UGRD > ECHD
Early Childhood Education Courses
ECHD 101G Young Children, Play, and Early Childhood Policy +
Description:
This course explores the meaning and development of play, in our own lives and in the lives of young children. The course also critically examines contemporary debates about the role of play in early childhood programs, and explores the ways early childhood policy shapes children's experiences of play. Play is a major contributor to the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development of young children. Major theoretical and empirical contributions to the study of play will be examined. Topics to be covered in the course include: the role of play in social, emotional and cognitive development; learning through play; early childhood policy; and the influence of the political and cultural context in children's experiences of play. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 201 Foundations of Early Intervention and Education for All Young Children +
Description:
This introductory course focuses on the principles of early childhood education and early intervention including on facilities, staff, goals, and methodology of various programs such as child care, Head Start, and nursery school. Traditional and contemporary issues in early childhood education and early intervention approaches will be considered, and emphasis will be placed on meeting the needs of all children within the family culture. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 208 Introduction to Infant and Toddler Care and Education +
Description:
This course examines the specialized needs of infants and toddlers with regard to language development, nutrition, motor and social abilities, and family-child relations. Types of programs serving infants, toddlers and their families, focusing on the design of optimum environments and curricula, will be studied. Special topic issues of health and safety, relationship to caring for infants and toddlers, etc. will be explored in depth. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 211 Child Growth and Development, Birth to Age Eight - including Special Needs +
Description:
The course overviews typical and atypical development from birth through age eight including: theories of development, implications of atypical development on play/learning, understanding early childhood development within an ecological framework, and exploring what brain research tells about the early years. Knowledge of predictable sequences of growth and change in children provides a framework from which teachers prepare the learning environment and plan appropriate experiences for both individuals and groups. 10-hours of clinical experience. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 221 Supporting Young Children's Social Interactions and Emotional Growth +
Description:
In this course students will look at the relationship of physical space, time, curriculum and instruction in creating the positive and effective learning environments for young children, birth to age 12. Introducing practical principles and techniques for providing developmentally appropriate guidance for all children, emphasis is placed on encouraging self-esteem, cultural awareness, effective communication skills, direct/indirect techniques/strategies and observation to understand the underlying causes of behavior. Upon completion, students will demonstrate appropriate interactions with children and families and promote conflict resolution, self-control, self-motivation, and self-esteem in children. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 250G Teaching Superpowers: The Science of Building Resilience in Early Education and Care Settings +
Description:
This course explores the profession dispositions (superpowers) that those who care for children need in order to develop healing relationships and environments for children exposed to trauma and toxic stress. The start of the course will provide a context for the importance of each superpower to working with children, review the impact of trauma and toxic stress on children and caregivers, and develop a deep understanding of resilience, play, and optimism for children and adults. The second half of the course examines each superpower (e.g. gratitude, compassion, authenticity) with respect to the scientific and theoretical underpinning of each construct, as well as evidence-based practices for developing these skills professionally and nurturing these in children. The course will also examine social justice and educational policy contexts and systemic approaches to preventing children's exposure to trauma and toxic stress. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 290 Internship in Early Education and Care +
Description:
This course provides individuals with an opportunity to apply their knowledge of child development and teachings techniques to practice as they delve into early childhood education through a supervised internship. Students will demonstrate their ability to facilitate learning through active involvement and interaction with children, parents, and other professionals as they plan, implement, and evaluate programs for young children. Students mush teach in an early childhood education program a minimum of 10 hours per week for a total of 150 hours per semester and attend weekly seminars. Students must also set up weekly conferences with their cooperating teacher and arrange three on-site supervised visits in which university staff will observe and then conferences with the student and cooperating teacher. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 317 Responsibility and Ethics in Early Education and Care +
Description:
In this course early education and care students will explore ethics and responsibilities inherent in the roles of working with families, young children, and youth. Everyday encounters may present difficult situations in which the `right thing' is not always clear. Diverse perspectives will be identified to develop and understanding of ethical concepts and safeguards. Ethical codes of conduct will be applied to cases studies to develop a thoughtful process to resolve ethical or legal conflicts, especially in working with diverse populations. Students will reflect on ethical responsibilities to children, families, communities, peers and profession. 10 hours of clinical experience. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 420 Instructional Strategies For All Young Children With A Focus On Creative Arts +
Description:
Integrate understandings of academic disciplines; of relationships with children and families; and of developmentally effective approaches to teaching and learning to design, implement, and evaluate experiences that promote positive development and learning for all children. Explore the central role of play in the education of young children, the multiple intelligences of children and the use of the creative arts to assist learning. Prepracticum experiences will show the central role of play in young children's learning and also will a wide range of settings. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 422 Observing, Documenting & Assessing in Early Childhood +
Description:
Examine early childhood measurement and assessment techniques. Discuss fundamentals of psychometric theory, structure and uses of standardized tests; skills for alternative classroom assessment techniques for child study. Use systematic observations, documentation, and other effective assessment strategies in responsible ways, to partner with families and other professionals, to positively influence children's development and learning. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 430 Technology for all Young Children +
Description:
Examine the learning outcomes, instructional methods and materials used for instructional technology: Early Childhood to Second Grade (PreK-2). Learn how to apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to curriculum, instruction, and assessment to support all children in natural environments. Explore software for early literacy development in young children. Experience `hands-on' use of hardware (e.g., printer, scanner, and digital camera) and software. Review adaptations for special needs children (e.g., switch options and construction). Learn how to integrate the use of Augmentative of Adaptive Communication (AAC) systems across the curriculum and at home. Learn how to increase family participation and gain knowledge of how to use technology with their child. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 435 Family Systems, Support, and Engagement +
