Program Goals
- Ensure the program remains current with professional standards.
- Provide accessibility of the program to all students who meet the selective admission requirements.
- Provide the highest quality atmosphere for instruction.
- Ensure a safe learning environment.
- Provide opportunity for graduates to continue their formal education through articulation.
- Maintain program standards to reflect National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Associate Degree Program Accreditation, the Ohio Department of Education Educator Licensure Standards, and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) standards.
Student Learning Outcomes
The Teacher Education Department is guided by the 2010 NAEYC Standards for Initial & Advanced Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs. These standards provide a common core of professional knowledge and abilities needed by all early childhood educators. They also present detailed expectations about high-quality professional preparation. Course work in early childhood education is designed to prepare early childhood educators who work directly with young children in a variety of early childhood settings, who must accommodate children with a range of abilities and special needs, and who must work collaboratively with families and other professionals.
Standard 1. Promoting Child Development and Learning
Students prepared in early childhood degree programs are grounded in a child development knowledge base. They use their understanding of young children’s characteristics and needsand of multiple interacting influences on children’s development and learning, to create environments that are healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging for all children.
Standard 2. Building Family and Community Relationships
Students prepared in early childhood degree programs understand that successful early childhood education depends on partnerships with children’s families and communities. They know about, understand, and value the importance and complex characteristics of children’s families and communities. They use this understanding to create respectful, reciprocal relationships that support and empower families, and to involve all families in their children’s development and learning.
Standard 3. Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families
Students prepared in early childhood degree programs understand that child observation, documentation, and other forms of assessment are central to the practice of all early childhood professionals. They know about and understand the goals, benefits, and uses of assessment. They know about and use systematic observations, documentation, and other effective assessment strategies in a responsible way, in partnership with families and other professionals, to positively influence children’s development.
Standard 4. Using Developmentally Effective Approaches to Connect with Children and Families
Students prepared in early childhood degree programs understand that teaching and learning with young children is a complex enterprise, and its details vary depending on the children’s ages, characteristics, and the settings within which teaching and learning occur. They understand and use positive relationships and supportive interactions as the foundation for their work with young children and families. Students know, understand, and use a wide array of developmentally appropriate approaches, instructional strategies, and tools to connect with children and families and positively influence each child’s development and learning.
Standard 5. Using Content Knowledge to Build Meaningful Curriculum
Students prepared in early childhood degree programs use their knowledge of academic disciplines to design, implement, and evaluate experiences that promote positive development and learning for each and every young child. Students understand the importance of developmental domains and academic (or content) disciplines in early childhood curricula. They know the essential concepts, inquiry tools, and structure of content areas, including academic subjects, and can identify resources to deepen their understanding. Students use their own knowledge and other resources to design, implement and evaluate meaningful, challenging curricula that promote comprehensive developmental and learning outcomes for every young child.
Standard 6. Becoming a Professional
Students prepared in early childhood degree programs identify and conduct themselves as members of the early childhood profession. They know and use ethical guidelines and other professional standards related to early childhood practice. They are continuous, collaborative learners who demonstrate knowledgeable, reflective and critical perspectives on their work, making informed decisions that integrate knowledge for a variety of sources. They are informed advocates for sound educational practices and policies.
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