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Early Childhood Education, Associate in Arts
Effective: Fall, 2016
The Early Childhood Education program of study prepares students to work with young children in a variety of early care and education settings. Graduates will be able to provide high quality educational environments that are inclusive of all children ages birth to 9. They will gain the necessary knowledge and skills to provide a developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive and inclusive early learning experience.
At the completion of this degree, students are prepared to enter the early care and education workforce. Opportunities include working in childcare, young school age childcare, nursery schools and as teacher’s aides in public schools.
This program of study also serves as a transfer pathway to earn teacher certification, Pre-kindergarten through 4th grade. Students wishing to earn teacher certification must transfer to a 4 year institution to earn a Bachelor's degree, Prekindergarten through 4th grade.
All students will be required to have Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance, Pennsylvania Criminal Clearance, FBI clearance and documentation of current immunizations and TB screening. The results of the background clearances could have an impact on the student's ability to continue in the degree. There are additional fees to obtaining clearances and students may have to get their clearances renewed.
The Early Childhood Education program at Delaware County Community College is accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, www.naeyc.org. The accreditation term runs from March, 2017 through March, 2024.
| Academic Year |
Number of program completers |
% of program completers who were attending full-time |
% of program completers who were attending part-time (at the time of completion) |
| 2016/17 | 50 | 46% | 54% |
| 2017/18 | 44 | 52% | 48% |
| 2018/19 | 58 | 40% | 60% |
|
Academic year in which a Fall cohort of full-time students enrolled at the institution |
Percentage of those students who completed the program within 3 years |
Percentage of those students who completed the program within 4 years |
| 2013 | 20.8% | 25.0% |
| 2014 | 15.6% | 22.2% |
| 2015 | 19.5% | 25.9% |
Program Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students should be able to:
- Promote child development and learning (NAEYC Standard 1)
- Develop strategies for building family and community relationships (NAEYC Standard 2)
- Observe, document and assess to support young children and families (NAEYC Standard 3)
- Use developmentally effective approaches for teaching and learning. (NAEYC Standard 4)
- Use content knowledge to build meaningful curriculum. (NAEYC Standard 5)
- Act as an early childhood education professional. (NAEYC Standard 6)
First Semester (16 credits)
| Courses | Credits |
|---|---|
| ENG 100 - English Composition I | 3 |
| ECE 100 - Principles of Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| ECE 112 - Developing a Professional Portfolio and Resource File for ECE | 1 |
| ECE 130 - Early Childhood Development | 3 |
| Please pick one of the following courses highlighted in blue: | |
| HIS 110 - American History I | 3 |
| HIS 120 - American History II | 3 |
| Please pick one of the following courses highlighted in blue: | |
| COMM 100 - Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| COMM 111 - Public Speaking | 3 |
Second Semester (16-17 credits)
| Courses | Credits |
|---|---|
| ENG 112 - English Composition II: Writing About Literature | 3 |
| ECE 140 - Intregrated Curriculum and Assessment | 3 |
| Please pick one of the following courses highlighted in blue: | |
| ECE 120 - Early Childhood Education Laboratory I | 4 |
| EDU 215 - Primary Grade Lab and Seminar | 4 |
| Electives |
|---|
| SOC/PSY Elective (3 credits) |
| Science Elective: Any transferable Scientific Inquiry designated BIO, CHE, ESS or PHY course (4 credits) |
Third Semester (15 credits)
Fourth Semester (16 credits)
| Courses | Credits |
|---|---|
| ECE 201 - Children Families and Community | 3 |
| ECE 121 - Early Childhood Education Laboratory II | 4 |
| EDU 208 - English Language Learners | 3 |
| MAT 126 - Mathematics for Elementary Teachers II | 3 |
| Electives |
|---|
| Humanities/BCSS/Laboratory Science Elective (ENG, COMM, DPR, HUM, POL, ART, MUS, DRA, PHI, SOC, SPA, SWO or Laboratory Science (3 credits) |
Total Credits: 63-65
