Early Childhood Education Degree

Associate in Science in Early Childhood Education

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Our degrees and certificates in Early Childhood Education are designed to help you land rewarding jobs that work with kids.

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The Associate in Science in Child Development is an academic and vocational training program that prepares students for future work as early childhood educators in diverse early childhood settings.

Courses are designed to meet entry-level requirements for employment and/or meet the requirements needed to obtain a California Child Development Permit and employment in a state licensed, private or publicly funded center-based child care program.

Completion of specific coursework can also lead to employment in a program for children with special needs or an inclusion program. This program is designed to prepare students to compete for higher paying positions and to facilitate transfer to a four-year college or university.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will apply child development theory to early care and education practice.
Students will create individual and group curriculum that promotes physical, cognitive. and/or socio-emotional development in children in early childhood education programs.
Students will create and implement curriculum tailored to specialized needs of children for the early care and education classroom.

Meet the Following Requirements

Completion of 60 degree applicable units with an overall GPA of 2.0.
Completion of a minimum of 18 semester units in the major with a grade of C (or P) or better.
Completion of the AS Graduation Requirements, CSU GE-B or IGETC.

Please Note

Requirements here apply to the current catalog year and are subject to change. Visit DegreeWorks inMy Mission Portal to view requirements based your catalog year.
Not all classes are offered each semester.

Required Core Courses

Code	Class	Units
CHD 001	Child Growth and Development (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 002	Child, Family, and Community (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 010	Principles and Practices in Education (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 015	Observation and Assessment of Children (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 017	Child Health and Safety (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 013	Teaching in a Diverse Society (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 026	Introduction to Curriculum (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 020	The Child with Special Needs in the Community (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 008A	Practicum A (1.5 Lecture/2.0 Lab)	3.5
CHD 016	Infant and Toddler Development (3.0 Lecture)	3.0

Plus at least 6.0 units from the following elective courses

Code	Class	Units
CHD 003	Language and Literacy for the Young Child (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 004	Cognitive Experiences for Children (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 005	Music and Movement (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 006	Supervision and Administration (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 007	Management Issues in Child Development Programs (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 014	Art and Creative Development of Young Children (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 018	Parenting Issues for Teachers (1.0 Lecture)	1.0
CHD 021	Children and Play (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 022	Adult Supervision in Early Childhood Programs (2.0 Lecture)	2.0
CHD 024	Positive Guidance in Early Childhood Programs: Managing Challenging Behaviors (3.0 Lecture)	3.0
CHD 025	Inclusion Stategies and Curriculum in Early Childhood Education (3.0 Lecture)	3.0

Required Units for the Major

	Units
Required units for the major	36.5
Plus completion of general education requirements and electives as needed to reach 60 units.
Total required units	60.0

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Career/Transfer Opportunities

Career Outlook

Skills Needed

Career Paths

If you don't know what to major in, or you already have a major but don't know how it translates into a career, start here. At Mission we can help you research your major and career options so you can make informed decisions.Read more about career paths.