YEAR 1

Early Childhood Education 1 (8405110)
This course includes the following content: childcare rules and regulations, safe learning environments, stages of child development, developmentally appropriate practices, and communication skills, principles of child nutrition and technology use; as well as competencies from the DCF 40-hour Introductory Childcare Training coursework.

YEAR 2

Early Childhood Education 2 (8405120)
This course covers competencies on professionalism, community resources, the importance of relationship skills and communicating with children’s families, history of school-age childcare, infant-toddler developmentally 
appropriate guidance activities, and observing and recording methods; as well as competencies from the DCF 40-hour Introductory Childcare Training coursework. Students will continue working directly with children 5 years of age or younger to complete the ECPC work experience requirement.

YEAR 3

Early Childhood Education 3 (8405130)
This course includes competencies in developing lesson plans, child development theories, factors that affect the development of a child, and developmentally appropriate practices and activities for infants/toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children.  Also covered are components on working with students with special needs, language use and acquisition, emergent literacy, creative expression, classroom management techniques, observation data, and creating optimum environments for all children; as well as competencies from the DCF 40-hour Introductory Childcare Training coursework.  Students will continue working directly with children to complete the ECPC work experience requirement.

YEAR 4

Early Childhood Education 4 (8405140)
In this course students will acquire competence in the areas of creating a successful developmentally appropriate curriculum, mentoring, recognizing cultural differences (are we missing a word or should we delete “developing”) when planning activities, community resources, classroom management, pediatric first aid, including children with special needs, recent trends and issues in early childhood education, and professionalism; as well as competencies from the DCF 40-hour Introductory Childcare Training coursework. Students will have completed the ECPC 480-hour work experience requirement by the end of this course.