If the student enrolls full-time, this program can be completed in two semesters. Students who earn the Early Childhood Certificate may seek employment in child care programs, as teacher assistants, or as preschool teachers, or they may pursue study towards an AAS degree in Early Childhood.
| COURSES | CREDIT HOURS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| FIRST SEMESTER | |||
| ECH 101 * | Introduction to Early Childhood | 3 | |
| ECH 106 * | Classroom Observation | 1 | |
| ECH 110 * | Methods and Materials in Early Child Education | 3 | |
| ENGL 101 | Freshman English I | 3 | |
| Health or PE Requirement (HLTH 103, PE 145, PE 146, PE 165, PE 175) | 2 | ||
| 12 | |||
| SECOND SEMESTER | |||
| ECH 102 * | Curriculum and Assessment in Early Childhood Education | 3 | |
| ECH 103 * | Early Childhood Field Experience | 3 | |
| ECH 111 * | Infants and Toddlers | 3 | |
| ENGL 209 | Children’s Literature | 3 | |
| BEH 101 * | Language/Literacy Development | 3 | |
| 15 | |||
| TOTAL CREDIT HOURS | 27 | ||
* Minimum grade of C- (70) is required in BEH 101 and ECH 101, 102, 104, 106, 110, and 111 to complete certificate requirements.
Students must be physically able to satisfactorily and safely perform duties associated with the care and education of children from birth to eight years of age.
To enroll in field experience coursework (ECH 104), students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.3 or higher.
Transfer for Early Childhood or Education course credit will only be granted after transcript review by the Education Coordinator.
Students are required to have police and child abuse clearances and physical examinations prior to beginning their field experience class (ECH 104).
Note: A prior felony conviction may hinder a student’s ability to enroll in a course or complete the requirements of certain academic programs and/or meet the criteria for licensure required by certain professions. Students with certain criminal histories will not be able to satisfy field experience requirements for the completion of the certificate. In addition, students are required to submit to alcohol and/or drug testing upon request by either the College or any of the cooperating field placement sites. Students who test positive are subject to removal from the field placement and will, therefore, not be able to satisfy the requirements for the completion of the certificate. Refusal to submit to the test will result in the student being asked to leave the field placement site and may result in dismissal from the course and/or the program. Students must be able to satisfactorily and safely perform the duties associated with the care and education of children. Technical Standards for the degree may be obtained from the Education Coordinator or from the Office of Accessibility Resources.
Graduation Requirements: In order to graduate with the Certificate in Early Childhood, students must demonstrate competency (a grade of 70 or higher) in five Key Assessments. The Key Assessments are completed in each of the core Early Childhood courses (ECH 101, 102, 104, 110, and 111). This requirement also applies to students who have transferred credits to Cayuga from another college.
Technical Standards for the degree are available from the Education Coordinator or download the Technical Standards for Educational Programs here.
A prior felony conviction may hinder a student’s ability to enroll in a course or complete the requirements of certain academic programs and/or meet the criteria for licensure required by certain professions.
