Early Childhood Education Certificate

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Over the last decade an increased awareness about the importance of early childhood education has led to the distinctive instruction of young children. As a student of early childhood education you will learn how to teach young children and advocate for them and their families while developing a professional portfolio and student teaching.

Students must have an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher in order to earn a degree.

Gainful Employment Disclosure

West Shore Community College has elected to opt in to the early rescission of the Gainful Employment regulations, as permitted by the US Department of Education.

For accreditation information, click here.

Courses by Placement/Transfer

The following courses may be prerequisites for your program depending upon your placement scores or transfer evaluation. Advisors can assist you to integrate these into your program of study during your first semester at West Shore. Contact Student Services at 231.843.5510.

FYS 101 - First‐Year Seminar 2 credit hrs (Required for all first-time college students)
ENG 098 - Writing Essentials 3 credit hrs (Required if ENG 111 is required for the program)
MTH 021 - Intermediate Algebra Support 2 credit hrs OR MTH 023 - Introduction to Statistics Support 2 credit hrs OR MTH 025 - Quantitative Reasoning Support 2 credit hrs

Program of Study

Semester 1

ECE 101 - Intro to Early Childhood Education 4 credit hrs
ECE 120 - Early Childhood Ed and Child Care I 7 credit hrs
ENG 111 - English Composition I 3 credit hrs

Total: 14 Credit Hrs | 17 Contact Hrs

Semester 2

ECE 121 - Early Child Ed and Child Care II 7 credit hrs
ECE 125 - Early Childhood Ed Activities 3 credit hrs
ECE 150 - Infant and Toddler Care 3 credit hrs
ECE 250 - Adm of Ely Childhood Ed Facilities 3 credit hrs

Total: 16 Credit Hrs | 19 Contact Hrs

Certificate Total: 30 Credit Hrs | 36 Contact Hrs

ECE 120 - Early Childhood Ed and Child Care I and ECE 121 - Early Child Ed and Child Care II if completed successfully qualifies a student to apply for the national credential - Child Development Association (CDA). A student who successfully completes ECE 297 , ECE 298 , and ECE 299 may qualify for an exemption from ECE 120 and ECE 121 . A student who supplies proof of a current CDA credential may also receive an exemption for ECE 120 and ECE 121 .

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