IMPORTANT INFORMATION
COURSE DESCRIPTION
To successfully complete the Early Childhood Education Program and earn the ECE certificate it is recommended that you take the classes in the appropriate order.
Foundation classes:
| -Psychology 11: | Child Growth and Development |
| -Early Childhood Education 2: | Early Childhood Program Education |
After the above classes have been completed with a “C” or better, take the courses below- no particular order required
| -Early Childhood Education 11 | Child, Family and Community |
Select two (2) of the following:
| -Early Childhood Education 4 | Language and Literature |
| -Early Childhood Education 5 | Math and Science for the Young Child |
| -Early Childhood Education 8 | Creative Experiences |
| -Early Childhood Education 64 | Child Nutrition, Health and Safety |
| -Early Childhood Education 21 | Early Childhood Practices* |
| (Plan to be a “student teacher” one morning per week. <3hrs/day>) | |
the last course to take after all others are completed with a “C” or better is:
| -Early Childhood Education 22 | Early Childhood Laboratory* |
| (Plan to be a “student teacher” two mornings per week. <3hrs/day>) | |
To earn the certificates in an Early Childhood Special Education Program, please call Professor Wendy Parise at 310.434.4704 or email parise_wendy@smc.edu
If you are considering transferring to a four-year college, please review the general AA requirements and the requirements specific to the college you will attend. It is important to talk with the transfer/ academic counselors here at SMC and with the department at the college where you would like to transfer.
WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND ALL ECE STUDENTS TAKE
*Save
examples of your work from each class for the ECE 22 Professional Portfolio.
*“student teaching (ECE 21and
22)” must be
done at two different, approved locations.
COURSE
DESCRIPTION
*Early Childhood Education
*Psychology
*Language
*Art
*Social Science
| ECE 1=Psych11: Child Growth and Development |
3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| This course focuses on the study of psychological growth and development from the prenatal stages to adolescence through first hand observations of children. It emphasizes the process through which children move toward physical, mental, social and emotional maturity, and the roles which their culture and natural learning environments play in their continuing development. The impact of cultural/ethnic variations upon the lives of children, families and society are explored. Individual differences in learning are discussed from within a culturally sensitive framework. | |
| ECE 2: Early Childhood Program Education |
3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| *Prerequisite:
Psych 11 This course is for students interested in exploring a career in the field of early childhood education. The course traces the history and scope of programs for infants, toddlers and young children lays the foundation for understanding the common denominators in quality early childhood experiences. It involves students in a series of visits and settings, thus providing students with knowledge of developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive practices. The course also covers issues pertaining infants and young children with special needs, and helps students acquire skills that make them better observers of individual differences in young children. Education and licensing requirements for such programs are explored with a view toward helping the student identify career goals. |
|
| ECE 4: Language and Literature for the Young Child | 3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| *Prerequisite:
ECE2 This course provides a developmental framework for planning and implementing experiences which support and extend children’s ability to use language as a means of communication, as a medium of creative expression, and as a tool in the development of logical thought. It introduces techniques for assessing the language skills of both typically and atypically developing infants and young children, and for designing programs to meet children’s unique needs through individual interactions and group activities. The course reviews the field of children’s literature and provides practice in skills of story selection, story reading and storytelling for young children. |
|
| ECE 5: Science for the Young Child | 3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| *Prerequisite:
ECE2 This course applies child development principles to the planning of science and mathematics experiences for both typically and atypically developing young children. Emphasis is placed on understanding how children develop problem-solving skills and on recognizing how teachers can facilitate inquiry-discovery experiences for young children with diverse learning styles and needs. Course work includes participation in experiments and field experiences in life sciences. Students are required to develop and provide developmentally and culturally appropriate activities in science and mathematics activities for young children. |
|
| ECE 8: Creative Experiences - Art, Music and Movement | 3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| *Prerequisite:
Psych 11 ; ECE 2 This course applies child development principles to planning multicultural art, music, and movement experiences for young children. It covers the role of art, music, and movement in developing children’s physical-motor, social-emotional, and cognitive skills with emphasis on providing conditions that encourage development of creativity and aesthetic awareness. Class work includes workshops and field experiences in planning and implementing appropriate creative experiences with young children. |
|
| ECE 9: Introduction to School-Age Child Care | 3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| *Prerequisite:
Psych 11 This introductory course in programs for school-age childcare begins with the cultural needs for this care. This course reviews developmental stages and tasks for middle childhood and covers appropriate activities for children between the ages for six and twelve. In addition, through lecture, class discussion and student presentation, relevant state regulations, community resources, multi-cultural perspective, nutrition/behavior relationships, behavior management and staff development objectives are covered. By the end of this course, the student should be able to demonstrate the ability to function in all aspects of a school-age child program. |
|
| ECE 10: Developing Literacy | 3 units |
| *Prerequisite:
Psych 11• Advisory: English 1 Students are instructed in ways to teach literacy and literature skills to children. In addition to examining how children learn and develop reading skills, students will be taught literary structure, myth, archetypes and semiotics to help better understand socialization, equity and gender issues, identity, verbalization, vocabulary and self-expression in children. The course is specifically designed for students who are or aspire to become preschool/ and or K-grade-7 educators, tutors and counselors. |
|
| ECE 11: Child, Family and the Community | 3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| *Prerequisite:
Psych 11 or ECE 2 The focus of this course is the role of early childhood professionals in developing positive relationships with parents that enhance children’s healthy growth and development. The course studies patterns of family systems in contemporary society as heritage, diverse cultures and languages influence them. Issues pertaining to both typically and atypically developing infants and young children are discussed from within a culturally sensitive framework that acknowledges the unique beliefs and practices of families from diverse sociocultural backgrounds. Students will explore value of communication, the development of child advocacy skills, and the ability to use community resources to empower families and young children. |
|
| ECE 18: Childhood: Culture and Personality | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| This
course summarizes psychological and anthropological theories, methods and
data. These are used to
examine the relationship between critical aspects of culture and the
personality development of children, adolescents and adults.
