Additional Information for Early Childhood Education - Coastal Carolina Community College

Coastal Carolina Community College’s Early Childhood Education program prepares students to work with children from infancy through middle childhood in diverse learning environments. Students will combine learned theories with practice in actual settings with young children under the supervision of qualified teachers. Graduates will be prepared to plan and implement developmentally appropriate lessons at their new jobs.

*Field experience and on-site observations are required for most classes.

Are You Interested in Becoming a…

Preschool Teacher?
Teacher Assistant?
Head Start or NC Pre-K Teacher Assistant?
Child Care Teacher?
Director of a Child Care Center?
Early Childhood Program Specialist?
Special Education Assistant?
Recreational Program Leader?
Family Child Care Provider?
Nanny or Au Pair?

If so, apply for the Early Childhood Education (ECE) program!

Program Notes

Students are required to pass criminal background checks for field experiences in the program. The background check will be the responsibility of the student.
The Early Childhood Practicum courses require time in childcare settings and may require bending, lifting, squatting, and standing. Please discuss any limitations with your instructor or Academic Counselor prior to registering for these courses.
All courses from the Early Childhood Education certificate will transfer into the diploma program and Associate in Applied Science degree program.

Employment Opportunities

Position	Description
Preschool or Kindergarten Teacher for private (non-public) school	Direct children in educational activities, develop and implement the curriculum for the school year, plan and supervise a half or full day program for children
Teacher Assistant in public school (Associate Degree or college credits required in some states)	Work under the direction of a licensed teacher, prepare student materials, monitor children during lunch and recess, may be required to drive school bus
Head Start or NC Pre-K Program Teacher Assistant	Assist the lead teacher with the daily program and activities; prepare student materials
Lead Teacher for preschool or child care center	Plan and direct half or full day programs for children
Child Care Teacher	Teach children in a child care center; assist lead teacher
Director of child care center	Manage and oversee child care center (schedules, budgets, policies, staffing, etc.)
Assistant Director of child care center	Assist Director with managing child care center (schedules, budgets, staffing, etc.)
Early Childhood Program Specialist	Assess children’s needs, develop activities based on children’s needs
Special Education Assistant	Assist teacher with exceptional children’s daily program
Recreational Program Leader	Plan, implement, and supervise recreational programs for children
Family Child Care Provider	Supervise and care for children in your home; plan and direct educational activities
Nanny or Au Pair	Supervise and care for children in their home

There are many other employment opportunities with advanced degrees.

Conceptual Framework

The ECE program’s conceptual framework was collaboratively developed and is recognized and used by faculty, candidates, and field placement supervisors. The program’s conceptual framework is a flowing tidal creek representing the children we serve, a constantly changing population, always growing and needing our guidance to stay healthy, secure, and eager. We believe in the importance of developing candidates who are prepared to teach, nurture, support, and interact with children in various ways. Our conceptual framework is built upon the core values of our program and aligns with the six National Associate for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards in the following ways:

Knowledge of child development is the heart of understanding what each child needs to grow and develop in positive ways. Candidates study the educational theories of Erikson, Piaget, and Vygotsky, as well as the curriculum models of High Scope, Montessori, and Reggio. Thus, they are able to design and implement environments that reflect Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) and facilitate healthy development in all domains.
- NAEYC Standard 1: Promote Child Development and Early Learning
Inclusive practices recognize families as children’s most significant context for development and celebrate the uniqueness of each child. Investigation of Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Systems and Howard Gardner’s theories encourages candidates to appreciate the many contexts and influences on children’s development. Through multi-faceted explorations and interactions, candidates develop cultural competence as they participate in experiences that validate multicultural and inclusive approaches.
- NAEYC Standard 2: Build Family and Community Relationships
Assessment partnerships endorse thoughtful, systematic, and authentic assessment with documentation that yields superior learning outcomes. Candidates use an array of assessment tools and technology resources to inform their practice and collaborate with families and other professionals to promote positive outcomes for children.
- NAEYC Standard 3: Observe, Document, and Assess to Support Young Children and Families
Intentional teaching improves teaching and learning and requires knowledge of children’s unique characteristics and pedagogy. Planned observations, interactions with children, and skilled role models ensure candidates view children as active learners. Field experiences in multiple courses require candidates to plan and implement approaches and environments that focus on playful learning and child-initiated exploration to build a foundation for later learning.
- NAEYC Standard 4: Use Developmentally Effective Approaches to Connect with Children and Families
Skillful teachers are engaged in the learning process and become content and technology experts as they design effective curriculum for young children. Candidates are required to take and pass college courses that develop the academic skills they need to effectively teach young children. In field placements, candidates work with College and site professionals to develop and implement appropriate activities that are aligned with learning standards and address children’s unique characteristics.
- NAEYC Standard 5: Use Content Knowledge to Build Meaningful Curriculum
Reflective practitioners are more intentional and skillful teachers who demonstrate a commitment to ethical practices and the children they serve. Early in their course work, candidates identify dispositions critical to their success and formulate a plan to achieve these dispositions. Professional development is ongoing throughout the program and includes cultivating a passion for critical early childhood issues. This passion fuels candidates’ desire to engage in informed advocacy and become reflective and knowledgeable practitioners.
- NAEYC Standard 6: Become a Professional

