Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | EDU-1030-VU01 - Introduction to Early Childhood Education

In Person Class

Standard courses meet in person at CCV centers, typically once each week for the duration of the semester.

Faculty

Everett Ware
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Gilberto Diaz Santos

Course Description

This course is an overview of early childhood education and the ways in which early childhood experiences can enhance the development of the whole child. Students examine the provision of early education and services for children from conception to age eight. Topics include child development, national and state standards, curriculum development, early intervention, regulation, and career exploration.

Essential Objectives

1. Discuss the cultural, historical, and philosophical evolution of early childhood education.
2. Explore early education programs in the context of family and community relationships, including the need for cultural competence when supporting and collaborating with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
3. Understand the theories of child development and how they relate to the implementation of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP).
4. Discuss national and state standards for the provision of education to young children and how early childhood education programs meet these standards (VELS & NAEYC for children and professionals).
5. Review the elements of early childhood education curricula, the theoretical framework for different approaches to what is taught, and the pedagogy of inclusion and universal design.
6. Analyze evidence-based research on effective models of early education.
7. Examine the early intervention system and the provision of services to support the development of children with diverse abilities and/or affected by trauma.
8. Discuss the regulation of programs, staff, and facilities to ensure health and safety, including the role of the state in policy development and regulation enforcement.
9. Explore careers in the field of early childhood education, the NAEYC Code of Conduct, and dispositions required for work in the field.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

*** This is a no cost textbook or resource class. ***

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

Methods

In-class activities will include:

• Small and large group discussions
• Lectures and presentations
• Short videos/films and reflection activities
• Hands-on activities and play-based learning

Outside of class, you can expect assignments to include:

• Weekly readings (articles, videos, course modules)
• Reflective journal assignments
• Quizzes (open book, untimed)
• A hands-on project and presentation to share your learning with the class

Note on textbooks/OER Resources: All resources are free and available in Canvas or through the library. We will use articles, chapters of free ebooks, and other short readings. Viewing some videos and other multimedia materials will also be required. A free OER textbook will be used for this course, titled Principles and Practices of Teaching Young Children. It is available for free as a PDF or Word Document and will be uploaded to the course Canvas. If students would like a paper copy, this is a link where they can have the PDF printed for $12: https://www.lulu.com/shop/jennifer-paris-and-gina-peterson-and-sharon-eyrich-and-cindy-stephens/principles-and-practices-of-teaching-young-children/paperback/product-e2ervz.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Evaluation Criteria

Assignments for this course will be graded in the following weighted categories:

• Journals - 30%
• Project - 20%
• Participation/Attendance - 20%
• Quizzes - 20%
• Final reflection - 10%

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

Participation:

Participation will require your active engagement in all of the class activities.This includes but is not limited to, sharing your thoughts in discussions, asking questions, and participating in group activities with classmates.

You are welcome to do whatever you need to care for your own needs while in class including: bathroom breaks, eating and drinking, doodling/using fidget toys/other focus strategies, stretching/moving, and briefly stepping out of the room for any reason.

Please use technology responsibly to complete coursework or take notes and do not use it for personal/social/recreational use during class.

Please respect our class time and your classmates' learning needs/rights. If you are being distracting or disrespectful to others you will be asked to stop and will be asked to leave the room if it continues.

Your participation grade will be impacted if you are clearly not engaging in the class or if you are being disrespectful of the needs/rights of other students.

Attendance:

Attendance is an essential part of the course and I do track attendance for each class session. You are expected to regularly attend every weekly meeting of the course when possible and communicate with me via email/Canvas if you cannot attend. You do not have to provide a reason for your absence, I trust that you are being responsible in your decision to miss class.

For classes you miss, you are responsible for reviewing Canvas materials/notes/slides for missed class sessions and requesting help from me or a classmate, if needed. You are still responsible for completing all assignments due unless you communicate and request an extension.

As this is an in-person course - the health and wellness of yourself and other needs to be prioritized over attendance. Please do not come to class if you are sick with a contagious illness, including a cold. If you are still recovering from an illness, and are still coughing or sneezing, please consider wearing a mask to protect others and mitigate the spread of germs.

You are allowed up to 3 absences without impact on your grade, as long as you communicate and inform me via email/Canvas message that you will not be present.

If you miss 4 or more classes, you will be unable to pass the course. Exceptions may be made for extenuating circumstances, but require clear and regular communication and we will make a plan together for making up missing work.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Communication:

When it comes to grades, I value clear communication above all else. All late penalties will be waived if you communicate clearly with me about your needs. This includes the following:

• Email or Canvas Message before the deadline to negotiate an extension. You do not need to explain why you need the extension, but you do need to communicate with me and tell me when you will be able to complete it.
  • If there is an emergency that prevents you from requesting an extension earlier, please contact me as soon as possible after the deadline.
  • I can extend the extension if needed, but please continue to communicate to let me know that you still need more time beyond the original requested date.
• It's never too late to communicate! I understand that sometimes things get overwhelming, we lose track of deadlines, and work piles up. If you feel like missing assignments are piling up and you’re struggling to catch up, email me as soon as possible to figure out a plan for getting you back on track. As long as you communicate with me about your needs, I will be flexible and support you in catching up without penalty.
• If received on time, you may always revise and resubmit your work for a higher grade, as long as the re-submission is completed at least 1 week prior to the final class.

Late Penalties:

• If you don’t request an extension, you will have points deducted from the assignment grade as follows:
  
  • Missing work automatically receives a 0.
  • Late work is reduced by 10% for each day it is late until no credit is given on/after day 10.
  • Narrative feedback is not guaranteed if the assignment is turned in late without communicating/requesting an extension.
• If you miss class on the day of your presentation, you will receive a zero for the presentation portion of the assignment, unless there are extenuating circumstances that you communicate with me about.
• Your lowest quiz grade and your lowest journal grade will be dropped from the final grading calculations. You may use these as "skips" if needed.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity