Early Childhood Education Degree Online Curriculum

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In this course, you’ll develop the necessary skills to ensure your success in the program. You’ll learn how you can improve your study skills, so you’re able to use a number of tools that will help you to be successful.

This course also provides a snapshot of contemporary child care and the need for professionals as well as strategies for completing the Early Childhood Education Program as an independent learner.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Identify skills needed to be a confident and independent online learner
• Assess the responsibilities of a caregiver and the changing concept of child care settings

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Information literacy is a fundamental skill of writing and recording research. In this course, you’ll learn what it means to formulate correct and effective research questions. You’ll also learn how to go about conducting and refining that research for any given project.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Identify how to formulate focused and specific research questions and the need for information
• Explain the different types of research tools, how they’re used to conduct different searches, and how to evaluate the quality and usefulness of the information found
• Explain how to cite sources properly using various citation styles in consideration of academic integrity, plagiarism, and ethical use of resources

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Each day seems to bring more dire news about health, especially children’s health. Children are watching more television, spending more time in front of screens and spending less time engaging in physical exercise. There’s bad news about the American diet, which includes contaminated, fatty, and processed foods. We are alerted to the presence of various toxins in our air, water, soil, and food. This means higher rates for cancer, heart disease, childhood obesity, and diabetes. We aren’t in very good shape, and children are inheriting our polluted world and bad habits. Early childhood educators and staff have the potential to create enormously positive changes in the way children eat, exercise, and avoid injurious habits. The good news is that children love to stay physically active, and they’re far more open to new foods and different diets than most adults are. Physical fitness and healthy habits almost come naturally to children!

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Identify the environmental and biological threats to children's health and safety and how to protect children from them
• Describe the importance of nutrition, physical activity, and mental and physical health education
• List the resources available for children with special health needs and facility design considerations
• List developmentally appropriate toys and materials
• Identify the basic concepts of nutrition and food for children
• Consider how a center director would ensure health, safety, and nutrition of children in a program

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This course covers biology and behavior, consciousness, memory, thought and language, intelligence, personality and gender, stress, and community influences.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Describe the science of psychology, basic structure and function of the human nervous system, and basic structure and function of the sensory system
• Explain various states of consciousness, learning theories, and thought processes and development
• Summarize the nature of human motivation and development, the human development cycle, and approaches to understanding and assessing personality
• Recognize psychological disorders and available treatments
• Explain social psychology as it relates to attitudes, influences, behaviors, and stress
• Use critical thinking skills to determine the likely causes of behaviors of individuals and groups discussed in case studies

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Microsoft® Office allows people to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases. This course will teach you how to use three popular tools from the Microsoft® Office Suite — Word™, Excel®, and PowerPoint®. In this course, you'll learn how to use Word™ to create and edit text documents, insert figures and tables, and format pages for a variety of uses. You'll then learn how to use Excel® to organize and format data, including charts, formulas, and more complex tables. Next, you'll learn how to use PowerPoint® to create and deliver slide shows. Finally, you'll complete a graded project, which will test the skills acquired in Word™, Excel®, and PowerPoint®.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Create various Microsoft® Word™ documents.
• Produce a thorough Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheet.
• Identify the basic skills needed to use Microsoft® PowerPoint®.
• Synthesize what you’ve learned by integrating Word™, Excel®, and PowerPoint®.

Your Early Childhood Education courses are designed to offer you an opportunity to apply the theoretical concepts you’re learning throughout your program to a practical, real-world early childhood setting. It’s important that the setting where you’ll complete your assignments and conduct interviews, observations, and assessments be a recognized child care center or preschool that provides quality care. This ECE Site Selection course includes important information and the necessary documents to be completed for the proposed child care center or preschool site to be approved by Penn Foster College.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Choose a recognized child care center or preschool that provides quality care to conduct interviews, observations, and assessments

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A survey course which discusses the similarities and differences in young children, the components of quality early childhood education programs, and the role of the professional early childhood educator.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Plan the steps needed in developing an ideal model of a childcare setting
• Analyze the effects of environment and adherence to routines on the developmental appropriacy of a child
• Prepare a holistic curriculum for developing linguistic, analytical, and social skills in early childhood education
• Record observations of child interactions in an early childhood facility
• Prepare a report of an interview with an ECE Site Supervisor

