Early Childhood Education

Caring for and educating our children is one of our society's most important responsibilities. From infancy, nurturing environments enhance the physical, emotional, intellectual, and social growth of children. Qualified early childhood educators are in great demand.

The Associate in Science degree in Early Childhood Education has been designed to provide a solid, thorough understanding of the young child. Each component of the program supports the next course to create a broad perspective on normal and abnormal child and family development patterns in today’s society. The degree
program enables you to acquire skills necessary to guide the child toward his or her most productive growth.

General Education Core Courses 16 credits
* CRIT 500 Critical Thinking
* ENG 500 The Writing Process
* MATH MATH 502, 504, 505, or 506 CMPL 511 Software Tools
*These three core courses are to be completed within the first twenty-four credits with GSC after date of application. Placement will be required for CRIT 500, ENG 500, and math courses.

Additional General Education Requirements
Arts and Culture OR Literature and Ideas 4 cr
History and Politics OR Social Science 4 cr
Science 4 cr
Concentration: Early Childhood Education 28 cr + Electives variable = Total 64 credits (minimum)

Required Courses in the Concentration:
EDU 550 Foundations of Early Childhood Education
EDU 551 Learning and Early Childhood Environments*
EDU 553 Creative Arts in Early Childhood Education*
EDU 555 Language and Literacy Development*
EDU 600 Mathematics and Science in Early Childhood Education
PSY 508 Child Development (may be used as a social science gen ed)
And One Additional Course of Your Choice in the Field of Early Childhood Education, for Example:
-EDU 601 Observation and Assessment in Early Childhood Education*
-EDU 602 Young Children with Special Needs*
-EDU 603 Family and Community RelationsEarly Childhood Education
-EDU 604 Enhancing Supervision Through Mentoring
-EDU 605 Early Childhood Program Administration
-PSY 510 Infant and Toddler Development*
-PSY 521 Language Acquisition

Transfer courses may be used to meet these requirements.

Completion of an associate degree in Early Childhood Education qualifies you for an Early Childhood Credential through the Child Development Bureau, Division of Children, Youth and Families, Department of Health and Human Services. This degree does not lead to public school certification through the Department of Education.

*Note: These courses have prerequisites.

Portfolio Requirement for Early Childhood Education Majors
Each student enrolled in an Early Childhood Education program at GSC is required to prepare a portfolio as part of the graduation requirement.