Early Childhood Development Certificate

The Early Childhood Development Certificate prepares students to work in child care centers, Head Start programs, nursery schools, or for self employment as family child care providers or nannies by offering specialized courses in early childhood. It also provides core early childhood courses to professionals who are currently working in the early childhood field. Courses fulfill the educational requirements for senior staff, group leader, director of a small center and also meet the Maryland child care credential and state requirements.

A grade of “C” or better must be earned in all courses.

Success in the program is defined by your ability to apply what you’ve learned in real-world scenarios. This program ensures that every student achieves the following core competencies:

• Apply major concepts, principles and theories related to child development.
• Demonstrate developmentally appropriate curriculum and materials for infancy to eight years old through creating and presenting lesson plans.
• Demonstrate characteristics of future teachers by behaving professionally at events and experiences both on and off campus, and utilizing college-level skills.
• Synthesize the fundamentals and practices of early childhood development through a Directed Practicum/Internship experience.
• Communicate appropriate guidance and behavior modification techniques and theories through case studies and observations.
• Explain, identify, and discuss duties of administrators of child care settings through one or more papers and projects.
• Generate resources on appropriate children’s literature based on in-depth review.
• Explain and identify the major theories, historical roots and theorists in the field of early childhood.

Success starts with a solid plan. Your program's course sequence is designed to build your skills step-by-step. By following this plan, you ensure you're meeting all program requirements and staying on track.

Program Pathway