The main purpose of the Early Childhood Education courses is to provide you an opportunity to apply the theoretical concepts that you have learned in textbooks, webinars, and study guides to a practical, real-world early childhood setting. You are required to choose an appropriate ECE site selection in any local, center-based child care facility that is currently licensed to operate and provides care to infants, toddlers, and preschool children. ECE students are also required to submit official copies of any/all child abuse clearances, criminal background checks, and/or fingerprint clearances as required by their home state and also by the child care center. We’re excited for you to begin your journey in becoming an ECE Professional. Best wishes for a successful and enjoyable experience at your Semester Two ECE Site.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Point out the necessary theoretical concepts needed in aiding a successful ECE site selection

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This course presents a variety of theoretical viewpoints to provide students with a well-balanced view of a child’s developmental process. Current studies and research provide students with an understanding of the principal topics of child psychology as well as recent trends in socially relevant problem areas.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Identify the important processes, time periods, and issues in development
• Explain the elements of biological, physical, and perceptual development
• Explain how the elements of cognition and language impact development
• Analyze socioemotional development and how this relates to the self and identity
• Analyze how social contexts impacts development and growth
• Compare child development in two separate age groups

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This course defines and explores the fundamental components of the early childhood curriculum, including creativity, sensory experience, curiosity, exploration and discovery, growth in literacy, and concepts of mathematics, science, and social science.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Analyze the important elements in the structure of developmentally appropriate programs
• Identify the planning and strategies made by a teacher to ensure an enriching environment
• Categorize the methods of teaching catering to aesthetic and effective domains
• Distinguish between the different teaching strategies catering to language, physical, and social domains
• Create a daily classroom schedule using developmentally appropriate activities

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See Electives listed below.

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This course teaches the skills and techniques of effectively developing, drafting, and revising college-level essays toward a specific purpose and audience: active reading, prewriting strategies, sentence and paragraph structure, thesis statements, varied patterns of development (such as illustration, comparison and contrast, and classification), critical reading toward revision of structure and organization, editing for standard written conventions, and use and documentation of outside sources. Students submit two prewriting assignments and three essays (process analysis, comparison and contrast, and argumentation).

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Use writing skills to construct well-written sentences and active reading skills to understand and analyze text
• Develop paragraphs using topic sentences, adequate detail, supporting evidence, and transitions
• Contrast the revising and editing steps of the writing process
• Distinguish between different patterns of development
• Write a process analysis essay using prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing skills
• Recognize how to determine the reliability of secondary sources and to give proper credit to sources referenced in an essay
• Write a comparison and contrast essay by using persuasive writing techniques to defend a claim
• Create a sound written argument using techniques of drafting and evaluating sources

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Music Appreciation

In this course, you'll practice the skill of active listening. Learning to listen differently will allow you to experience all kinds of music in a new way. Most listeners are familiar with how music makes them feel, and we often say we like a particular piece of music because it has a "good beat" or a beautiful melody. This course will allow you to go deeper. You'll identify what the composer might have been trying to convey and listen for the way elements of musical composition and performance make each piece unique.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Identify the building blocks of music a composer can use to create a piece, such as rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, form, and timbre
• Differentiate between the music of the baroque era and the musical styles of previous time periods
• List the major characteristics of classical music, including form, melody, and instrumentation
• Describe the musical trends and innovations that occurred during the romantic era
• Relate musical styles of the early twentieth century to comparable movements in art and literature
• Explain the evolution of American popular music in the twentieth century
• Describe the influence of world music on modern western composition
• Synthesize research comparing composers' influence in their respective genres

Textbook: Experience Music

Art Appreciation

In this course, you will gain an understanding of artistic media, historical periods and artistic movements, the roles of the artist and the viewer, and the principles of art criticism.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Define the language, visual elements, and principles of design of art
• Identify two-dimensional media
• Identify three-dimensional media
• Explain the evolution of art from ancient Mediterranean cultures through eighteenth century Europe
• Identify features and popular examples of art throughout the history of African, Asian, Pacific, and American cultures
• Compare the genres of the Modern and Postmodern eras of art from around the world

