Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | EDU-2042-VO02 - Early Childhood Education & Afterschool Program Management

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Heather Mattison
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Philip Crossman

Course Description

The course is designed to provide an overview of the role and responsibilities of the early childhood and/or afterschool program administrator. Topics include philosophy and design, personnel and resource management, and legal and financial considerations. Students develop skills and identify resources to better prepare themselves for meeting the challenges faced by early childhood administrators.

Essential Objectives

1. Discuss the history of early childhood education in the State of Vermont and describe Vermont licensing regulations, program quality recognition system, and early childhood and afterschool professional development pathways.
2. Explain roles and responsibilities of an early childhood or afterschool program leader.
3. Evaluate a childcare, early education or afterschool environment for health, safety, learning design, cultural competence, and staff performance using Vermont's program and professional development recognition system.
4. Develop policy and procedure statements as they relate to the operation of early childhood or afterschool programs specifically addressing health and safety, feeding and nutrition, child abuse and neglect, and emergency preparedness.
5. Describe the use of technology in managing an effective and confidential record keeping system (e.g., enrollment, attendance, medication administration, staff qualifications).
6. Develop and manage an operating budget and business plan for an early childhood or afterschool program and interpret financial statements.
7. Participate in various aspects of personnel management using Vermont’s Core Competencies as a resource for hiring, staff orientation, developing job descriptions, evaluating performance, assessing strengths, identifying learning needs, and supporting individuals with diverse backgrounds in creating professional development plans.
8. Discuss the role of familial involvement and develop culturally sensitive, trauma-informed strategies to encourage their participation in early childhood education or afterschool programs.
9. Identify and collect resources from the community that support early childhood or afterschool programs, teachers, and directors.
10. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills needed by early childhood or afterschool program leaders.
11. Identify administrative practices that promote the inclusion of children with special needs.

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

• Online discussions
• Written assignments

Evaluation Criteria

1) Class participation (45%)gives the student opportunities to demonstratemastery of the course content through discussion, in-depth analysis of the content and expression of ideas about the material. Each of the 15 weeks is worth 3 points.Class participation is judged on criteria of attendance, preparation (being up to date on assignments), active participation in online discussions (expressing ideas, questioning, showing interest, listening to others, relevant comments, integrating ideas from different sources and scenario-based assessments).

2) Mission and Vision Statements (10%) gives the student the opportunity to express their view of a future program, and demonstrate understanding of communicating the core of the program with staff and families.

3) Budget and Business Plan (10%) gives the student the opportunity to demonstrate learning in financial aspects of managing a early childhood or afterschool program.

4) Staffing Foundations Assignment (15%) gives the student an opportunity to develop the foundations of good staffing, the job description, interview questions and a performance review.

5) Policies & Procedures Assignment (20%) gives the student an opportunity to demonstrate learning in creating the backbone of staffing and running a program – policies and procedures. Students will createpolicies and procedures for health & safety, food and nutrition, child abuse and neglect, emergency preparedness.

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

Any missed classes will affect your grade. The course is designed to enhance learning through participation; when you miss class, you will miss that learning opportunity. Three or more absences may result in the failure of the course.Class attendance is determined by participation in the online discussion.

Missing & Late Work Policy

It is expected that assignments will be handed in on time. You can expect your assignments to be returned to you on time and one week after the due date. Assignments will be marked down by half the earned credit on the assignment if it is from one day to one week late. After one week, no credit will be given.

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