*Professional Standards and Competencies (2020)*
Child Development and Learning in Context Early childhood educators (a) are grounded in an understanding of the developmental period of early childhood from birth through age 8 across developmental domains. They (b) understand each child as an individual with unique developmental variations. Early childhood educators (c) understand that children learn and develop within relationships and within multiple contexts, including families, cultures, languages, communities, and society. They (d) use this multidimensional knowledge to make evidence-based decisions about how to carry out their responsibilities. Key Competencies 1a: Understand the developmental period of early childhood from birth through age 8 across physical, cognitive, social and emotional, and linguistic domains, including bilingual/multilingual development. 1b: Understand and value each child as an individual with unique developmental variations, experiences, strengths, interests, abilities, challenges, approaches to learning, and with the capacity to make choices. 1c: Understand the ways that child development and the learning process occur in multiple contexts, including family, culture, language, community, and early learning setting, as well as in a larger societal context that includes structural inequities. 1d: Use this multidimensional knowledge—that is, knowledge about the developmental period of early childhood, about individual children, and about development and learning in cultural contexts—to make evidence-based decisions that support each child.
Family-Teacher Partnerships and Community Connections Early Childhood educators understand that successful early childhood education depends upon educators' partnerships with the families of the young children they serve. They (a) know about, understand, and value the diversity in family characteristics. Early childhood educators (b) use this understanding to create respectful , responsive, reciprocal relationships with families and to engage with them as partners in their young children's development and learning. They (c) use community resources and to support children's families, and they build connections between early learning settings, schools, and community organizations and agencies. Key Competencies 2a: Know about, understand, and value the diversity of families. 2b: Collaborate as partners with families in young children's development and learning through respectful, reciprocal relationships and engagement. 2c: Use community resources to support young children's learning and development and to support families, and build partnerships between early learning settings, schools, and community organizations and agencies.
Child Observation, Documentation, and Assessment Early childhood educators (a) understand that the primary purpose of assessments is to inform instruction and planning in early learning settings. They (b) know how to use observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment approaches and tools. Early childhood educators (c) use screening and assessment tools in ways that are ethically grounded and developmentally, culturally, ability, and linguistically appropriate to document developmental progress and promote positive outcomes for each child. Early childhood educators (d) build assessment partnerships with families and professional colleagues. Key Competencies 3a: Understand that assessments (formal and informal, formative and summative) are conducted to make informed choices about instruction and for planning in early learning settings. 3b: Know a wide range of types of assessments, their purposes, and their associated methods and tools. 3c: Use screenings and assessment tools in ways that are ethically grounded and developmentally, ability, culturally, and linguistically appropriate in order to document developmental progress and promote positive outcomes for each child. 3d: Build assessment partnerships with families and professional colleagues.
Developmentally, Culturally, and Linguistically Appropriate Teaching Practices Early childhood educators understand that teaching and learning with young children is a complex enterprise, and its details vary depending on children's ages and characteristics and on the settings in which teaching and learning occur. They (a) understand and demonstrate positive, caring, supportive relationships and interactions as the foundation for their work with young children. They (b) understand and use teaching skills that are responsive to the learning trajectories of young children and to the needs of each child. Early childhood educators (c) use a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate and culturally and linguistically relevant, anti-bias, and evidence-based teaching approaches that reflect the principles of universal design for learning. Key Competencies 4a: Understand and demonstrate positive, caring, supportive relationships and interactions as the foundation of early childhood educators' work with young children. 4b: Understand and use teaching skills that are responsive to the learning trajectories of young children and to the needs of each child, recognizing that differentiating instruction, incorporating play as a core teaching practice, and supporting the development of executive function skills critical for young children. 4c: Use a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically relevant, anti-bias, evidence-based teaching skills and strategies that reflect the principles of universal design for learning.
Knowledge, Application, and Integration of Academic Content in the Early Childhood Curriculum Early childhood educators have knowledge of the content of the academic disciplines (e.g., language and literacy, the arts, mathematics, social studies, science, technology and engineering, physical education) and of the pedagogical methods for teaching each discipline. They (a) understand the central concepts, the methods and tools of inquiry, and the structures in each academic discipline. Educators (b) understand pedagogy, including how young children learn and process information in each discipline, the learning trajectories for each discipline, and how teachers use this knowledge to inform their practice. They (c) apply this knowledge using early learning standards and other resources to make decisions about spontaneous and planned learning experiences and about curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation to ensure that learning will be stimulating, challenging, and meaningful to each child. Key Competencies 5a: Understand content knowledge—the central concepts, methods and tools of inquiry, and structure—and resources for the academic disciplines in an early childhood curriculum. 5b: Understand pedagogical content knowledge—how young children learn in each discipline—and how to use the teacher knowledge and practices described in Standards 1 through 4 to support young children's learning in each content area. 5c: Modifying teaching practices by applying, expanding, integrating, and updating their content knowledge in the disciplines, their knowledge of curriculum content resources, and their pedagogical content knowledge.
Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator Early childhood educators (a) identify and participate as members of the early childhood profession. They serve as informed advocates for young children, for the families of the children in their care, and for the early childhood profession. They (b) know and use ethical guidelines and other early childhood professional guidelines. They (c) have professional communication skills that effectively support their relationships and work young children, families, and colleagues. Early childhood educators (d) are continuous, collaborative learners who (e) develop and sustain the habit of reflective and intentional practice in their daily work with young children and as members of the early childhood profession. Key Competencies 6a: Identify and involve themselves with the early childhood field and serve as informed advocates for young children, families, and the profession. 6b: Know about and uphold ethical and other early childhood professional guidelines. 6c: Use professional communication skills, including technology-mediated strategies, to effectively support young children's learning and development and to work with families and colleagues. 6d: Engage in continuous, collaborative learning to inform practice. 6e: Develop and sustain the habit of reflective and intentional practice in their daily work with young children and as members of the early childhood profession.

