Initial Early Childhood Education

Initial Early Childhood Education 

Certificate of Completion: 12 credits. Advising Guide

Career Description

The certificate serves as a strong first step for any career working with children ages 0-8. Upon successful completion, students qualify for the Oregon Registry Step 7 and may be eligible for the following positions: preschool teacher, teaching assistant in PreK to third grade classrooms, childcare center worker. (The Oregon Registry Steps are a sequence of 12 steps that ECE professionals can ascend as they increase their training and education in the field.)

Course of Study

The Initial Early Childhood Education certificate runs four consecutive terms, fall through summer. It is designed for part-time students; however, it can be combined with the ECE Fundamentals certificate, the Early Childhood Education Associate of Applied Science or the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree pathways to achieve full-time enrollment status. All certificate courses may be applied to the completion of the ECE AAS degree. 

Program Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this certificate will be able to:

1. Recognize developmental, environmental, cultural, and social factors that influence children's behavior.
2. Identify, individually and collectively, appropriate guidance techniques for groups of children based on proven theory, research, and developmentally appropriate practice and list the related developmental theories.
3. Demonstrate positive, respectful, and culturally responsive approaches to guidance.
4. Explain how children learn and develop within relationships and within multiple contexts, including families, cultures, languages, communities, and society.

Prerequisites 

• Placement into WR 115 Introduction to Expository Writing (4 credits) or IRW 115 Critical Reading and Writing (5 credits)