Description:

Presents theories and practices of Early Childhood Education. Format includes observations in preschools, childcare centers, Head Start agencies, kindergartens, and elementary schools.

Outcomes:

After completing this class, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to understand how children were viewed throughout history and the influence of history on early childhood education.
• Explain the impact of historical educators, psychologists, and developmental specialists in the field of early childhood education and the education of young children.
• Explain the major curriculum components of a program for young children and how they are interrelated to support a child's total development.
• Understand the major theoretical approaches to child development and how they relate to teaching the young child.
• Use the skills and techniques developed to observe a variety of ages and identify physical, cognitive, emotional, and social characteristics in the child from one to six.
• Understand the different types of early childhood programs and be familiar with career opportunities in each.
• Understand and explain the teacher's role in the different programs and articulate the definition of oneself as a teacher of young children.