Early Childhood Education, AAS

90 CREDITS

Admission Dates: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer

Program Mission: The Early Childhood Education AAS degree prepares students to develop competencies necessary to plan, implement, and evaluate a quality program for children, following National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards.

This program prepares students to seek new employment or update professional skills and knowledge as a family care provider; program supervisor of a child care center; child care manager; and lead and support teacher in early childhood programs. Theoretical knowledge is gained through traditional, hybrid, and online classroom lectures; practical experience takes place in college labs and in family and center-based programs where students may be employed.

Early Childhood Education AAS degree graduates will:

• be prepared for a lead teacher or entry level management position in the early care and learning field
• plan, implement, and evaluate children’s programs using current child development knowledge
• apply developmentally appropriate guidance techniques
• teach developmentally appropriate guidance techniques to colleagues
• document children’s skill development and plan programs based on documented observations
• be prepared to create a learning environment that fosters language, social, cognitive, and motor skills in young children
• be prepared to communicate in verbal and written format with the parents
• be prepared to plan and monitor food service in an early childhood program
• be able to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment, both indoors/outdoors
• follow the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) as it relates to early childhood programs
• be prepared to develop and maintain staff and fiscal policies of an early childhood program
• be prepared to appropriately hire, mentor, and supervise staff
• demonstrate critical thinking, teamwork, communication, intercultural appreciation, and information literacy skills
• meet Social Science, Humanities, Written Communication, and Quantitative Reasoning distribution area outcomes

Lake Washington Institute of Technology does not offer every course each quarter. It is the student’s responsibility to consult the Class Schedule and work out an individual schedule with a college or program adviser. Any developmental coursework a student may be required to complete may increase the program length.