonstrates knowledge of child development with appropriate curriculum recommendations that are documented with actual observation recordings.
Communicate a professional and positive disposition in all coursework related experiences.
Recognize the ecological relationships that exist between family, community and curriculum as they relate to children's development and learning.
Evaluate and implement best practices when teaching young children.
Communicate effectively.
Collaborate constructively with peers.
Demonstrate competence in planning and implementing developmentally appropriate curriculum in a supervised field experience.
Act ethically and practice professionalism in all coursework related experiences.
Classify and explore current issues in early childhood education and their impact on children, families and society.

The Early Childhood program leads to an Associate in Applied Science degree and is designed to prepare graduates for immediate employment or to enhance the skills and advancement opportunities of those already employed.

Some Early Childhood Education courses may meet requirements for the Child Development Associate (CDA) credentials. ECE 110 – Introduction to Early Education (3 credits), ECE 120 – Curriculum Development (3 credits), ECE 190 – Infants and Toddlers (3 credits), and ECE 210 – Children with Special Needs (3 credits) are recommended.

A certificate in Early Childhood may be awarded with successful completion of the first two semesters of coursework.

Program Notes

The Early Childhood program leads to an Associate in Applied Science degree and is designed to prepare graduates for immediate employment or to enhance the skills and advancement opportunities of those already employed.
Students will complete a total of more than 250 hours of field experience and additional service learning hours.
This program provides students an opportunity to focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) courses targeted for the young child.
A certificate in Early Childhood may be awarded with successful completion of the first two semesters of coursework.
Students are encouraged to join Broome Educators of Children Association (BECA) to become involved in a club that provides professional development through advocacy, fundraising, and workshops.