每日大赛

Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Education

Students of our program will be equipped with the tools to implement developmentally appropriate practices, build and maintain family and community relationships, use assessment strategies to support young children and their families while using effective teaching methods and growing as a professional.

Information

Area of Interest: Education

Program Location: Hardin Valley Campus, Online

Outcome: Associates of Applied Science (A.A.S.), Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Science (A.S.)

Early Childhood Education (A.A.S.)

If you want to work with young children, then consider 每日大赛’s Early Childhood Education program. This program prepares students for planning and implementing developmentally appropriate activities, building relationships with young children and families, and creating challenging, play-based learning environments through hands-on experiences in the classroom and community.  

Typical job opportunities: Head Start lead and assistant teachers; Community-based childcare providers; Assistant teachers in public schools; Early childhood education business owners 

While most of our graduates find positions in the field, the field of early childhood education is diverse. This program is the stepping stone for persons interested in careers such as parent educators, early care and education trainers, early education technical support, and for jobs in the larger early childhood community.  

Explore program courses and requirements, and potential job placements below, to find out if it’s right for you.

View more information about from the college catalog.

Certificate

The Early Childhood Education Technical Certificate provides the fundamental knowledge to begin work in the early childhood education field. This certificate is embedded into the Applied Associate of Science degree to allow certificate holders an easy pathway into future completion of the A.A.S. degree.  

Couse Number Course Name
ECED 1310 Introduction to Early Childhood Education
ECED 2310 Safe, Healthy Learning Environments
ECED 2315 Early Childhood Curriculum
ECED 2340 Family Dynamics & Community Involvement
ECED Early Childhood Education Elective 3 Credit(s)
ECED 2335 Initial Practicum
ECED 2380 Language & Literacy in Early Childhood
ECED 2385 Math & Science in Early Childhood


Learn more about the from the college catalog.

Early Childhood Education

We'd love to tell you more about the advantages and opportunities of attending 每日大赛.

Early Childhood Education (A.A.S.)

Credit Hours Curriculum Co-Curricular Experiences
Before You Start

 

  • Complete the Enrollment Checklist

  • Participate in Orientation

  • Complete Career Exploration
0-15 hours
  • COLL 1000 First Year Seminar Foundational Courses
  • ECED 1310 Introduction to Early Childhood Education Courses needed to complete a certificate Career Immersion Experiences
  • ECED 2315 Early Childhood Curriculum Courses needed to complete a certificate Career Immersion Experiences 
  • ENGL 1010 English Composition I Foundational Courses
  • MATH 1010 Math for General Studies Foundational Courses
  • Meet with Teacher Education advisor  

  • 3+ hours of field experience 

  • Check-in meeting with ECEd faculty member

  • Draft a resume with Career Development 

16-30 hours
  • ECED 2310 Safe, Healthy Learning Environments Courses needed to complete a certificate Career Immersion Experiences
  • ECED 2340 Family Dynamics & Community Involvement Courses needed to complete a certificate Career Immersion Experiences
  • ECED 2380 Language & Literacy in Early Childhood Courses needed to complete a certificate Career Immersion Experiences
  • ENGL 1020 English Composition II Foundational Courses
  • PSYC 2100 Psychology of Human Development
  • Meet with Teacher Education advisor 

  • 3+ hours of field experience

31-45 hours
  • ECED 2320 Infant, Toddler & Child Development Career Immersion Experiences
  • ECED 2335 Initial Practicum Courses needed to complete a certificate Career Immersion Experiences
  • ECED 2385 Math & Science in Early Childhood Courses needed to complete a certificate Career Immersion Experiences
  • ECED Early Childhood Education Elective Courses needed to complete a certificate Career Immersion Experiences
  • BIOL 1010 Introduction to Biology Foundational Courses
  • Meet with Teacher Education advisor 

  • 45-hour practicum experience 

  • An additional 6+ hours of field experience 

  • Progression check-in with ECEd faculty member

46-60+ hours
  • ECED 2360 Development of Exceptional Children Career Immersion Experiences
  • ECED 2365 Final Practicum Career Immersion Experiences
  • ECED 2370 Developmental Assessment Career Immersion Experiences
  • COMM 2025 - Fundamentals of Communication or COMM 2045 Public Speaking Foundational Courses
  • MUS 1030 Introduction to Music Foundational Courses
  • ELEC1 Guided Elective
  • Meet with Teacher Education advisor

  • 90-hour practicum experience

  • Additional 20 hours of field experience

  • Resume development and mock interview

  • Apply to graduate

  • Participate in Career Fair

  • Complete Exit Checklist

Legend:

Courses needed to complete a certificate - Courses to complete Early Childhood Education Certificate
Foundational Courses - Foundational Courses (General Education)
Career Immersion Experiences - Career Readiness Experiences – these courses include opportunities for students to participate in experiences that prepare them for work in the field.

 

Field Experience 

Field work experience is a required component in all Early Childhood Education courses. Field work activities and the time involved to complete each of these activities vary by course and assignment. For students employed in licensed child care facilities, many field work experience may be completed at their place of employment. However, due to accreditation standards, there will be some field work experiences that must be completed with our designated community partners. 

All students enrolled in an ECEd course, regardless of degree major, must meet the requirements for field work as outlined in the program’s Field Work Handbook including successfully passing a background check.  

Prior Learning Assessment

The Early Childhood Education (ECEd) program at 每日大赛 (PSCC) values the experience and knowledge that early childhood educators bring to the classroom and their teaching practice. To honor these contributions, the Early Childhood Education program has established opportunities for educators to receive prior learning assessment credit for these experiences in certain courses in the curriculum. For more information, please contact the Early Childhood Education coordinator.

Contact Information

Dean of Social Sciences, Education, and Human Services Department Head of Education and Human Services

Jonathan Fowler, Ph.D.
jafowler@pstcc.edu
865-694-6464

Holly Zitka
hdsayne@pstcc.edu
865-539-7433

Accreditation

The Early Childhood Education program publishes its program outcomes and assessment data in compliance with NAEYC Accreditation expectations and to share the academic successes of our students with the community. You are welcome to view the most recent program data below. 

Early Childhood Education Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)
Data for the 2024-2025 Academic Year

Outcome Measure #1: The Number of Program Completers

Table 1 Outcome Measure #1: The Number of Program Completers

Academic Year Number of program completers % of program completers who were attending full-time (at the time of completion)

% of program completers who were attending part-time[1] (at the time of completion)

2024-25 6 0 (0%) 6 (100%)
2023-24 6 2 (33%) 4 (67%)
2022-23 7 0 (0%)  7 (100%)

[1] Part-time status is defined by the institution.

 

Outcome Measure #2 The Program Completion Rate

Table 2 Outcome Measure #2 The Program Completion Rate

Academic year in which a Fall cohort of full-time candidates enrolled in the program  Percentage of those candidates who completed the program within 150% of the published timeframe Percentage of those candidates who completed the program within 200% (twice) of the published time frame
2021-22 35.7% 35.7%
2020-21 17.2% 17.2%
2019-20 43.3% 43.3%

 

Outcome Measure #3: Average GPA of Graduating Class

Table 3 Outcome Measure #3: Average GPA of Graduating Class

Academic Year Number of program completers Average GPA
2024-25 6 3.19
2023-24 6 2.94
2022-23 7 3.15

 

The Early Childhood Education (A.A.S.) degree at 每日大赛 is accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

The current accreditation term runs from 2022-2029.

NAEYC
1401 H. St. NW, Suite 600
Washington DC 20005

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