Early Childhood

The Early Childhood Education Department of the School of Education offers courses for students planning to work with young children. The SOE offers College Credit Certificates, the Florida Child Care Professional Certificate (FCCPC; formerly Child Development Associate [CDA]) courses, courses for renewal of the FCCPC and Director’s credentials, Associate in Science and Associate in Arts degrees. Our programs are designed with the working student in mind. Hallmarks of the program include: field experience that bridges theory and practice, research-based best practices, dedicated faculty, flexible scheduling, and scholarships available through the Children’s Trust. All Early Childhood courses require field experience and that the student clear a level II background check (See Fingerprinting).

• College Credit Certificates
• Florida Child Care Professional (formerly CDA)
• Florida Child Care Professional Certificate Renewal
• Director's Credential Renewal
• Associate in Science Degrees
  • General Education Requirements
  • Fingerprinting
  • Associate in Science Programs
• Pre-School Lab at North Campus

College Credit Certificates

The College Credit Certificates enable the student to enter the workforce and provide a career pathway into an Associate in Science degree program. The CCCs consist of 12 credits (4 courses). The CCCs offered are:

• Code
• Area of Concentration
• Courses Required

• 67014
• Infant-Toddler Track
• • EEC2407- Facilitating Social Development [Mind in the Making]
  • EEC1522- Infant-Toddler Environments
  • EEC2700- Developing Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers

• 60003
• Preschool Track
• • EEC1000- Introduction to Early Childhood Education
  • EEC1200- Early Childhood Curriculum I
  • EEC1311- Early Childhood Curriculum II
  • EEC2202- Program Development in Early Childhood Education

• 60004
• Administrator Track
• • EEC2002- Operation of an Early Childhood Facility
  • EEC2520- Early Childhood Organizational Leadership and Management
  • EEC2523- Programming and Management for Early Childhood Administrators
  • EEC2527- Legal and Financial Issues in Childcare

Florida Child Care Professional Certificate (FCCPC- formerly CDA)

Requirements:

• Must have a High School or General Education Diploma (GED)
• Must complete all six items below:
  1. 45 hours: Three training certificates required by the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF)
     • 30 Hour Child Care Training for Facility Personnel. This includes Rules and Regulations, Health, Safety, and Nutrition, Child Growth and Development, child Abuse and Neglect and Behavioral Observation and Assessment
     • 10 Clock Hours of Specialized Training
     • 5 Hour Training Certificate in Early Literacy for Children Birth to Three
     • All of these certificates require that you pass an examination
  2. Four Courses in Early Childhood Education (12 credits): CHOOSE ONE TRACK:

  PRESCHOOL TRACK #60003:

  • EEC1000- Introduction to Early Childhood Education
  • EEC1200- Early Childhood Curriculum I
  • EEC1311- Early Childhood Curriculum II
  • EEC2202- Program Development in Early Childhood Education

  OR:

  INFANT-TODDLER TRACK #67014:

  • EEC2407- Facilitating Social Development [Mind in the Making]
  • EEC1522- Infant-Toddler Environments [Ten Components of Quality Care]
  • EEC2700- Developing Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers
  • EEC1001- Introduction to Early Childhood Infant/Toddler Education
  3. EDG2943 (3 credits)- Field experience (taken at the conclusion of above classes plus an on-site observation by a qualified EC professional is conducting during this course)
  4. 480 hours of documented field work in an EC setting
  5. Completion of an FCCPC Resource File
  6. Current Pediatric First Aid/ CPR Certificate

Florida Child Care Professional Certificate Renewal (FCCPC Renewal)

In order to renew the FCCPC, students must take a 3-credit course that begins with the prefix EEC and differs from the already taken courses.

Go to www.myflorida.com/childcare/training and click on the heading “Additional Resources.” Find “Training and Credentialing” and then “FCCPC Renewal Application.” Complete the form, complete any additional requirements that you may need, and attach a copy of all your transcripts.

Questions- call the Child Care Training Information Center at 1-888-352-2842.
For Spanish- contact Community Education and take 4.5 continuing education credits.

Director’s Credential Renewal

Students must complete:

• EEC2520- Early Childhood Organizational Leadership and Management (3 credits)
• EEC2523- Programming and Management for Early Childhood Administrators (3 credits)
• EEC2527- Legal and Financial Issues in Childcare (3 credits)

Go to www.myflorida.com/childcare/training and click on the heading “Additional Resources.”
Find “Training and Credentialing” and then “FCCPC Renewal Application.”
Complete the form, complete any additional requirements that you may need, and attach a copy of all your transcripts.
Questions- call the Child Care Training Information Center at 1-888-352-2842. For Spanish- contact Community Education.

Associate in Science Degrees

The Associate in Science degrees in Early Childhood Education builds on the CCCs and expands learning as well as career opportunities. The School of Education offers the following degree majors:

• Code
• Area of Concentration

• 27014
• Early Childhood Education- General Track

• 27031
• Early Childhood Education- Preschool Track

• 27032
• Early Childhood Education- Infant-Toddler Track

• 27033
• Early Childhood Education- Administrator Track

General Education Requirements

All Associate in Science Education majors must complete 24 credits in General Education as follows:

1. Communications: 6 credits
2. Oral Communications: 3 credits
3. Humanities: 3 credits
4. Behavioral/Social Science: 3 credits
5. Natural Science: 6 credits
6. Mathematics: 3 credits

Additionally, students must take 12 credits from one of four tracks (see above) plus 15 credits of Early Childhood Electives and 12 credits of required Electives.

The required electives are:

• EDF1005 Introduction to the Teaching Profession (counts as General Education Elective)
• EDF2085 Introduction to Diversity
• EME2040 Introduction to Educational Technology

Students who complete all of the above may be eligible for the Baccalaureate programs.