The course on site selection focuses on the ideal ways to complete site selection. This course is designed to provide you with an opportunity to apply the theoretical concepts you’ve learned from the textbooks, webinars, and other resources from the prerequisites to a real-world setting. You’re required to choose a recognized child care center/ preschool that provides quality of care for completing your assignments, conduct interviews, observations, and assessments. You must remember that in-home child care centers and family child care centers don’t meet the criteria, and they’ll not be approved as ECE Site Selections. ECE students are also required to submit official copies of any/all child abuse clearances, criminal background checks, and/or fingerprint clearances. Read the manual and instructions carefully.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Apply the guidelines and instructions from the course for completing ECE site selection successfully

(3 CREDITS)

The preschool years are a special time in the life of young children. In many instances, it’s the first time a child is away from immediate family. You, as an early childhood professional, have a huge responsibility in ensuring the safety and learning of each child, implementing developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) and differentiation depending on the abilities and developmental levels of the children in your care. It’s essential that teachers learn about and provide the types of activities and experiences preschool children need.

This is an exciting course, packed with ideas that will help you to establish an effective and developmentally appropriate learning environment, built with interest centers that allow for individualization. While you move through each lesson, take notice of the nongraded activities that are provided. These activities will help you with teaching ideas and ways to help children, building relationships with families, and growing a community of learners.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Analyze the importance of the child care environment
• Point out the role of the teachers in developing classroom environment
• Categorize the ways in developing effective curriculum plans that incorporate play-based activities
• Analyze how various types of learning centers enhances a child's learning ability
• Prepare your assignment by observing five developmental categories of the preschool children
• Create a learning center design

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Trust and mutual respect are the basic building blocks of all future development. Infants who can trust that they’ll be changed when they’re wet, fed when they’re hungry, cared for when they’re sick, cuddled when they’re in need of comfort, and treated with respect and love when they’re awake develop into healthy, curious, affectionate toddlers. Teachers who help to foster these relationships are constantly measuring their own performance by asking, “Am I acting in the best interests of this child, as defined by the standards of developmentally appropriate practice?” This course is your reference book for those standards. As you progress through this course, you’ll have many opportunities to examine what you do every day and to gradually adjust your teaching to reflect your emerging identity as a professional early childhood educator.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Describe how the caregiver impacts infants and toddlers through care, curriculum, individualization, and play
• Define the effects of infant and toddler attachment, their cues, developmental processes, and cognition
• Explain how language, emotion, and socialization affects infants and toddlers
• Describe the best environment for professionals while interacting with children and families

(3 CREDITS)

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SCI140 - Nutrition 

Nutrition is the science that investigates how the body takes in, breaks down, and uses foods. The course will provide you with basic information on how these processes take place, including information about nutrients and how they contribute to the way the body functions. This will help you to have a better understanding of your decisions about food and diet. You’ll also learn about physical activities that can contribute to a healthier lifestyle. Because a central focus of nutrition studies is on health promotion, suggestions for individual nutrition choice will be discussed, as well as tactics for maintaining a healthy weight and keeping food supplies safe. 

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• Describe how nutrition supports a body's wellness
• Recognize the body's use of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins 
• Identify the body's use of water, minerals, and micronutrients
• Discuss what nutritional needs are for a healthy weight and for an athletic lifestyle 
• Define food safety and the nutritional needs of humans over a lifetime
• Prepare a research paper on a nutritional topic 

Introduction to Biology

Few subjects can teach you as much about the world around you as biology. During this introductory course, you’ll gain insight into the origin of life, the relationships among all living organisms and the environment, and even how your own body works. You’ll learn how a significant number of organisms are structured and how they work to enable you to discuss intelligently the various forms of life and their processes.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Analyze cells and their processes for obtaining energy and reproducing
• Explain how traits are passed on from one generation to the next
• Explain how different species of living things have evolved and are classified
• Write responses to fundamental biology essay prompts
• Identify the characteristics and behavior of plants and animals
• Diagram the anatomy and physiology of the human body
• Describe the ecology of living things

Earth Science

Welcome to your course, Earth Science. The primary purpose of your textbook, Foundations of Earth Science, Eighth Edition, is to explain the fundamental processes of our planet. This course covers a number of topics which are concentrated in four main categories: geology, meteorology, oceanography, and astronomy.

