Courses
Courses primarily for undergraduates:
Credits: 3. Contact Hours: Lecture 3.
Prereq: PSYCH 2300 or HDFS 1020
Development from conception to age three. Covers major theories and research about development including growth patterns; influences of disabilities; risk and resilience factors; environmental factors and attachment styles; language acquisition; brain development; cognitive; social-emotional, and physical development.
(Typically Offered: Fall)
Credits: 3. Contact Hours: Lecture 3.
Prereq: PSYCH 2300 or HDFS 1020
Development from ages three through eight. Covers major theories and research about development including growth patterns; influences of disabilities; risk and resilience factors; environmental factors and attachment styles; language acquisition; brain development; cognitive; social-emotional, and physical development.
(Typically Offered: Spring)
Credits: 3. Contact Hours: Lecture 3.
Prereq: PSYCH 2300 or HDFS 1020
Exploring the role of a professional as a teacher, administrator, or advocate in early childhood programming. Topics include professionalism and ethics in relation to working with children, families, and professional colleagues.
(Typically Offered: Fall, Spring)
Credits: 3. Contact Hours: Lecture 3.
Prereq: PSYCH 2300 or HDFS 1020
Examine culturally relevant elements for planning, promoting, and maintaining healthy and safe environments for young children birth through age 8 and the adults who care for them. Understand childhood illnesses, healthy lifestyles, first aid, and self-care practices. Maintain safe relationships with others and identify and report abuse and neglect. Additional content includes nutrition, food preparation, food safety, food allergies and intolerances, and appropriate feeding practices.
(Typically Offered: Summer)
Credits: 3. Contact Hours: Lecture 3.
Prereq: PSYCH 2300 or HDFS 1020
Use of developmentally appropriate practice to guide prosocial development, self-regulation, and task engagement of children birth through age 8. Focus is on promoting prosocial behaviors through supportive relationships, classroom management, and carefully planned environments within diverse early learning settings.
(Typically Offered: Spring)
Credits: 3. Contact Hours: Lecture 3.
Prereq: PSYCH 2300 or HDFS 1020
Understand diversity in the lives of children and families, develop and engage in effective culturally responsive teaching beliefs and practices. Anti-bias education, with intentional teaching practices focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging provides equitable opportunities and experiences for young children and their families. Issues critical to understanding teaching and learning in today’s diverse society will be explored.
(Typically Offered: Spring)
Credits: 3. Contact Hours: Lecture 3.
Prereq: PSYCH 2300 or HDFS 1020
Study and apply family system theories to understand variation in parental roles, professional roles, perspectives, relationships, approaches, and challenges in working with diverse families with young children. Develop family-professional partnerships and community connections.
(Typically Offered: Summer)
Credits: 3. Contact Hours: Lecture 3.
Prereq: PSYCH 2300 or HDFS 1020
Learn how screen time and digital technology impacts young children in educational, home, and community environments, and how technology can be used to enhance teaching and learning. Students will be critical thinkers and informed consumers of technology related to developmentally appropriate uses with young children, program administration, and communication with families.
(Typically Offered: Fall)
Credits: 3. Contact Hours: Lecture 3.
Prereq: ECP 2010 and ECP 3070
Learn and use assessment and documentation to inform curriculum and evaluate developmentally appropriate activities. Learn about effective ways to share curriculum information with families in all developmental domains. Students intentionally plan for diversity in family composition, culture, and individual abilities.
(Typically Offered: Fall)
Credits: 3. Contact Hours: Lecture 3.
Prereq: ECP 2020 and ECP 3070
Learn and use assessment and documentation to inform curriculum and evaluate developmentally appropriate activities. Learn about effective ways to share curriculum information with families in all developmental domains and content areas. Students intentionally plan for diversity in family composition, culture, and individual abilities.
(Typically Offered: Spring)
Credits: 3. Contact Hours: Lecture 3.
Prereq: ECP 2010, ECP 2020, ECP 3050
Select, evaluate, and use appropriate assessment tools for children birth to age 8. Use assessment data to inform decisions about teaching environments, practice, and intervention. Knowledge of ethical considerations, reliability and validity, multicultural sensitivity, in partnership with families and professional colleagues.
(Typically Offered: Fall)
Credits: 3.
Prereq: ECP 2010 or ECP 2020
Guided learning experience in a professional setting that provides services to young children and families. Learning experiences and projects provide opportunities to use and implement theories and practices learned in other courses. By completing this practicum in an approved early childhood setting, students will meet one of the age groups/program type requirements. NOTE: Prior to enrolling in Practicum Experiences with Young Children students must take six credit hours including Introduction to Early Care and Education in a Mobile Society (Professional Development) and either (a) Child Development - Birth to 3 (Infant/Toddler) or (b) Child Development - 4 to 8 (Early Childhood). The Child Development course not previously taken must be taken concurrently with Practicum.
(Typically Offered: Fall, Spring)
Credits: 3. Contact Hours: Lecture 3.
Prereq: ECP 3060; ECP 3070; either ECP 4120 or ECP 4130
Study of leadership and management skills for administering community-based early childhood programs for children and their families. Develop a comprehensive understanding of the program planning cycle and administrative practices required to launch and maintain successful programs that meet community and family needs.
(Typically Offered: Spring)
Credits: 6.
Prereq: Senior standing and instructor permission
Focus on integrating, extending, critiquing, and applying knowledge within the early childhood profession through a combination of coursework and hands-on experience. Students will complete field experience or an action research project in their own early childhood setting.
(Typically Offered: Fall, Spring)