2017-2018 College Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2017-2018 College Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Early Childhood Teacher Associate in Science


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This certificate meets the coursework requirements of the Teacher level Child Development Permit and prepares students to be competent and effective teachers and caregivers for young children ages 3-5. Additional work experience with young children (175 days of 3 hours per day within 4 years) is required to qualify for state permit. Saddleback Certificate can be earned with coursework only.

A minimum grade of “C” in each course is required to receive the certificate.

Program Student Learning Outcomes


Students who complete this program will be able to:

  • Describe developmental milestones for children in the areas of physical, psychosocial, cognitive, and language development.
  • Identify environmental, cultural, familial, economic, political, and historical contexts that influence all children’s development.
  • Demonstrate a range of skills and knowledge related to the unique need of children ages 0-5 years.
  • Apply developmental theory, knowledge of child development, DCLAP, and research based teaching strategies to develop curriculum for the unique educational needs of young children individually and in group care settings.
  • Demonstrate developmentally appropriate observation, assessment, and documentation skills that can be applied to interpretations of growth and development, planning, and identification of individual needs.
  • Demonstrate professional skills including ethical practice, reflective practice, written and verbal communication, collaboration, advocacy, and identification of personal qualifications in relationship to state and national requirements for teachers of young children.

Core Courses


  • CD 101 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF TEACHING YOUNG CHILDREN 3 Units *
  • CD 15 CHILD, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY 3 Units *
  • CD 7 CHILD GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 3 Units *
  • CD 110 INTRODUCTION TO CURRICULUM 3 Units *
  • CD 111 CHILD GUIDANCE AND COMMUNICATION 3 Units *
  • CD 112 HEALTH, SAFETY, AND NUTRITION 3 Units *
  • CD 117 TEACHING IN A DIVERSE SOCIETY 3 Units *
  • CD 120 OBSERVATION AND ASSESSMENT 3 Units *

Supervised Field Experience Courses


  • CD 121 PRACTICUM: THE STUDENT TEACHING EXPERIENCE 5 Units *
    Lab placement must be in a setting that serves children ages 3-5

General Education (16 units)


A course in each of the following 4 areas must be included.
See Associate Degree, CSU or IGETC General Education lists found in class schedule or student handbook for acceptable courses.   

  • English or Language Arts
  • Science or Math
  • Social Sciences
  • Humanities or Fine Arts      16 Units

Total Units for the Major: 45


*Course has a prerequisite, corequisite, limitation, or recommended preparation; see course description.

Associate in Science Degree


Completion of the certificate program and a minimum of 60 units including the general education requirements with an overall GPA of 2.0 qualifies the student for the Associate in Science degree. A minimum of 12 units must be completed at Saddleback College. Students intending to transfer must complete IGETC or CSU pattern general education courses.

General Education Requirements for Associate Degrees


Refer to the Graduation Requirements  or to the CSU-GE and IGETC patterns in this catalog for specific courses which meet general education requirements. Refer to ASSIST.org and to the transfer institution’s catalog for transfer requirements.

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