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History
- Policy Number: SP.06.002
- Version: Original
- Drafted By: Maria K. Denney, Ph.D. and Joan Karp, Ph.D.
- Approved By: Richard R. Rush
- Approval Date:
- Effective Date:
- Supercedes:
Purpose
- To provide students with an academically rigorous undergraduate education with an interdisciplinary approach.
- To prepare graduates for teaching and administration in early childhood.
- To prepare graduates for professional work with children (with and without disabilities) from birth through age eight and their families from diverse linguistic, cultural, and/or socioeconomic backgrounds.
- To prepare students for teacher education programs in early childhood, elementary and special education.
- To prepare students for further graduate studies.
Background
Among the most pressing challenges for institutions of higher education is how to meet the increasing demands of preparing highly qualified, college educated professionals to develop and provide educational programs to young children (Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Spring 2003). Despite federal legislative mandates for a highly qualified educator workforce such as the No Child Left Behind Act and other proposed state-level legislation (e.g., Preschool for All in California), there exists an enormous challenge nationally and regionally for the preparation of highly qualified early childhood educators.
The Bachelor of Arts Degree in Early Childhood Studies at California State University Channel Islands will prepare graduates with the requisite knowledge and skills to effectively work with young children and their families from birth through eight years of age. Students will acquire knowledge and skills in order to serve typically developing young children and those with disabilities within the natural settings of home, community, and schools.
The academic program will offer core curricula and practica in early childhood development and pedagogy while highlighting the contextual influences of family, culture, language, and society. Embedded in the program are the following competencies set forth by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing:
- Child Development Permit
- Subject Matter Preparation for the Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential
- Cross-Cultural, Language, and Academic Development Teacher Preparation Certificate (CLAD)
This degree program will provide an opportunity for residents of Ventura and Southern Santa Barbara Counties to earn a state-supported CSU Degree in Early Childhood Studies. The program is distinctive in that the major emphasizes the first eight years of life as extremely significant in children’s development. The philosophy implicit in the Early Childhood Studies Program is reflective of the Position Statements and Early Childhood Professional Preparation Standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children that include:
- Promoting child development and learning
- Building family and community relationships –whatever their structure, language, ethnicity, and child’s ability or disability
- Delivering developmentally effective assessment and teaching practices
- Preparing early childhood professionals beyond a foundational level in order to support the acquisition and application of advanced knowledge and skills
Policy
Accountability
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Applicability
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Definition(s)
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Text
The Bachelor of Arts Degree in Early Childhood Studies will prepare graduates with the requisite knowledge and skills to effectively work with young children and their families from birth through eight years of age. Students will acquire knowledge and skills in order to serve typically developing young children and those with disabilities within the natural settings of home, community, and schools.
The academic program will offer core curricula and practica in early childhood development and pedagogy while highlighting the contextual influences of family, culture, language, and society. Embedded in the program are the following competencies set forth by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing:
- Child Development Permit
- Subject Matter Preparation for the Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential
- Cross-Cultural, Language, and Academic Development Teacher Preparation Certificate (CLAD)
The Early Childhood Studies Program is distinctive in that the major emphasizes the first eight years of life as extremely significant in children’s development. The philosophy implicit in the Early Childhood Studies Program is reflective of the Position Statements and Early Childhood Professional Preparation Standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children that include:
- Promoting child development and learning
- Building family and community relationships –whatever their structure, language, ethnicity, and child’s ability or disability
- Delivering developmentally effective assessment and teaching practices
- Preparing early childhood professionals beyond a foundational level in order to support the acquisition and application of advanced knowledge and skills
There is a specific programmatic focus on the preparation of graduates who possess knowledge and skills in second language acquisition and literacy for young English learners.
Careers: The program will prepare graduates for multiple career paths in the fields of teacher education, health and human services. These careers include infant/toddler and preschool teachers, early interventionists, administrators of centers for young children and families. The program will provide the subject matter preparation for the multiple subjects and special education teaching credentials, as well as related professional programs in the health and human services such as child life specialists and counselors. Graduates will also be prepared to pursue graduate studies in related fields such as, education, social work, human development, and counseling.
Program Learning Outcomes and Contact Information
- Students can teach and administer in programs serving young children (with and without disabilities) from birth through eight and their families
- Students are able to teach all subjects in their area of specialty
- Students understand and relate to diversity of languages and cultures in and among children and families
- Students can meet the diverse needs of all children including those with special needs
- Students are reflective and deliberative practitioners
- Students link content to pedagogy
- Students actively engage children in their learning
- Students integrate research, theory and best practice into their teaching
Exhibit(s)
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