1. Understanding the developmental period of early childhood from birth through age eight across domains and areas such as physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and linguistic (including bilingual development
2. Understanding and valuing each child as an individual with unique developmental variations, agency, strengths, interests, challenges, approaches to learning, experiences and abilities
3. Understanding the ways that child development and the learning process occur within multiple contexts including family, culture, language, and community as well as within a larger societal context of structural inequities
4. Using this multidimensional knowledge (developmental period of early childhood, individual child, context of development, and multiple social identities (race, language, culture, class, gender and others)) to make evidence-based decisions

1. Knowing about, understanding and valuing the diversity of families and communities
2. Engaging as partners with families in young children’s development and learning through respectful and reciprocal relationships
3. Utilizing community resources to support families and young children

1. Understanding that assessment (formal and informal, formative and summative) is conducted to make informed choices and for planning in early learning settings
2. Knowing a wide-range of types of assessments, their purposes, and their associated methods and tools
3. Practicing assessment that is ethically grounded and developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate to document developmental progress and promote positive outcomes for each child
4. Building assessment partnerships with families and professional colleagues

1. Understanding positive, caring, supportive relationships and interactions as the foundation of early childhood educators’ work with young children
2. Understanding that the science of learning and child development indicates the need for distinct teaching skills and strategies appropriate to early childhood along with differentiated instruction to support children’s individual needs, including children with developmental delays or disabilities
3. Using a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically relevant, anti-bias and evidence-based teaching skills and strategies that reflect universal design for learning principles
4. Developing and sustaining reflective, responsive and intentional practice

1. Understanding content knowledge and resources—the central concepts, methods, inquiry and application tools, and structures—of the academic disciplines in an early education curriculum
2. Understanding pedagogical content knowledge—how young children learn in each discipline—and how to use the educator knowledge and practices described in Standards One through Four to support young children’s learning in each content area
3. Applying, expanding, integrating and updating their content knowledge in the disciplines, knowledge of curriculum content resources, and pedagogical content knowledge to their teaching practice

1. Identifying and involving oneself with the early childhood field and serving as an informed advocate
2. Knowing about and upholding ethical standards and other early childhood professional guidelines
3. Engaging in continuous, collaborative learning to inform practice
4. Integrating knowledgeable and critical perspectives on early education and developing the habit of intentional reflective practice
5. Using strong communication skills to effectively support young children’s learning and development and to work with families and colleagues

This course provides an overview of information and procedures related to the health, safety and nutrition of young children, birth to fourth grade. Students will learn techniques for maintaining a safe and healthy classroom environment; for providing health, safety, and nutrition education for young children and their families; for working with children with special needs; for advocating for children and families; and for responding to a range of childhood illnesses and emergencies. In addition, students will be provided with information about the ways that specific health or social problems, including HIV/AIDS, homelessness and family violence affect child health and development. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, the apprentice will be able to: Define and implement basic supervision and safety practices  Provide a safe environment for children  Model safe practices for children during routines and learning activities  Demonstrate the knowledge that environments must be healthy to promote children’s physical and psychological health, safety, and sense of security.  Plan a nutritious weekly menu to foster healthy eating habits in children  Identify standards for creating an environment that supports the way children learn.  Describe the name and examples of materials for learning centers recommended for high-quality classrooms for children   Design secure and stimulating learning environment for the age group that they serve.  Identify materials for each interest center that are developmentally appropriate.

Examines the skills and methods used to observe and assess young children in various early childhood environments. An emphasis will be placed on authentic assessment practices, the appropriate use of assessment and observation strategies to document the development, play, and learning of young children. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, the apprentice will be able to: Indicate value of intentional observation of children Utilize a learner profile to begin documentation on child progress.  Evaluate ways to support individual and group learning goals in the classroom  Analyze the appropriateness of learning experiences and content in meeting the needs and interests of individual children  Structure the learning environment, curriculum plans, and interactions based on observations and assessment of children  Evaluate ways to support individual and group learning goals in the classroom  Analyze the appropriateness of learning experiences and content in meeting the needs and interests of individual children  Structure the learning environment, curriculum plans, and interactions based on observations and assessment of children  Define integrated curriculum  Explain the connections between curriculum and assessment and the Early Learning Standards.  Present a weekly lesson plan based upon a theme generated from a scenario and integrate curriculum across domains and content areas.  Explore resources for identification of developmental delays  Demonstrate knowledge of the teacher’s role in implementing IFSP/IEPs Use strategies to adjust program setting and curriculum to meet needs of children with disabilities.

Students learn the significance of the family-child-school relationship, the role of parents and other caregivers, and how to work effectively with diverse families and within diverse communities. Particular emphasis will be paid to cultural, ethnic, linguistic and economic diversity; nontraditional families; and families and communities faced with special challenges such as poverty. Involvement of parents and/or other primary caregivers in children's schooling is discussed at length, including various types of informal and formal home-school communications, home visits, home-school meetings and conferences. Students learn how to develop partnerships with families, including those with children who have special developmental needs, and study the legal rights of the child, special housing concerns and social service agency support. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, the apprentice will be able to: Demonstrate knowledge and strategies to establish respectful, reciprocal relationships with the families of the children served  Employ a variety of methods for family engagement in the classroom/program  Identify how culture impacts family dynamics Describe family structures  Support family needs as able including families of children with special needs  Identify key characteristics in healthy, positive communication with families  Use resources to strengthen skills  Identify ways to support families at conferences  Recognize family stressors  Explore ways to encourage families to participate in shared decision-making and goal setting for their children

This is a hands-on scenario-based course. The course will include a mix of video, PowerPoint and lecture paired with hands-on practice sessions. Participants will be presented with situations that they will need to practice and treat which will include review and group critique. This is a hands-on class and participants will be practicing some of the skills on their fellow classmates. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, the apprentice will be able to: Prevent medical emergencies from occurring. Describe the steps that need to be taken prior to delivering care during a medical emergency. Identify the normal functions of the human body to know when the body is not functioning properly. Assess a victim during a medical emergency to determine what care is needed. Perform CPR on child and infant victims. Use an AED on child and infant victims. Manage breathing emergencies in child and infant victims.