Early Childhood Development

The education and development of children is one of the most critically important and rewarding careers you can pursue. If you have an interest in growth and well-being of children then Washington State's Early Childhood Development program might be the best next step for you.

This program provides a solid foundation of coursework that emphasizes developmentally appropriate curriculum design and instrumentation skills based on the guidelines of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. 

Graduates will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of how children develop and learn by creating the environment that supports the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and aesthetic development of young children from birth through age five.
2. Plan and utilize developmentally appropriate curriculum and instructional practices that meet the individual needs of all children and include play, small group projects, open-ended questioning, discussions, problem solving, and decision making.
3. Utilize positive guidance and problem solving techniques to develop supportive relationships with children, to encourage positive social interaction among children, and to promote positive strategies of conflict resolution.
4. Recognize the skills necessary to establish and maintain positive collaborative relationships with families.
5. Critically examine the characteristics in family structures, social and cultural backgrounds.
6. Utilize observations and assessment strategies to plan and individualize curriculum and teaching practices.
7. Demonstrate the basic principles of administration, organization, and operation of early childhood programs.
8. Identify themselves as members of the early childhood profession and use the code of ethical conduct and professional standards to early childhood practice.

Courses
Course listings with descriptions of each class may be found in the Washington State Community College Catalog. www.wscc.edu (.pdf)

Contact to learn more
Admissions
admissions@wscc.edu
740.568.1900

Tami Tuten, Associate Professor/Early Childhood Program Coordinator
ttuten@wscc.edu 
740.374.8716 ext. 2103