Comparisons of child-rearing practices in different societies
illustrate the role of family, nutrition, education, economic status and
play in socialization. Cross-cultural contact is discussed in relation to growth and
conflict among individuals in the U.S.
ECE 18 is the same course as Psychology 18. Students may earn credit for one, but not for both. |
|
| ECE 21: Early Childhood Practices | 4 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| This course deals with the basic principles of early childhood education and their application to developing appropriate group experiences for young children. The focus is on developing the ability to observe, record, and analyze the behaviors of children in a group setting and to recognize the implications of these behaviors for program planning. An integral part of this course includes developing the ability to identify and to model teacher-child interactions which enhance the development of healthy personality, social competence, language skills, cognition, creative processes, and physical-motor skills in young children. A discussion of young children with typical as well as atypical needs is infused into class seminars and assignments. Issues pertaining to the full inclusion of importance of individual differences in learning and development. The diversity of families, including alternative families, will be a common focus. The course includes a minimum of three hours per week of directed participation in an early childhood program. | |
| ECE 22: Early Childhood Laboratory | 5 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| *Prerequisite: Psych 11;
ECE 2, 11, 21, 64 and choice of two: ECE 4, 5, or 8 This course provides for the practical application of studies covered in the prerequisite courses, allowing the student to participate in a group program for young children. Opportunity is given for supervised practice in planning and guiding play, learning, and children’s routine living activities. Emphasis is given to experiences that increase students’ skills in dealing effectively with group and individual behavior including working with infants and young children with disabilities and other special needs (birth to 5 years) who are fully included in early childhood settings. Each student is assigned six hours practicum a week as arranged with the instructor. In addition to regularly scheduled class sessions, students are required to arrange individual and group conference sessions. |
|
| ECE 23: Practicum in Early Intervention | 5 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| *Prerequisite: ECE 45 and 49 This course provides students “hands on” experience working with infants birth to three years of age and young children with special needs in a variety of early intervention and educational settings, including self-contained and fully-included day care programs and early childhood classrooms. It integrates learned theoretical models to real-life situations, and affords students opportunities for supervised practice as an assistant in the Individualized Family Service Program (IFSP) and the Individualized Education (IEP) process. |
|
| ECE 35: Foundations of Early Literacy | 3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| This course provides early childhood practitioners research-based principles for providing children birth to age 6 a strong foundation in early reading and writing within a developmentally appropriate approach. Parent education as a key factor in promoting literacy is emphasized. A project of the National Head Start Association in collaboration with the Council for Professional Recognition and National Association for the Education of Young Children, the course brings together a diverse, national faculty of leaders in the field of early literacy via satellite, internet assignments, readings and class participation. | |
| ECE 40: Family Daycare II: Infants and Toddlers | 1 units |
| This course will focus on caregiving techniques and activities appropriate for infants and toddlers in family day care settings. Information regarding local consumer trends and review of current research regarding infant care will be included. | |
| ECE 41: Supervision and Administration of Early Childhood Programs | 3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| *Prerequisite:
ECE 2, 11, 21, and 21• Advisory: Experience
as an early childhood teacher This course introduces nursery school supervision and administration to the experienced teacher planning to become an administrator. Basics of establishing goals, policies, job descriptions, budgets and records will be explored. Personnel policies, staff selection, training and evaluation will be presented, with an overview of California laws governing early childhood programs. This course meets the requirements of the State Department of Health for directors of programs under their supervision. |
|
| ECE 42: Family Day Care III: Parent & Provider | 1 unit |
| *Prerequisite:
Psych 11 This course will focus on effective methods of communication between parents and childcare professionals. Providers will be introduced to principles of communication as they apply to Family Day Care, Center and Nursery School environments. Appropriate methods of explaining policy, addressing parental concerns and responding to problems will be covered. Providers will write a statement of philosophy and policy for their childcare setting. |
|
| ECE 44: Introduction to Family Day Care | 1 unit |
| This course covers current licensing insurance, and record keeping requirements which affect the operation of family day care homes. The family day care home’s unique capacity to create parent/child understanding and a parent /provider partnership will be explored. Students are introduced to child development principles and age appropriate activities suitable to small groups and home environments. | |
