Course Description
This course will focus on the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary to create an inclusive, developmentally, culturally and linguistically appropriate environment and curriculum. This course highlights the importance of parent-teacher partnerships and how families’ expertise and input can be used to inform assessment and programming. This course highlights how respectful, responsive and reciprocal relationships with early childhood educators lay the foundation for learning in infants and toddlers. This course will review how everyday caregiving and classroom routines, along with playful interactions of infants/toddlers with their surroundings provide the learning opportunities and curriculum of early childhood. The course will review curriculum design and planning, and provide opportunities to design activities that promote sensory experiences, early literacy skills, and learning across all developmental domains for infants and toddlers. 5 hours of field experience (observation) required for completion of this course. A grade of ‘C’ or above is required for this course key assessment. (3 credits)
Prerequisites
- ECE 101: Introduction to Early Childhood Education
- ECE 217: The Exceptional Learner
- ECE 247: Child Develoment: Birth to Eight
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Understands infant and toddler development (NAEYC 1a), that development happens uniquely for each child (NAEYC 1b), and the multicontextual dimension of development (NAEYC 1c), and uses all of the above to make evidence-based decisions that support the child (NAEYC 1d)
- Understand the importance in early childhood education of building partnerships with the families and community they serve (NAEYC 2a), establish means to invite parent input and use parent expertise to inform curriculum and planning (NAEYC 2b), and connect families to community supports as well as facilitate partnerships between community supports, families, and early childhood settings (NAEYC 2c)
- Knows the purpose of early childhood assessment (NAEYC 3a), knows a wide ranges of types of assessment and their purpose (NAEYC 3b) and uses screening and assessments tools that are ethically grounded and developmentally, culturally, ability and linguistically appropriate to track progress and promote positive outcomes for each child (NAEYC 3c)
- Understands the importance of and foster nurturing, responsive relationships for infants/toddlers (NAEYC 4a) and differentiate teaching strategies and responses based on the needs of each child (NAEYC 4b) and utilize a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate, linguistically and culturally, anti-bias, and evidence based teaching strategies (NAEYC 4c)
- Understand content knowledge and resources for the academic disciplines in an early childhood curriculum (NAEYC 5a) Understand how young children learn and use knowledge and practices to support young children’s learning in each content area to create curriculum that is meaningful, challenging and stimulating (NAEYC 5b) Modify teaching practices by applying, expanding, integrating, and updating their content knowledge in the disciplines, their knowledge of curriculum content resources, and their pedagogical content knowledge (NAEYC 5c)
- Identify and involve themselves with the early childhood field and serve as informed advocates for young children, families, and the profession (NAEYC 6a), understand the responsibility to adhere to the ethical guidelines of their profession (NAEYC 6b) Conduct themselves in a professional manner in all communications with children, staff and families (NAEYC 6c), engage in continuous collaborative learning to inform their practice (NAEYC 6d), and recognize the role of and seek out reflective practice as an early childhood educator (NAEYC 6e)
Learning Objectives
- Students will describe characteristics of and evaluate whether a classroom environment is inclusive, developmentally, culturally and linguistically appropriate.
- Students will develop strategies to involve both family and community in curriculum planning and activities.
- Students will identify indoor and outdoor multisensory experiences and develop ways to increase sensory experiences for infants and toddlers.
- Students will identify materials and activities to promote early literacy for infants and toddlers and how parents can support these skills at home.
- Students will design and evaluate curriculum for infants and toddlers, identifying how everyday classroom and caregiving routines provide meaningful opportunities for learning, and demonstrate an understanding of the role child interest and play have in child engagement and learning.
- Students will reflect on how they foster respectful, responsive and reciprocal relationships as early childhood educators, on their values, knowledge and beliefs, and identify areas of future professional development and learning.
Course Activities and Grading
| Assignments | Weight |
|---|---|
Responses to discussion topics (Week 1 - 7) | 20% |
Multisensory Experiences (Week 3) | 10% |
Early Language and Literacy Assignment (Week 4) | 10% |
Midterm Exam SLO 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3c, 4a, 4b, 4c | 10% |
Observation paper (Week 6) SLO 3a, 3b, 3c, 4b, 5b | 15% |
Key Assessment- Curriculum Plan of Learning Experiences for Infants and Toddlers (Week 7) | 20% |
Reflective Journal (Week 8) | 5% |
Final Exam (Week 8) | 10% |
Total | 100% |
Observation
Students in this course will be required to complete an observation in an early childhood setting serving children birth to three years old. The observation should be completed at a program of high quality; preferably NAEYC accredited. This may be your place of employment or another site you have access to. Instructor can assist in finding an accredited program if needed.
Required Textbooks
Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle
- Gonzalez-Mena, J. and D.W. Eyer. Infants, Toddlers and Caregivers: A Curriculum of Respectful, Responsive Care and Education, 12th ed. New York, NY: Mc-Graw-Hill Higher, 2021. ISBN-13: 978-1-260-83441-3
Course Schedule
Week | SLOs | Readings and Exercises | Assignments |
1 | 1a, 1b, 1c, 4a, 4b, 4c | Topics: Introductions and Part 1 - Focus on the Caregiver
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2 | 1d, 3c,4a, 4b, 4c | Topic: Part 1 - Focus on the Caregiver
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3 | 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 4a, 4b, 4c | Topic: Part 2 - Focus on the Child
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| 4 | 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 5b | Topic: Part 2 - Focus on the Child
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| Midterm Exam Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 SLOs 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3c, 4a, 4b, 4c | |||
5 | 1a, 1b, 1c, 3a, 3b, 3c | Topic: Part 2 - Focus on the Child
Topic: Part 3 - Focus on the Program
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6 | 2a, 2b, 2c | Topic: Part 3 - Focus on the Program
Topic: Part 1 - Focus on the Caregiver
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7 | 4a, 4b, 4c, 5a, 5b, 5c | Topic: Developmentally Appropriate Experiences - Curriculum Implications of the Three Focuses: The Caregiver, the Child and the Program |
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8 | 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b, 4c, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 6e | Topic: Final Exam |
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COSC Accessibility Statement
Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.
COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.