Early Childhood Associate Degree
Early Childhood Education and Family Support
Information
An Associate of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education & Family Support prepares students for a range of careers that include:
- Teachers of children ages birth through 3rd grade
- Child care provider
- Home visitor
- Program Administrator
- Program development specialist
- Parent support specialist
- Early interventionist
Student Learning Outcomes
- Promote child development and learning
- Build family and community relationships
- Use observation, documentation, and assessment to support young children and families
- Use developmentally effective approaches
- Use content knowledge to build a meaningful curriculum
- Advance as a professional
| General Education Requirements (31 hours) | ||
|---|---|---|
| ALAS 1810 | Humanities | 3 |
| ALAS 1820 | Social/Behavioral Science | 3 |
| ALAS 1830 | STEM | 3 |
| COMM 1130 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| ENGL 1120 | Composition II | 3 |
| PSYC 1110 | Intro to Psychology | 3 |
| MATH 1010 | Mathematics for School Teachers | |
| Lab Science: one course (with lab) | 4 | |
| Humanities: one course | 3 | |
| Creative and Fine Arts: one course | 3 | |
Supporting Coursework (10 hours) |
||
| ENGL 1110 | Composition I | 3 |
| Lab Science: one additional (with lab) from different disciplines | 4 | |
| Social/Behavioral Science: one additional | 3 | |
Early Childhood Education and Family Support Core Requirements (19 credit hours) |
||
| ECED 111 | Introduction to Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| ECED 1110 | Child Growth/Dev/Learning | 3 |
| ECED 1115 | Health, Safety, Nutrition | 2 |
| ECED 1125 | Assess Children/Evaluate Programs | 3 |
| ECED 1120 | Guiding Young Children | 3 |
| ECED 1130 | Family & Community Collaboration | 3 |
| ECED 2110 | Professionalism | 2 |
| Early Childhood Teacher – Birth to Grade 3 (13 Credit Hours) | ||
|---|---|---|
| ECED 2115 | Intro to Lang/Lit/Rdg | 3 |
| ECED 2120 | Curr Dev/Play – Birth to Age 4 | 3 |
| ECED 2121 | Curr Dev/Play – Birth to 4 Practicum | 2 |
| ECED 2130 | Curr Dev/Implementation – Age 3 to Grade 3 | 3 |
| ECED 2131 | Curr Dev/Implementation – Age 3 to Grade 3 Practicum | 2 |
| Infant Family Studies (13 Credit Hours) | ||
|---|---|---|
| ECED 2140 | Infant–Toddler Growth/Development (Pre-3) | 3 |
| ECED 2141 | Infant–Toddler Growth/Development (Pre-3) Practicum | 2 |
| ECED 2150 | Relationships / Reflective Practice | 3 |
| ECED 2151 | Relationships / Reflective Practice Practicum | 2 |
| ECED 2245 | Effective Principles and Practice in Family Studies | 3 |
This competency-based program is a part of the New Mexico Early Childhood Higher Education Articulation for two and four year institutions. The program provides extensive field experiences to enhance classroom learning, and guides pre-service students to performance outcomes in:
- Child Growth, Development and Learning
- Health, Safety and Nutrition
- Family and Community Collaboration
- Developmentally Appropriate Content
- Learning Environment and Curriculum Implementation
- Professionalism
- Assessment of Children and Evaluation of Programs
- Professors closely monitor student progress while utilizing multiple ways of assessing student work.
- Integration of hands-on experiences and technology in classroom instruction is included throughout the program.
- Courses focus on developmentally appropriate practices and individualized learning to support the full participation of every child.
- Courses promote the establishment of aligned services and supports which build on the unique assets of each child, and acknowledge the strengths of children’s families’ heritage, language, and culture.
- Courses and field experiences offer opportunities for students to work with diverse populations (gender, ELL, exceptionality, ethnicity)