Professional Standards and Competencies (2020)

Child Development and Learning in Context
Early childhood educators (a) are grounded in an understanding of the developmental period of early childhood from birth through age 8 across developmental domains. They (b) understand each child as an individual with unique developmental variations. Early childhood educators (c) understand that children learn and develop within relationships and within multiple contexts, including families, cultures, languages, communities, and society. They (d) use this multidimensional knowledge to make evidence-based decisions about how to carry out their responsibilities.

Key Competencies
1a: Understand the developmental period of early childhood from birth through age 8 across physical, cognitive, social and emotional, and linguistic domains, including bilingual/multilingual development.
1b: Understand and value each child as an individual with unique developmental variations, experiences, strengths, interests, abilities, challenges, approaches to learning, and with the capacity to make choices.
1c: Understand the ways that child development and the learning process occur in multiple contexts, including family, culture, language, community, and early learning setting, as well as in a larger societal context that includes structural inequities.
1d: Use this multidimensional knowledge—that is, knowledge about the developmental period of early childhood, about individual children, and about development and learning in cultural contexts—to make evidence-based decisions that support each child.

Family-Teacher Partnerships and Community Connections
Early Childhood educators understand that successful early childhood education depends upon educators' partnerships with the families of the young children they serve. They (a) know about, understand, and value the diversity in family characteristics. Early childhood educators (b) use this understanding to create respectful , responsive, reciprocal relationships with families and to engage with them as partners in their young children's development and learning. They (c) use community resources and to support children's families, and they build connections between early learning settings, schools, and community organizations and agencies.

