Early Childhood Education [8005] ‡

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Bachelor of Science

(120 Credit Hours)

Program Director

Dr. Kathryn Stuckey
941-363-7265 Lakewood Ranch
941-408-1300, ext. 67265 Venice
stuckek@scf.edu

Program Description and Goal

The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education (with emphasis in birth through age 4 teacher certification) Program is a unique program that is designed for students seeking employment in the field of child care and children’s services. The program fulfills the legal requirements being implemented for Head Start teachers and directors, the requirements included in the Florida Statutes regarding Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) teachers, and the point system for the child care center certification process promoted by Florida’s Office of Early Learning (OEL) under the Department of Education (DOE) and the Early Learning Coalitions (ELC) throughout the state. The program prepares students to be highly qualified teachers (including VPK and Head Start) and managers or administrators of programs. The degree prepares participants for teacher certification as well as equips them to meet the requirements for workplace retention or hiring within a high-quality setting for this age group.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements to the Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education Program include:

A 2.0 GPA on a scale of 4.0;
Completion of 45 semester hours. Included in this must be
ENC 1101
and
MAT 1033
(or a course at that same or higher level).
Successful completion of at least 50 percent of the prerequisite courses (with a grade of C or better).

Prerequisite Courses

Prerequisite courses for all applicants for admission (21 credits):

EDF 1005 - Introduction to the Teaching Profession + Field Experience (3 Credit Hours)
EDF 2085 - Introduction to Diversity for Educators + Field Experience (3 Credit Hours)
EME 2040 - Introduction to Technology for Educators (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 1000 - Introduction to Early Childhood Education (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 1001 - Early Childhood Growth and Development (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 1601 - Observing and Recording Children’s Behavior (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 1319 - Portfolio Development and Performance Observation (3 Credit Hours)

Program Courses, Upper Level (3000-4000)

EEC 3214 - Early Childhood Education Learning Environment (3 Credit Hours)
EEX 3401 - Special Needs of Children and their Families + Field Experiences (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 3731 - Health, Nutrition and Safety of Young Children (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 4402 - Cultural and Family Systems (3 Credit Hours)
EEX 3226 - Assessment of All Young Children and Field Experience (3 Credit Hours)
EEX 4701 - Blending Early Childhood Methods & Field Experience (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 4400 - Parents as Teachers and Field Experiences (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 4204 - Infant/Toddler Curriculum (3 Credit Hours)
EDF 3430 - Education Measurement and Evaluations (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 4267 - Curriculum Programs – Preschool (3 Credit Hours)
EEX 4603 - Behavior Management in the Preschool & Field Experience (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 4268 - Curriculum Activities in Early Childhood (Child Dev.) (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 4613 - Assessment and Evaluation for Young Children (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 4706 - Language and Emerging Literacy (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 4661 - Theory and Practice in Early Childhood Education (3 Credit Hours)
EEC 4940 - Internship: Early Childhood Education & Field Experience (9 Credit Hours)

Foreign Language Requirement:

Students must have completed Florida’s foreign language requirement prior to the completion of the bachelor’s degree. Students may meet this competency by:

successful completion of two years of a single foreign language while in high school (official high school transcripts must be submitted to educational records), or
successful completion of two semesters (6-8 credit hours) of a single foreign language in college (or through corresponding College Level Examination Program CLEP exams), or
validation of foreign language competence for languages not available through CLEP as deemed appropriate by the vice president of baccalaureate programs.