Geology is the study of Earth, its minerals and rocks, and the many varied processes that formed our planet and continue to reform it today. Oceanography is the study of Earth’s oceans. Meteorology is the study of Earth’s atmosphere and astronomy is the study of Earth’s place in space and all things related. These four elements combined make up the Earth and are essential in understanding how the world works and how it’s evolving.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Categorize the matters, minerals, and materials that compose the Earth
• Differentiate between the elements and their ways of sculpting the landscapes
• Distinguish between the various theories and forces behind Earth’s history
• Point out the geological features of oceans and the important concepts of geology
• Categorize the causes and effects of various phenomenon affecting Earth’s atmosphere
• Analyze the components of the solar system and the universe

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In this course, you’ll develop more effective personal communication skills to increase their chances for professional success. You’ll identify the basic tenets of interpersonal communication, including diction, gesture, tone and facial expression, and practice methods for improving your skills in each area. You’ll also improve your listening skills. The course also reviews the standards for professional communication, including making introductions, interviewing, and dressing professionally.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Analyze various factors that help develop interpersonal communication
• Apply interpersonal communication skills in real-world scenarios

(3 CREDITS)

This course introduces you to curriculum in the early childhood setting. You’ll learn what effective curriculum is, what it entails, and what indicators help you identify its presence. You’ll also learn the important factors to consider when deciding on the right curriculum for your program and your children, and how to plan appropriate curriculum for children in the early childhood setting. Finally, you’ll learn the importance of properly observing and documenting children’s learning through both formal and informal methods.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Identify effective childhood curriculum through models, observation and assessment, lesson plans, and routines
• Explain the benefits of activities, alone and group time, and play in the early childhood setting
• Recognize the link in language development and literacy to reading literature and learning activities to be an active citizen
• Describe the importance of math, science, music, and art in curriculum

(3 CREDITS)

Teaching young children with special needs can be very rewarding when you’re adequately prepared. To work with special needs children, you must first understand the best practices related to teaching such students. You must also know how children develop and how specific disabilities affect them differently.

In this course, you’ll explore the stages of child development. You’ll also learn how various disabilities can impact a child’s development. This course will introduce specific strategies for creating an inclusive environment for children with special needs, including partnering with families. It will also explore the legal policies that shaped early childhood special education throughout history. You’ll discover practical strategies for developing Individual Education Plans (IEPs), designing tailored programs, and monitoring student progress.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Summarize the evolution of early childhood special education legal policies and family engagement throughout history
• Identify required elements of personalized education plans and effective instructional programs
• Explain strategies that support social, emotional, and motor development in children with various disabilities
• Describe strategies to enhance communication and cognitive skills in young children with special needs
• Summarize strategies for collaborating in an inclusive educational setting
• Explain how to provide quality intervention in early childhood special education

This course is designed to provide you with an opportunity to apply the theoretical concepts you’ve learned from the textbooks, webinars, and other resources from the prerequisites to a real-world setting. You are required to choose an appropriate ECE site selection in any local, center-based child care facility that is currently licensed to operate and provides care to infants, toddlers, and preschool children. ECE students are also required to submit official copies of any/all child abuse clearances, criminal background checks, and/or fingerprint clearances as required by their home state and also by the child care center. We’re excited for you to begin your journey in becoming an ECE Professional. Best wishes for a successful and enjoyable experience at your Semester Four ECE Site.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Apply the guidelines and instructions from the course for completing ECE site selection successfully

(3 CREDITS)

Guidance is the use of positive strategies to teach children the skills they need to succeed by helping them solve problems and handle confusing emotions as well as teaching them developmentally appropriate expectations. As the National Association for the Education of Young Children says, guidance differs from discipline; guidance gives children the tools to solve problems rather than disciplining children after the fact. This course will explore the many ways that teachers can work with children and families, using effective guidance strategies in a variety of settings.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Analyze the various roles, theories and elements associated with guiding young children
• Point out the importance of supportive physical environments, discipline strategies and assessment in child guidance structure
• Categorize the various developmental stages and guidance stages related to early childhood
• Analyze the ways of implementing guidance strategies and the decision-making model of child guidance
• Prepare an essay on the case scenario by using the decision making model

(3 CREDITS)