Key Competencies
2a: Know about, understand, and value the diversity of families.
2b: Collaborate as partners with families in young children's development and learning through respectful, reciprocal relationships and engagement.
2c: Use community resources to support young children's learning and development and to support families, and build partnerships between early learning settings, schools, and community organizations and agencies.

Child Observation, Documentation, and Assessment
Early childhood educators (a) understand that the primary purpose of assessments is to inform instruction and planning in early learning settings. They (b) know how to use observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment approaches and tools. Early childhood educators (c) use screening and assessment tools in ways that are ethically grounded and developmentally, culturally, ability, and linguistically appropriate to document developmental progress and promote positive outcomes for each child. Early childhood educators (d) build assessment partnerships with families and professional colleagues.

Key Competencies
3a: Understand that assessments (formal and informal, formative and summative) are conducted to make informed choices about instruction and for planning in early learning settings.
3b: Know a wide range of types of assessments, their purposes, and their associated methods and tools.
3c: Use screenings and assessment tools in ways that are ethically grounded and developmentally, ability, culturally, and linguistically appropriate in order to document developmental progress and promote positive outcomes for each child.
3d: Build assessment partnerships with families and professional colleagues.

Developmentally, Culturally, and Linguistically Appropriate Teaching Practices
Early childhood educators understand that teaching and learning with young children is a complex enterprise, and its details vary depending on children's ages and characteristics and on the settings in which teaching and learning occur. They (a) understand and demonstrate positive, caring, supportive relationships and interactions as the foundation for their work with young children. They (b) understand and use teaching skills that are responsive to the learning trajectories of young children and to the needs of each child. Early childhood educators (c) use a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate and culturally and linguistically relevant, anti-bias, and evidence-based teaching approaches that reflect the principles of universal design for learning.

Key Competencies
4a: Understand and demonstrate positive, caring, supportive relationships and interactions as the foundation of early childhood educators' work with young children.
4b: Understand and use teaching skills that are responsive to the learning trajectories of young children and to the needs of each child, recognizing that differentiating instruction, incorporating play as a core teaching practice, and supporting the development of executive function skills critical for young children.
4c: Use a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically relevant, anti-bias, evidence-based teaching skills and strategies that reflect the principles of universal design for learning.

Knowledge, Application, and Integration of Academic Content in the Early Childhood Curriculum
Early childhood educators have knowledge of the content of the academic disciplines (e.g., language and literacy, the arts, mathematics, social studies, science, technology and engineering, physical education) and of the pedagogical methods for teaching each discipline. They (a) understand the central concepts, the methods and tools of inquiry, and the structures in each academic discipline. Educators (b) understand pedagogy, including how young children learn and process information in each discipline, the learning trajectories for each discipline, and how teachers use this knowledge to inform their practice. They (c) apply this knowledge using early learning standards and other resources to make decisions about spontaneous and planned learning experiences and about curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation to ensure that learning will be stimulating, challenging, and meaningful to each child.

Key Competencies
5a: Understand content knowledge—the central concepts, methods and tools of inquiry, and structure—and resources for the academic disciplines in an early childhood curriculum.
5b: Understand pedagogical content knowledge—how young children learn in each discipline—and how to use the teacher knowledge and practices described in Standards 1 through 4 to support young children's learning in each content area.
5c: Modifying teaching practices by applying, expanding, integrating, and updating their content knowledge in the disciplines, their knowledge of curriculum content resources, and their pedagogical content knowledge.

Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator
Early childhood educators (a) identify and participate as members of the early childhood profession. They serve as informed advocates for young children, for the families of the children in their care, and for the early childhood profession. They (b) know and use ethical guidelines and other early childhood professional guidelines. They (c) have professional communication skills that effectively support their relationships and work young children, families, and colleagues. Early childhood educators (d) are continuous, collaborative learners who (e) develop and sustain the habit of reflective and intentional practice in their daily work with young children and as members of the early childhood profession.

Key Competencies
6a: Identify and involve themselves with the early childhood field and serve as informed advocates for young children, families, and the profession.
6b: Know about and uphold ethical and other early childhood professional guidelines.
6c: Use professional communication skills, including technology-mediated strategies, to effectively support young children's learning and development and to work with families and colleagues.
6d: Engage in continuous, collaborative learning to inform practice.
6e: Develop and sustain the habit of reflective and intentional practice in their daily work with young children and as members of the early childhood profession.