The Associate in Science in Early Childhood Leadership will prepare students for positions within the Early Childhood field in a Preschool, Day Care, or Public School setting. Students will gain an understanding of young children’s characteristics and needs, learn about the importance of, influences, and ways to support early childhood development, develop an understanding of assessment and curriculum including children with disabilities, identify important teaching strategies and developmentally appropriate curriculum to creative a supportive and effective learning environment, as well opportunity to assess their readiness for this field through observations and classroom practice.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students in an Associate in Science in Early Childhood Leadership will be able to:

• Design, Planning, & Assessment: Develop understanding of and applying knowledge to assessment and main early childhood concepts to know how to integrate into curriculum and instruction, that is developmentally appropriate for the early childhood classroom,  including children with disabilities.
• Supporting All Students: Convey an understanding and importance of young children’s characteristics, needs, multiple influences on development & learning, and creating positive relationships to be able to reflect on their own teaching strategies, providing a positive early learning environment. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of early childhood development to create healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments using all resources available, including technology.
• Family & Community Engagement: Articulate knowledge and understanding of diversity, cultural competence and engaging family and the community to support early childhood development and learning.
• Professional Culture: Identify early childhood professional guidelines, advocacy resources for young children, and professional development opportunities to continuously improve as an early child educator while engaging in observations and other field experiences in the early childhood classroom.

To accomplish the Education Program goals, a Bay Path student is provided with:

• A strong knowledge base in the liberal arts and sciences which provides the basis of subject matter in elementary and early childhood education.
• A sequential, well-designed grouping of education courses that address the pedagogical component of best practices in teaching.
• Courses that address human interactions and diversity (e.g., Child Development, Special Education), necessary for the development of non-discriminatory and caring teachers.
• Structured experiences in schools, ranging from observations, to assisting the classroom teacher, to full practicum (student teaching). These in-school experiences address the content, pedagogical and humanistic development of a teacher.
• Education courses that utilize the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks as a required text and embed school curriculum in coursework.
• Opportunities to engage in inquiry, research, and reflection in coursework and in the schools.