Earn a certificate in Child Development that will prepare you to work with children from birth until age eight. Coursework will cover how child-care centers, schools, and families interact to influence development and learning, the foundations of how children learn, strategies to help young children acquire language and literacy skills, and techniques for observing and assessing student growth.
Gaining a certificate from an accredited university can advance your career and put you a step closer to earning a degree! Trinity has small class sizes for individualized attention, and faculty teach foundational knowledge in an applied format, integrating students’ work and life experiences with the course information. All courses can apply towards an Associate of Arts Degree in Early Childhood Education at Trinity Washington University. Start with your Certificate today and seamlessly move onto an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or even a Master’s Degree program for more career opportunities.
All of the courses are recognized at the Gold Standard level with the Council for Professional Recognition to prepare you to take the CDA qualification. Trinity is the only College/University in the DC region to hold this recognition!
Trinity’s faculty have extensive experience in the early childhood field and our courses are designed to provide you with content immediately applicable to your work with young children. Embedded course assignments and activities are designed to build your professional CDA portfolio.
Program Requirements (18 credits)
EDCC 205 Children, Families, Culture and the Community in Early ChildhoodThis course examines relationships among schools, children and families, introducing the complex social and cultural factors that influence children's development and learning, as well as the ethical guidelines that determine professional conduct. Within an orientation to the theoretical and developmental foundations of early learning education of young children, the course emphasizes current issues regarding families, community, and cultural diversity.
3 credits
Prerequisites: NoneEDCC 207 Development of Learning Experiences in Early Childhood EducationThis course examines the historical, theoretical, and developmental foundations for learning in young children, birth to age 8 (specifically, pre-K to 3rd grade). Students learn how to create developmentally and individually appropriate lesson and activity plans. Learning experiences integrate the various content areas of literacy, math, science, social studies, and the arts, and incorporate the social-emotional, cognitive, and physical domains of child development.
3 credits
Prerequisites: NoneEDCC 211 Development of Early Childhood Oral Language and Literacy SkillsThis course introduces strategies for helping young children acquire communication skills. The contribution of appropriate children's literature to literacy development is demonstrated. Activities, materials, and lessons in these areas emphasize developmentally appropriate practices. This course requires a 10 hour on-site field component.
3 credits
Prerequisites: NoneEDCC 213 Observation, Description and Measurement of Growth in Early ChildhoodIn this introductory course, students use developmentally appropriate observation and record keeping strategies to reflect upon, improve, maintain, and extend learning. Tools and techniques that promote growth across all domains of early childhood development-social-emotional, cognitive, and physical, and across language and other content areas-will be discussed and explored. This course requires a 10-hour on-site field component.
3 credits
Prerequisites: NoneEDCC 215 Human Growth & DevlopmentReviews introductory theory and research in human growth and development over the life span. Focus is on the interdisciplinary nature of human development and relationships among the biological, cognitive, social, and psychological domains of the individual in her environment. Highlights critical life events and resulting change from the prenatal period through adulthood, stressing interactions between the developing person and a continually evolving world.
3 creditsEDTE 290 Practicum and Seminar in Early Childhood LearningThis course is composed of a practicum in one or more school settings and an on-campus seminar . Within the practicum, students will spend a minimum of four (4) hours a week in an approved early childhood learning site, observing, documenting, and working with early childhood educators and children. Within the weekly seminar, students will reflect upon, research, discuss, and write about theories and practices of early childhood education as experienced in their practicum sites and elsewhere. Note: Students must be available to spend the designated hours in a setting approved by the AA in Early Childhood Education program director.
3 credits
Prerequisites: All EDCC and EDTE courses, except EDCC 292; must be taken during the final 2 semesters.
Earn a certificate in Child Development that will prepare you to work with children from birth until age eight. Coursework will cover how child-care centers, schools, and families interact to influence development and learning, the foundations of how children learn, strategies to help young children acquire language and literacy skills, and techniques for observing and assessing student growth.