Fingerprinting

All Early Childhood courses (prefix EEC) require field experience hours. In order to complete the field experience hours you must be fingerprinted and clear a Level II clearance.

How to get fingerprinted and background cleared:

• Set an appointment by email with either North or Kendall Campus. Pay the bursar or use credit card online.
• If you have any criminal background, you will not clear the background check.
• If you have attended to the issue, you must provide Department of Children and Families with your information.
• Clearance cards will be provided by the Office of Student Teaching and Field Placement 305-237-6653.
• Clearance cards will be sent via regular mail to the student home address.

Associate in Science Programs (63 credits)

General Education Requirements (24 credits):

• Communications- 6 credits
  • ENC1101- English Composition 1
  • NC1102- English Composition 2
• Oral Communications- 3 credits
  • SPC1026- Fundamentals of Speech
• Humanities- 3 credits
  • Group A
• Behavioral/ Social Sciences- 3 credits
  • CLP1006- Introduction to Psychology
• Natural Sciences- 6 credits
  • BSC2250- Natural History of South Florida
  • PSC1515- Energy in the Natural Environment
• Mathematics- 3 credits
  • MGF1106- Mathematics for Liberal Arts I
• Completion of CGS1060 or an equivalent computer competency
• Fingerprinting requirement (Level II clearance)
• 9 credits of diversity
• Foreign Language requirement

Education Prerequisites (9 credits):

• EDF1005- Introduction to the Teaching Profession*
• EDF2085- Introduction to Diversity*
• EME2040- Introduction to Educational Technology
  *15 hours of field work required

Early Childhood Electives (15 credits):

• EEC2221- Curriculum High Scope (3 credits)
• EEC2224- Emergent Literacy through the Use of Children’s Literature (3 credits)
• EEC2271- Working with Children with Special Needs and their Families (3 credits)
• EEC2407- Facilitating Social Development (3 credits) ** required for Preschool and Administrator Tracks
• EEC2409- Family Interaction and Cultural Continuity (3 credits)
• EEC2601- Observation and Assessment in Early Childhood (3 credits)
• EDG2943- Field Experience (3 credits) ** required for Florida Child Care Professional Certificate

Major Course Requirements (12 credits):
[SELECT ONE TRACK FROM THE FOUR BELOW]

• I. General Track: (student earns an AA and AS degree) Program #27014
  • Humanities- Group B- 3 credits
  • Behavioral/ Social Sciences- 6 credits
    • AMH2000
    • NT2410
    • EP2000
    • SS1120
    • SS1161
    • YG2000
  • Mathematics- 3 credits
    • MAC1105
    • MGF1107 or higher
• II. Preschool Track: Program #27031
  • EEC1000- Introduction to Early Childhood Education (3 credits)
  • EC1200- Early Childhood Curriculum I
  • EC1311- Early Childhood Curriculum 2
  • EC2202- Program Development in Early Childhood Education
• III. Infant-Toddler Track: Program #27032
  • EEC2407- Facilitating Social Development [Mind in the Making] (3 credits)
  • EC1522- Infant and Toddler Environments [Ten Components of Infant Quality Care]
  • EC2700- Developing Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers (3 credits)
  • EC1001- Introduction to Early Childhood Infant/Toddler Education (3 credits)
• IV. Administrator’s Track: Program #27033
  • EEC2002- Operation of an Early Childhood Facility (3 credits)
  • EEC2520- Early Childhood Organizational Leadership and Management (3 credits)
  • EEC2523- Programming and Management for Early Childhood Administrators (3 credits)
  • EEC2527- Legal and Financial Issues in Childcare (3 credits)

Pre-School Lab at North Campus

The SOE is fortunate to have a state-of-the-art National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)-accredited Pre-School Laboratory Demonstration School at the North Campus. The developmentally appropriate program is child-centered and based on research in early childhood education. Our belief is that the best way for children to learn is through play. Classrooms provide a planned environment that is designed to stimulate child’s interest. Our individualized approach meets each child’s different and unique needs and interests

The Lab encourages children to choose freely from a wide range of play and learning experiences, and in so doing, help them to recognize, understand, and express their own emotions as well as to sympathize with the emotions of others. The program focuses on the child’s cognitive, social/emotional, psychomotor, language and communication, and creative needs.

What is a high-quality early childhood program? High-quality programs provide a safe and nurturing environment while promoting the development of young children. NAEYC-accredited programs show their quality by meeting the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards, which are based on the latest research on the education and development of young children. All NAEYC-accredited programs must:

What is a high-quality early childhood program?

High-quality programs provide a safe and nurturing environment while promoting the development of young children. NAEYC-accredited programs show their quality by meeting the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards, which are based on the latest research on the education and development of young children.
All NAEYC-accredited programs must:

1. Promote positive relationships for all children and adults.
2. Implement a curriculum that fosters all areas of child development- cognitive, emotional, language, physical, and social.
3. Use developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate and effective teaching approaches.
4. Provide ongoing assessments of child progress.
5. Promote the nutrition and health of children and staff.
6. Employ and support qualified teaching staff.
7. Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with families.
8. Establish and maintain relationships with and use resources of the community.
9. Provide a safe and healthy physical environment.
10. Implement strong program management policies that result in high-quality service. -NAEYC Accreditation

Students who are taking courses in the Early Childhood Department and are not currently working are able to do complete their field experience hours associated with all coursework at the Pre-School Lab. The Lab offers programs for children ages 6 weeks through Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten and is open from 7am to 6pm. The Lab is open for registration to children of Miami Dade College students, faculty, staff, and the community.
For more information, contact the Pre-School Lab at 305-237-1357.