| ECE 45: Education of Exceptional Children | 3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| *Prerequisite:
ECE 2, Psychology 11, ECE 11 This introductory course in the education of exceptional children provides an overview of laws, definitions, methodologies, trends and issues, and current research in early childhood special education (0-5 years of age.) The course covers various categories of disability, including learning and physical disabilities, autism, mental retardation, behavioral disorders, communication disorders, visual and/or hearing impairments, attention deficit disorders and giftedness. Topics are examined from a culturally sensitive, family-focused perspective that emphasizes the importance of understanding infants, toddlers and young children with special needs. |
|
| ECE 46: Infant Growth and Development | 3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| This course includes an overview of the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of both typically and atypically developing infants and toddlers, birth to three years of age. It will include basic principles of care giving, arrangement and accommodation of the environment; working with other staff, early interventionists, parents and the community; identifying young children with characteristics of special needs and those who may be at risk for disabilities, and making appropriate referrals; and providing culturally sensitive and consistent care. This course is designed for caregivers of infants and toddlers so that they will have greater understanding of the diverse needs and abilities of the young children they care for and to increase their knowledge and awareness of the issues that impact the youngest children's lives in today's families. | |
| ECE 48: Adult Supervision & Mentoring | 2 units |
| *Prerequisite:
ECE2
• Advisory: ECE 21 This course, required by the State Commission on Teacher Credentialing, is a study of the methods and principles of supervising student teachers, assistant teachers, parent and volunteers in early childhood education/child development classrooms. Emphasis is on the role of classroom teachers and site directors who function as mentors to new teachers while simultaneously addressing the needs of children, parents and other staff. |
|
| ECE 49: Exceptional Children in the Classroom | 3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| *Adcisory:
Psych 11 and ECE 45 This course, in cooperation with the State Commission on Teacher Credentialing, focuses on the theories, research, and practical applications from the fields of both early childhood education and special education. Topics covered include curriculum modification strategies to facilitate the development of cognitive, motor, social emotional and language skills in children with special needs. Specific attention is given to developing behavior management plans, collaborative teaching systems, and methods for working with paraprofessionals and parents of children with exceptionalities. |
|
| ECE 50: Parenting Skills Development | 1 unit |
| This course is an introductory course in parenting skills based on principles of child development, with a focus on active listening, problem solving, developmentally appropriate expectations and discipline techniques. | |
| ECE 51: The Reggio Approach | 3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| In cooperation with the State Commission on Teacher Credentialing, this course will focus on the theories, research, and practical application of the Reggio Emilia Approach as applicable to early childhood education in the U.S. The key concepts of collaboration between parents, teachers, and children; observation of how children construct theories; documentation and reflection on the learning process; the expanded role of the teacher as a co-constructor of knowledge; examination of the impact of the environment in facilitating children’s learning; and meeting the challenge of creating a cooperative community of learners will be covered in the course | |
| ECE 64: Child Nutrition, Health, and Safety | 3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| Prerequisite:
ECE2
and/or
Psych 11; ECE 11 This course is designed for teachers for adults working directly or indirectly with typical and atypical children from infancy through school-age children. The class emphasizes providing and promoting a safe and healthy learning environment in both home and school. In addition, the course will provide the student with the fundamentals of sound nutrition, and the skills and knowledge to foster positive attitudes towards food, bodily processes, and normal life experiences in young children. Students will develop communication skills for working with staff, parents, infants and young children with special needs from diverse cultural heritages. |
|
Post ECE Certificate Specializations for Professional
Development:
Specializations
are made up of two related classes qualifying ECE professionals for career
advancement. The following choices are paired to a related class:
| Psych 3: Personality: Dynamics and Development | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| This course provides and introduction to the major schools of personality theory including: Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic, Behavioral Theory and Cognitive Theory; and Humanistic and Existential Theory. These theories and their psychotherapies are presented, discussed and applied to each student’s own personality development. The usefulness of each theory is discussed from a personal and a general perspective. | |
| Psych 6: Marriage, Family & Human Intimacy | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| This course provides insight into
and preparation for establishing rewarding relationships as the basis for
successful and fulfilling individual, marital and family life.
