Early Childhood Development Minor
The Early Childhood Development Minor provides students with a multidisciplinary understanding of early childhood development. It prepares students for beginning level employment in early care and education (Birth to Age 5) or other early career positions where they engage with, support, or advocate for children and families. The EC minor includes a foundation in theory and a choice of coursework that supports students’ interests including topics, content, and/or skill development in allied disciplines that is applicable to the students’ work with children and families.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Minor Requirements (20 credits) | ||
| EDUC-111 | Issues in EC | 4 |
| EDSP-202 | Dev, Exceptn, & Learn | 4 |
| EDUC-211 | Inf, Tod, Fam | 4 |
| EDUC-313 | EC Obsv, Assess, & Int (B-A5) | 4 |
| Choose one course elective from Education or an allied discipline from the list of courses below: 1 | 4 | |
| Literacy Diverse Class | ||
| Teaching Fund Mov & Rhyth Acti | ||
| Teaching Music to Children | ||
| Teaching Dance in Schools | ||
| Phenomenal Science | ||
| Child & Adolescent Psyc | ||
| Lifespan Psychology | ||
| Intro to Social Work | ||
| (Other courses may be considered with approval by the Early Childhood Program) | ||
| Total Credits | 20 | |
- 1
A student may pursue the Early Childhood Development minor OR Early Childhood Development major, but not both. Students must meet eligibility requirements for courses as indicated by course descriptions or program guidelines (e.g., Decision Points). Some of the elective courses listed may have prerequisites.
Upon completion of the Early Childhood Minor, students will be able to:
- Identify and discern the roles of different careers in the early childhood field.
- Describe and advocate for the role of play in learning.
- Demonstrate professional dispositions appropriate for initial employment in early childhood Birth-age 5 classrooms.
- Demonstrate understanding of child development, families, and learning theories.
- Describe respectful and culturally responsive infant, toddler, and preschool education and care.
- Engage in ethical and respectful observation of young children.
- Discuss positive guidance, assessment, and intervention strategies for young children.
- Be prepared for entry in early childhood and related fields with background knowledge of child development, learning, and families.
- Complement their other degree program offerings on campus where students would benefit from learning about children and families.