Early Childhood & Elementary Careers

Early Childhood & Elementary Careers (ECEC) is for high school Juniors and Seniors who want to learn about children’s growth and development.  We know that students learn best through real-life experiences working with children. The ECEC program includes time each week for our students to go into the Head Start classrooms on-site to help out. Towards the end of the year, our students attend an internship in the community to gain even more experience with children. In class, students learn about developmentally appropriate practices, curriculum development, safety and guidance, special needs, professional skills, and many other components of careers in early childhood. This program provides invaluable experiences for career exploration and developing a solid base of knowledge about young children.

Program Goals
This program will enable the student to:

• Identify child development theorists and understand theories of development.
• Describe infant, toddler, preschool and school age development
• Research disabilities and how to work with children with special needs.
• Research/investigate career choices.
• Experience daily activities and routines with preschool children in the onsite Head Start labs.
• Describe and demonstrate different assessment techniques.
• Compare types of child care and educational programs through research and observation.
• Describe job requirements and roles of workers. Describe career opportunities and investigate educational/training requirements.
• Plan and facilitate developmentally appropriate activities for preschool children.
• Experience work-based learning through community internships in elementary schools, day care centers, preschools, special needs classrooms, licensed home day cares, etc

Skills Needed
To be successful in this program, you should have the following skills:

• Excellent communication and social skills
• Professional and ethical behavior
• Proficient reading and math skills
• Being alert and aware of what’s going on around you
• Ability to handle on-the-job experiences in public settings

Early Childhood & Elementary Careers – Syllabus

Instructor Contact Information