Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Education Associate in Science

The associate of science degree in early childhood education prepares students to work with children, newborn to nine years of age in a variety of settings, including schools, day care centers, Head Start, nursery schools, homes, hospitals, social service agencies, and early intervention programs for children with special needs. Graduates of the associate in science program are prepared for entry-level positions or to continue in Keystone College’s baccalaureate degree program in early childhood. Students engage in fieldwork every semester. A field component consists of weekly observation/participation/teaching supervised by College faculty. Fieldwork requires current FBI, criminal history and child abuse clearances, as well as a current health appraisal including a negative TB test.

Graduation Requirements

ENGL 0050 - Critical and Analytical Reading: All students must demonstrate competency in this course whether by achieving specified SAT/ACT scores or by successful completion of the course. The course carries two credits which are included in full-time status and financial aid considerations, but do not count toward the minimum earned credits necessary for graduation. Students who are exempted from the course due to SAT/ACT scores receive an exemption that does not carry credits.

All students must successfully complete the General Education and Curriculum requirements listed below with a minimum overall grade point average of 2.00 to graduate from this curriculum. Additional graduation criteria are found beginning on page 38.

General Education Requirements (Minimum 26 credits)

Courses fulfilling the General Education Requirements can be found beginning on page 51.

Competencies

Communication Skills

11 credits COMM 1125 - Speech Communication ENGL 1110 - College Writing I: Academic Writing ENGL 1125 - College Writing II: Writing About Literature FYS 1110 - The First-Year Seminar Quantitative Reasoning Scientific Literacy 3 credits 3 credits Technology & Information Literacy 3 credits Critical Analysis & Reasoning Arts & Humanities Literacy 3 credits Social & Cultural Consciousness 3 credits

Curriculum Requirements

ECE 1110 - Introduction to Early Childhood Education ECE 2115 - Curriculum and Program Planning (3-8) ECE 2715 - Community Based Early Childhood Education Field Experiences EDUC 1710-1725 - Observation/Participation

EDUC 1110 - Introduction to Teaching EDUC 1700 - Portfolio Preparation EDUC 2125 - Teaching Literacy Through Literature EDUC 2130 - Child, Family, and Community EDUC 2160 - Technology in the Classroom ENGL 2110 - American Literature I or ENGL 2115 - American Literature II MATH 1125 - College Algebra MATH 1150 - College Mathematics II PSYC 2190 - Child Development I PSYC 2195 - Child Development II PSYC 3165 - Cognition and Learning SPEC 2110 - Characteristics and Needs of Exceptional Children SPEC 2120 - Early Intervention

Free Electives: Sufficient free electives must be taken to ensure the student has earned a minimum of 61 credits for graduation.

The academic adviser assists the student in planning his/her curriculum and in preregistration; however, the student is ultimately responsible for meeting the requirements of the curriculum selected.

Course offerings are dependent on enrollment.