Included are values clarification, communication techniques,
current views of male and female roles, society, mate selection, sexual
involvement and adjustment, family planning and child rearing.
Special emphasis is placed on understanding the need for compromise
and adjustment in a marriage and family unit in our rapidly changing
society. |
|
| Engl 10: Ethnic Literature of the U.S | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| *Prerequisite: English 1
• Advisory: English 2 This course focuses on the literature written by and about United States’ ethnic groups, including European Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos/Latinos, Jewish Americans, and others. Students will analyze the literature and explore both the commonalities and differences among the works. The course also examines the influence of these writers on the course of American literature. |
|
| Engl 40: Asian Literature | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| *Prerequisite: English 1
Major works of Asian literature will provide a window to the rich Cultures of a fascinating part of the world. Students will be introduced to literature of at least two Asian cultures. |
|
| Engl 53: Literature of the Mexican-American |
3 units |
| Engl 54: Native American Literature |
3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| Selected poems, short stories, novels, tribal tales, speeches, and memoirs of Native Americans will be examined to deepen the student’s understanding of the experiences and perspectives of native people in American and native cultures. | |
| Engl 58: Literature of Mexico | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| *Prerequisite: English 1
This course is a survey of Mexican literature. It deals with pre-Columbian, colonial, independence and contemporary periods and emphasizes the 20th century novel. The course also develops analytical skills related to contemporary literary criticism. |
|
| Bilingual
1: Introduction to Bilingual Studies |
3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| The
historical, philosophical, psychological, pedagogical and Cultural aspects
of bilingual education with a particular emphasis on the Spanish-speaking
child. |
|
| Speech 5: Interpersonal Communications | 3 units TRANSFER:CSU |
| Techniques for effective interpersonal communication are studied with emphasis on developing awareness of one’s own actions and their impact on relationships. Verbal and nonverbal communications are analyzed and practiced in one-to-one and small group situations. Lecture, discussion and class participation are used in learning about listening skills, feedback, communication barriers and breakdowns, resolving conflicts, message organization, coding, decoding, language and meaning. Exercises in body language, role-playing and self-disclosure help students realize the effectiveness of their communication. | |
| Art 10A: Design I (3,3) | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| This
is an introductory course in the theory and application of the elements of
2-D design. Required for all art majors. |
|
| Art 30B: WATERCOLOR PAINTING II | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| *Advisory:
Art 10A or 20A or 30A An advanced course in watercolor media, subjects may include the figure, landscape, and location painting. |
|
| Art 9: Mexican Art History | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| This course covers the historical development of Mexican art from its pre-Columbian past to the present with a review of painting, sculpture, architecture, and their social, political, religious, and economic relevance. | |
| Art 52A: Ceramics | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| *Advisory:
Art 10A This is a ceramic design and construction course using basic hand building methods and wheel throwing. Emphasis is on surface decoration and glazing. |
|
| Art 71: African American Art History | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| A
survey of the chronological development of African-American Art and
iconography from the advent of slavery in the United State to the present.
it includes Craftsmanship, Painting, Sculpture, Vernacular and
Contemporary Architecture. |
|
| Art 72: AMERICAN ART HISTORY | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| This
course satisfies Santa Moni A survey of the chronological development of painting, sculpture, and architecture in the United States from its pre-colonial past to the end of the 19th Century. The contributions and influences of a variety of ethnic groups to the diversity of art in the United States will be addressed. The artistic contribution of Native American, African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicano/Latino Americans and European Americans will be studied in the larger context of American society, history, and culture. |
|
| Anthro 2: Cultural Anthropology | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| Human
sociocultural behavior and its products, including material culture,
social organization, religion, language and other symbolic systems and
discussion of the dynamics of culture and included in this study. |
|
| Anthro 14: Sex, Gender and Culture | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| This
course presents a cross-cultural survey of the position of Men and women
within an anthropological framework.
It assesses, in a comparative fashion, the biological basis of
sexual differentiation and the cultural interpretation of theses
differences through “gender roles.”
Comparative materials from tribal, non-western, non-industrial and
western cultures will be used to illustrate the variety of gender roles
and expectations. The course
focuses on cultural institutions as fundamental in creating, defining and
reinforcing gender roles. Economics,
politics, the arts, religion, kinship, worldview, and other issues which
influence choices, opportunities and limitations tied to gender will be
examined. |
|
| Socio12: Sociology of the Family | 3 units TRANSFER:UC, CSU |
| An
examination of the family as a social institution is the focus of this
course. Emphasis will be
placed on relationships between the family and other social institutions
from American and cross-cultural perspectives.
Theories of society and family as well as pertinent research will
be studied. |
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