In the Early Childhood Education program, you will develop knowledge, skills, and experience to help you work effectively with children and families. These are based on industry skill standards and the five areas of professional competency in Vermont: child development, family and community, teaching and learning, health and safety, professionalism and program organization.
Program Outcomes
Successful graduates will be able to:
- practice and model effective communication, observation strategies, and partnerships with children and their families;
- apply professionally accepted practices and adaptations used in childcare or school settings to promote inclusion of children with special needs or different learning styles and maintain a safe, healthy, and nurturing learning environment for children;
- demonstrate professional conduct when dealing with legal and ethical issues in childcare and early education settings;
- develop an individual professional development plan that articulates a personal philosophy of early care and education;
- demonstrate a working knowledge of leadership, administrative and sound business practices in the childcare industry;
- demonstrate academic skills required of all CCV graduates including competency in writing, information literacy, oral communication, and quantitative reasoning; and
- explore pathways for educational and career development in the student’s field of study.
How Our Degree Works
Coursework includes the theoretical study of how children learn and strategies for educating children in a holistic manner suited to their development and individual needs. The program requires a field placement in an early education environment where you will gain hands-on experience and explore future career connections. You will round out your degree with elective courses in an area of interest to you such as curriculum development, early literacy, program management, creative learning, afterschool education, children’s literature, or family advocacy.
Why Our Degree Works
In CCV’s Early Childhood Education program, you will develop the knowledge, skills, and experience to help you work effectively with children and families based on early childhood standards in Vermont. We help you to gain your degree by providing flexible scheduling of classes for adult learners and a wide variety of online courses developed specifically for this program. Our program integrates with our childcare certificate and requirements for Vermont’s Early Childhood Program Director credential and the Vermont Afterschool Professional credential. Learners in this program will also complete a field internship that provides key experience and knowledge for directing a child care center, teaching in a preschool setting, working in a social services agency, or transferring into a four-year program of study.
Career & Transfer Opportunities
More than 5,000 early educators provide services to children in Vermont and there is a high demand for well-trained early educators. Our graduates easily find employment in the field and are in a good position to continue their studies beyond the associate degree. Our transfer agreements make it possible to transfer seamlessly to a number of four-year colleges, including:
- Goddard College
- Lyndon State College
- University of Vermont
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