This course will provide a foundation in basic mathematical operations. You'll learn about percentages, discounts, interest, present worth, sinking funds, installment buying, pricing, depreciation, investments, insurance, the use of symbols and their applications, equations and formulas, and the importance of statistics.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Analyze functions of whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percents
• Show calculations involved in simple interest, compound interest, and time value of money
• Prepare various business math applications involving financial reports, installment buying, and depreciation
• Analyze various financial concepts related to taxes, insurance, financial investments, and basic business statistics
• Describe other HRM functions including collective bargaining, labor relations, global HRM, and building a high-performance organization
• Prepare for the final exam

(3 CREDITS)

In this course, you’ll learn the family-centered approach along with the current research for early childhood education. It contains practical examples for interactions between families, schools, and communities.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Analyze family-centered approach with the related issues of attachment, trust, and autonomy
• Point out the various approach of teaching in dealing with socialization and cultural influences
• Categorize the ways in dealing with personal and social issues related to families
• Analyze the use of various educational and community resources available to families
• Prepare a newsletter for your childhood education program
• Prepare a summary of your findings after completing the Child Care Center Checklist

(3 CREDITS)

See Electives listed below.

(Choose one) ...

(6 CREDITS)

During the fourth semester students will spend 300 hours in an approved early childhood center that includes infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in order to observe and participate in the direct application of theory. Students will have specific assignments during this time. They will have a maximum of six months to complete the field experience.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Complete a series of hands-on activities to practice ECE skills
• Evaluate the actions of a teacher during children’s playtime
• Interview parents and ECE teachers to observe the parent-teacher relationship
• Plan a seminar to promote literacy to parents of ECE students
• Identify how teachers facilitate language development in the ECE classroom
• Evaluate the outdoor play area at an ECE center
• Evaluate the parent communication forms offered by an ECE center
• Report on the individualized plans for a special-needs or disabled student in an ECE center
• Describe the outcomes of the culturally diverse activities taught in the ECE classroom

(3 CREDITS)

In a world where academic and professional achievement is so valued, it appears as though seemingly trivial activities like painting and dancing are pushed to the bottom of the priority list. However, many would argue that those tasks are actually the most important work a child might do, especially in terms of their emotional, social, and cognitive development.

Throughout this course, you’ll explore these ideas of art, music, and movement and their roles within a child’s development. By tailoring teaching strategies, assessment techniques, and environments to the creative needs of students, you’ll reach one of the most important goals of teaching: to make learning fun.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Analyze developmental theories related to creative thinking, behavior, and play in children’s learning
• Identify the best practices for fostering creative thinking through art, music, movement, and drama
• Categorize the research-based methods for assessing children’s creative thinking
• Analyze the learning environments and materials that promote creative thinking
• Prepare a lesson plan for a single day for a preschool classroom

(3 CREDITS)

There has never been a more exciting time in which to prepare for a career in early childhood education. In the past few decades, we have learned that early childhood experiences have a significant impact on children’s reading and writing development.

Your course is designed to provide early childhood education professionals with a new approach to teaching early literacy skills with a multicultural perspective. The multicultural approach to literacy presented in this course will provide you with an understanding of how children develop literacy skills and cultural awareness. You’ll be provided with a detailed comparison of how reading and writing develop for both preschool and kindergarten children. The four major components of communication—speaking, listening, writing, and reading—are fully explored with each age group.

Throughout the textbook and course guide, you’ll learn how important it is that teachers respect, understand, and dignify each child’s uniqueness while providing language-rich environments.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Analyze the multicultural approach to literacy and how it can promote early literacy skills
• Point out how music and art help in developing early literacy
• Show how speaking and listening skills are foundational for early literacy development
• Analyze how children become writers and readers in preschool and kindergarten years
• Categorize the importance of family literacy and the transition phase from preschool to kindergarten
• Prepare a storytelling board for toddlers and preschoolers

(3 CREDITS)

