A question asked by most students is, “what classes do I need to take for a degree in Early Childhood Education?” In this article we will address this question, layering each class according to the degree programs available.
Attending university after completing high school is a path that many students take. Deciding on the major to choose is usually quite difficult for prospective students.
Not to mention, the prospect of paying for tuition, room-and-board, and other expenses. Thankfully, it is quite easy to go online and compare student loans, grants, and even scholarships. Ultimately, if you enjoy working with kids and plan on studying something in this direction, then a major in early childhood education is a great choice.
ECE allows students to take classes that provide a strong foundation in child development, and family studies. The students also take classes in liberal arts and human ecology and gain teaching experience by participating in a licensed child care center. This program is for students who desire to work as teachers or administrators in early care and education programs for children from birth through kindergarten.
Early Childhood Education is a broad field which is as important as other fields of profession like medicine and engineering among numerous others.
If you’re not quite familiar with it yet, we have some comprehensive articles which will give you details regarding early childhood education or development and provide information on how you can become an educator. These articles include; the best online colleges for this program, you will also discover the courses available in this program especially in Canada and the requirements needed for a degree in Early Childhood Education.
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What Classes do I need to take for a Degree in Early Childhood Education?
To answer this question, we will first state the classes taught in the degree programs available in this field. ECE classes are usually available through bachelor’s and graduate degrees such as the master’s and doctorate degree programs. Students studying these classes explore the way young children learn, how to interact with and involve parents and how to plan and conduct classes for infants, toddlers and young children.
Instruction in assessing language and developmental delays will also be included in an ECE program. Some states or country require practical teaching experience for certification and licensing in this career, so some programs and classes also include a teaching practicum. Students taking these classes explore a variety of topics including:
- Child development
- Nutritional needs
- Language acquisition
- Movement and motor skills
- Cultural influences.
Now we will answer your question, “what classes do I need to take for a degree in early childhood education?” By exploring the classes you need to take for the type of degrees available in the Early Childhood Education program.
What Classes do I need to take for an Early Childhood Associate Degree?
An associate degree in Early Childhood Education prepares learners for work in the classroom as teaching assistants. It also prepares these students to pursue a bachelor degree. Classes offer students a mixture of both theory and practical classwork, which prepare them to work with young children and their families. An associate degree in ECE can be earned at a community college, but classes can also be taken online.
This 2-year degree will give you the required knowledge to apply for entry-level jobs. It is also one of the least costly degrees, that will make it really possible for you to have a general teaching job.
An Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Development will prepare you properly for upcoming jobs but you have to know that further advancements in your career are limited.
Now the classes involved in getting an associate degree in early childhood education are:
1. Basic Content Classes
These classes in early childhood education teach the students how to develop curricula for learners under the age of 8. There are programs that typically require general education and core classes to earn an associate degree.
Core courses cover such topics as child assessment, infant and toddler development, social development and language development, as well as health, safety and nutrition.
There are other core courses that also cover infant teaching techniques, art and literature, family and child health, child growth and development, and creative development.
Various programs have specialized courses and requirements for the age group the student choose to work with.
2. Child Development Classes
To get an associate degree in Early Childhood Education you are required to take child development classes. These child development classes teach learners the various stages of emotional, physical and intellectual development, from infancy to school age.
There are Infant and toddler development classes which are similar, exploring the development of infants and toddlers, including motor skills, social skills, cognition and language development. All these depends on the program you choose and other required courses cover child behavior and guidance and observing young children’s behavior.
These classes are available to teach teacher observation and assessment of children’s behavior to develop curricula and reports.
3. Special Education Pedagogy
Acquiring an associate degree in Early Childhood Education or Development requires you to take classes about special education. The graduates may work with children with specials needs, so it is very important to get yourself familiar with methods for identifying and evaluating the educational and emotional needs of disabled children.
These classes may include overviews of special needs, as well as methods classes which gets you familiar with teaching children with mental, physical and emotional challenges.
4. Some Related Class Requirements
There are other classes are also required to earn an associate in Early Childhood Education. As future teachers, you must develop essential writing skills to become effective communicators in the classroom, therefore, many ECE students are required to take writing courses. Children’s literature classes familiarize you with poetry, prose and literature that are appropriate for young children, while about using play as a teaching tool to help students understand how children can learn through games. Child psychology and classes on working with parents and curriculum design are other required classes.
What Classes do I need to take for an Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree?
This degree requires 3 – 4 years to get completed, depending on the university. A Bachelor’s degree gives the students the opportunity to get more advanced academically and get paid higher than the one with an Associate’s degree. So below are the classes available to study in this program.
1. Early Childhood Development Classes
This is an introductory class in early childhood education, and it is designed for those students who wish to become preschool or kindergarten teachers. This class covers the majority of the theoretical perspectives of the cognitive, emotional and social development of young children from infancy to age six. Typically, students spend time with kindergarten-aged children to observe the way they interact socially.
2. Infant and Toddler Assessment and Intervention Course
Intermediate classes in early childhood education, such as this, present curriculum and assessment models for teachers of young students and strategies for effective teaching are explored. Students will study the developmental stages of young children and study evaluation methods that determine if these children have any learning or developmental issues.
3. Language Development Class
The students taking this class study methods for teaching students spelling, pronunciation and vocabulary. They also learn the way that students acquire language through classroom observation. Usually, students observe how young children, such as toddlers, acquire language and then compare it to the language acquisition of older children.
In addition, these students will learn to develop lesson plans to teach students writing and reading for kindergarten and preschool age students.
4. Role of the Parents Course
Through this advanced early childhood education course, students can learn the importance of keeping in touch with the parents or guardians of their future students.
They also study various ways that parents can make learning and education fun and more fulfilling through familial interactions.
ECE majors introduce research pertaining to guardians’ influence in the classroom and study ways to encourage parents to get involved in the classroom.
5. Preschool and Kindergarten Student Teaching Course
Student teachers get a chance to enhance their skills in a real classroom environment in this and similar advanced classes in ECE programs.
Under the supervision of an experienced teacher, the trainees practice teaching and assessing young children of varying ability levels.
Advanced classes in early childhood education serve as a great experience for students preparing to complete bachelor’s degree programs in early childhood education.
What Classes do I need to take to get an Early Childhood Education Graduate Degree?
This graduate degree program which may be a master’s degree or a doctorate degree, requires 2 – 6 years to finish and is mainly for anyone with the decision to specialize in a certain field, upgrade their current salary, or do research on the field of Early Childhood Education.
The classes for a graduate degree (master’s or doctorate) are usually an advanced teaching of most of the courses that were taught during a bachelor’s degree program and also some specializations which the student would have to choose.
The specializations are:
- Education,
- Education Psychology,
- Coaching,
- Counselling,
- Adult Education, and
- Education Research among others.
For a Master’s degree, student often specialize in Curriculum and Instruction, Technology, Educational Administration, or Organizational Leadership, depending on the interests of the students.
In a doctorate (PhD) program, the students will gain the expertise to lead in the development of new program practices, apply emerging research on development in the early years and finally conceptualize new paradigms for early learning.
The graduates of this program, attain key positions in college teaching, research, leadership positions and advocacy roles addressing the needs of young children.
There are more to learn about a doctorate degree in ECE and you can follow that link to get the information you need.
Conclusion
In summary, we hope we’ve answered your question on what classes you need to take to for a degree in early childhood education as we have listed the above classes, which are all specific for different degree programs and are meant to mould a young educator to a professional. You can choose any degree which you want to begin your study and get acquainted with the colleges that offers your chosen degree program.
