Early Childhood Certificate

Story time during early childhood programs
Program Code: C55220L1

Early Childhood Certificate

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The Early Childhood Certificate program is designed to provide students with minimum entry-level skills to work with children from three to five years old. Employment opportunities include child development and child care programs, preschools, public and private schools, recreational centers, and school-age programs.

Specific Requirements

  1. General college admission requirements.
  2. According to GS 110-91, “No person shall be an operator of nor be employed in a child care facility who has been convicted of a crime involving child neglect, child abuse, or moral turpitude, or who is a habitually excessive user of alcohol or who illegally uses narcotic or other impairing drugs, or who is mentally or emotionally impaired to an extent that may be injurious to children.”
  3. Prior to the second semester of coursework, students must submit an Early Education Criminal Record Check Qualification Letter from the Division of Child Development and Early Education.

Courses requiring a grade of C or better: EDU

Courses in this program

Course Code Course Credit Hours Link to course details

This course introduces the foundations of early childhood education, the diverse educational settings for young children, professionalism and planning intentional developmentally appropriate experiences for each child. Topics include theoretical foundations, national early learning standards, NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development, state regulations, program types, career options, professionalism, ethical conduct, quality inclusive environments, and curriculum responsive to the needs of each child/family.

View course details for Intro to Early Childhood Education ‌‌

This course includes the theories of child development, observation and assessment, milestones, and factors that influence development, from preschool through middle childhood. Emphasis is placed on knowledge, observation and assessment of developmental sequences in approaches to play/learning, emotional/social, health/physical, language/communication and cognitive domains.

View course details for Child Development II ‌‌

This course introduces developmentally supportive creative learning environments with attention to divergent thinking, creative problem-solving, evidence-based teaching practices, and open-ended learning materials while applying NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development. Emphasis is placed on observation of process-driven learning experiences in art, music, creative movement, dance, and dramatics for every young child age birth through eight, integrated through all domains and academic content.

View course details for Creative Activities ‌‌
Course Code Course Credit Hours Link to course details

This course introduces evidence-based strategies to build nurturing relationships with each child by applying principles and practical techniques to facilitate developmentally appropriate guidance. Topics include designing responsive/supportive learning environments, cultural, linguistic and socio-economic influences on behavior, appropriate expectations, the importance of communication with children/families including using technology and the use of formative assessments in establishing intentional strategies for children with unique needs.

View course details for Child Guidance ‌‌

This course is designed to focus on using content knowledge to build developmentally effective approaches for culturally/linguistically/ability diverse young children. Topics include components of the curriculum, a variety of curriculum models, authentic observation and assessment, and planning developmentally appropriate experiences aligned with the NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development. Upon completion, students should be able to understand, evaluate, and use a curriculum to plan for individual/group needs.

View course details for Curriculum Planning ‌‌
Total Credit Hours Required:
16

Curriculum is based on the 2022-23 catalog.

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