Welcome to Developing Math and Science Knowledge in Young Children. This course will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to teach young children effectively about math and science and also to integrate all areas of STEM education. STEM education has become a hot topic in the world of teaching children; it’s important to encourage students’ interest in STEM subjects at an early age as they’re curious and excited about learning. This study guide will provide the background on what STEM education encompasses and how to build STEM centers in environments from which children will benefit. You’ll learn to build STEM throughout the classroom through integrated units, project-based curriculum, and thematic approaches. This course focuses on STEM field trips, outdoor activities, and concepts to help you teach young children about math and science.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Categorize the standards and components of STEM education
• Develop a learning center for STEM education in an ECE classroom
• Analyze the process of incorporating STEM education throughout an ECE classroom
• Identify activities required for STEM project-centered curriculum
• Create the STEM learning activities that incorporate outdoor activities
• Analyze quick STEM activities and appropriate STEM field trips
• Prepare an essay based on your STEM extension experience
• Prepare a short essay on incorporating thematic units in the classroom

(3 CREDITS)

This course is an adventure in learning about cultural influences on both your professional practice and the children and families in your program.

You’ll examine cultural influences on your attitudes and behaviors, and you’ll explore the effects that these have on your professional judgment and practice. In addition, you’ll review the cultural influences and differences in family childrearing practices, young children’s social skills and behavior, and communication skills and styles.

As you look at the ways in which cultural differences influence the way children act, communicate, and learn, you’ll focus on language and communication, social skills, school readiness, and emergent literacy.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Identify the long-term benefits of childhood programs and how cultural differences affects education
• Analyze how poverty and culture affects child-rearing practices
• Prepare curriculum and instruction strategies for young English learners
• Create a week’s lesson plan for a preschool class

(3 CREDITS)

This is quite an exciting time to become an early childhood program administrator. Changing social conditions have raised the public’s level of awareness of the importance of early childhood care and education. Interest in providing the kinds of early childhood programs that promote the healthy growth and development of children has greatly increased. These programs require administrators who understand the special needs of young children in group settings. Likewise, these administrators will need to have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to work with communities, families, and staff in providing high-quality early childhood education.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Point out the role and responsibilities of a center administrator in managing and developing programs
• Analyze the competencies that an effective administrator must possess to manage a childhood development center
• Point out the administrator’s role and responsibilities with families, marketing, evaluation, and assessment
• Write an essay based on observations of the environment of a center
• Write an essay based on the scenario of a playground plan
• Prepare a budget plan for an ECE center

(3 CREDITS)

Welcome to your course, Family Child Care! In the past few decades, as we’ve learned more about how young children learn and grow, it has become increasingly apparent that quality child care can and should have a lasting effect on children and their families. Many families choose family child care homes to meet their child-care needs. Some choose home-based programs because they prefer to relate to a single caregiver. Some families like having all their children in the same group. As you proceed through the course, you’ll be challenged to identify typical milestones and recommended practices for promoting development across all developmental domains in young children. You’ll identify developmentally appropriate activities, books, and materials that will assist you in working with young children. Finally, you’ll learn more about quality programs, practices, and strategies for working with families.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Analyze the various needs of developing children
• Categorize the types of developmentally appropriate practices and activities
• Point out the importance of structures, programs, and practices in a family child care system
• Apply the skills and knowledge acquired from the course in recommending early childhood books
• Prepare a list of four professional articles after exploring the recommended websites
• Prepare three developmentally appropriate activities from the completed book recommendation assignment
• Apply the acquired skills and knowledge in developing a visually appealing handout for families

(3 CREDITS)

The current emphasis on producing high-quality, comprehensive programming for young children requires early-learning professionals to develop excellent observation and assessment skills. To do our best work on behalf of children, we must be able to accurately determine the skill level of each child. As early-learning programs and elementary schools begin to work cooperatively to provide seamless transitions for children, our observations and assessments will follow them throughout their school years. The first two chapters of the textbook describe the purpose of observation and assessment in the early childhood classroom, and the process of collecting and recording these observations in the Child Development Checklist. Chapters 3 through 11 cover the specific sections of the checklist and provide practical suggestions for fostering children’s development in each learning area. The final chapter discusses how you can share your observations with the children’s family members.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Analyze the importance of observation and understanding the development of self-esteem related to assessment
• Categorize the assessment methods of social and emotional skills and motor development
• Distinguish between the teaching processes related to cognitive development, language, and emerging literacy
• Point out the importance of developing creativity and sharing assessment data with families
• Evaluate the findings of a Child Development Checklist to create learning prescriptions