More information: Early Childhood Development AAS
PURPOSE
The Early Childhood Development Associate of Applied Science (AAS) program is designed to prepare students with skills and theoretical knowledge related to the care, supervision, education, and development of young children from birth to age 12.
OCCUPATIONAL OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of the curriculum, students will be prepared to seek employment in a variety of positions in the childcare field:
- Before- and after-school teacher, assistant teacher
- Camp director
- Childcare center director, assistant director
- Classroom aide
- Home-based provider, day care worker
- Playroom attendant
Positions are available in a variety of facilities including:
- Child day care centers
- Church-sponsored preschool programs
- Family daycare homes
- Head Start programs
- Hospital-based childcare programs
- Nursery schools
- Preschool at-risk programs
- Recreational before- and after-school programs
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Design and deliver age-appropriate learning activities and environments that align with established developmental milestones
- Demonstrate effective communication and interpersonal skills in interacting with children and families from diverse backgrounds
- Build respectful and reciprocal relationships
- Demonstrate use of appropriate positive guidance strategies with children
- Evaluate and adapt learning activities to accommodate specific developmental, physical, and learning needs of children with identified disabilities or exceptionalities
- Develop comprehensive program operations plan that specifies required staffing, facility needs, budget projections, and educational materials for a children’s program
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- General college curricular admission
PROGRAM NOTES
General college curricular admission, including direct enrollment English and math placement, is required for program admission. Students who do not meet required English and math placement levels must enroll in developmental studies courses.
Recommendations:
- Pre-enrollment advising meeting with department chair
- Enroll program courses in the sequence listed in the catalog
Requirements:
- Earn grade of C or higher in all courses with CHD, EDU, and PSY prefixes
- Practicum experience internship in licensed or approved childcare setting
- Criminal Record Clearance/Sex Offender Registry check required for internship placement and volunteering
- Tuberculosis test required for internship placement and volunteering
- Consult the department chair for list of convictions that will prevent employment
The AAS degree curriculum is designed to prepare students for immediate employment upon graduation. Four-year college and university transfer opportunities for AAS degrees, if existing, are usually specific in nature. Students may, however, substitute some curriculum courses with ones that generally transfer to senior institutions. Students should consult their advisor as soon as possible for guidance, and are advised to get written assurances from the institution to which they wish to transfer.
COMPUTER COMPETENCY REQUIREMENT
Students in this program will meet the Reynolds computer competency requirement by successfully completing ITE 152 or EDU 280 (Introduction to Instructional Technologies) . Students can also meet this requirement by passing the Reynolds Computer Competency Exam, administered in the Testing Centers on each campus, in which case they will receive college credit for ITE 152 . Students not passing the Computer Competency Exam may retake the exam only once.
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