Description:
Students will reflect on how modern families are shaped by changes in society and family structures and how such changes impact parenting. Furthermore such societal shifts impact the relationship between early childhood practitioners and families requiring strong partnership, effective communication and on-going ways to involve families in the education process. Throughout this course practitioners working with children and families will increase skills and knowledge to assist families in supporting their children's social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. A strengths-based approach to empowering families will be maintained throughout the course. Students will investigate many factors that influence the healthy development of families and their impact on the parent/child relationship. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 440 Language Development & Literacy in Early Childhood +
Description:
This course explores language development from infants through primary-aged children. Topics include speech and language processes for communication, language development stages, theories of language acquisition, assessment of language development and activities to foster language development. Attention is given to linguistically diverse populations as well as to children who language development is different from the expected norm. Also explored are theory and research on literacy development, including selection and development of pre-reading/pre-writing and reading and writing curricula for preschool, kindergarten and primary grades. Emphasis is on development of literacy in the primary grades. 10 hours of clinical experiences. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 441 Science & Mathematics Instruction for all Young Children +
Description:
Explore the developmental theory and research in each of the curriculum areas, foundation for selection, design of curriculum materials, and activities appropriate for children birth through primary grades. Fundamental concepts and skills for young children will be learned as well as optimum, hands-on pedagogical methods. Implementation of math and science of developmentally appropriate practices for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and primary children will be presented. Spend 10 hours observing in early intervention, preschool and/or public school programs. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 450 Leadership in Early Education & Care +
Description:
Expand the role of leader and advocate in the movement toward universally accessible, high quality early childhood programs. Explore the role of a broad-based, inclusive leadership to make changes in the early education and care system, as well as, improve the jobs for teachers and providers. Discuss the theoretical frameworks and practice concrete skill development. Implement a leadership action plan as a part of the course requirements. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 453 Team collaboration and Service Delivery Models +
Description:
This 3 credit course will emphasize a systematic, family-centered, collaborative and consultative approach to service delivery. Cases will be used as a focal point for learning how to plan and evaluate individualized family services. Important aspects of consultation, teamwork, service coordination and leadership in early intervention will be covered. This course demonstrates practical approaches to collaboratively setting and evaluation goals within the context of consultation. In addition, students will learn the impact of legal and financial issues on service coordination. Several approaches to service delivery will be addressed. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 459 Administration & Supervision of Programs for Young Children +
Description:
Overview components involved in administering a program for young children. Includes goal setting, facilities, budget and finances, record keeping, staff relationships and training, parent and community involvement, federal state and local agencies, and relevant national trends and their effect on early children programs. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 466 Early Intervention: Curriculum, Methods, and Services +
Description:
The course covers curriculum and Intervention in Early childhood services including topics/discussions of 1) what is meant by curriculum framework for young children; 2) elements of a curriculum framework for early intervention; 3) overview and comparison of various early intervention curricular models and approaches; 4) current issues and trends related to early intervention curriculum; and 5) strategies for creating effective learning ecologies for diverse groups of young children with special needs. The course also prepares personnel with the skills necessary to be effective members of interdisciplinary teams that operate from a developmental framework and that incorporate a family-guided approach to early intervention service delivery. 15 hours of clinical experience. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 490 Planning Curriculum in Early Childhood +
Description:
Students use the state's curriculum frameworks and related resources to design, implement, and evaluate meaningful, challenging curriculum that promotes comprehensive developmental and learning outcomes for all young children. They learn about curriculum theory and other professional standards related to early childhood education organization and practice. Student become collaborative learners who make informed decisions that integrate knowledge from a variety of sources and geared towards maximizing service to a wide diversity of children, employing a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach. Using the Preservice performance assessment tool as guideline for the basic elements of teaching, student identify and collect artifacts that demonstrate their growing understanding of effective classroom practice. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 493 Internship in Early Education and Care II +
Description:
This course explores the application of theory to practice within a fourteen week internship, requiring a minimum of 300 hours of field experience in the student's area of concentration. Throughout the internship practitioners will develop leadership in their early education and care setting, use a problem solving approach in the application of theory to real life practice, collect and analyze data to inform practice, and reflect on their internship placement. Seminars with a university supervisor will capitalize on the diversity of program settings to investigate federal and state regulations, research, policy, and practice. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 494 Teacher Inquiry/Practicum II +
Description:
Fourteen-week, full-time practicum, field experience providing the opportunity to put theory and technique into practice in a kindergarten, first or second grade classroom. Develop teaching competencies, with assistance from both a certified cooperating teacher and a university supervisor. Attend a seminar with the university supervisor, to explore the connections between theory and practice, share practicum experiences, and work on the Teaching Portfolios. Design and implement curriculum, assess individual child and group progress, and observe role of family and community in children's education. Develop identify as an early childhood profession. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 496 Independent Study: Early Education and Care in Inclusive Settings +
Description:
This is a directed study of a particular topic in education. The work is guided and assessed by the instructor. More Info
Offered in:ECHD 497 Special Topics: Early Education and Care in Inclusive Settings +
Description:
This course offers intensive study of selected topics in the field of early education and care. Course content and credits vary according to topic are announced prior to the advance pre-registration period. More Info
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