Introduction to Early Childhood

Overview

Class Central Tips

This course is targeted toward individuals wishing to operate a family day care center, and it covers topics including the fundamentals of early childhood development; the importance of play and Developmentally Appropriate Practice; and the significance of building strong family-educator relationships and how to achieve them. Since a Family Policy Handbook is essential for anyone operating a family day care center, this course includes the development of one of three imperative sections of the handbook. The remaining two sections are created in subsequent courses of the Home-Based Childcare series available on Coursera.

Syllabus

Introduction: Family Policy Handbook Project

The intention of this module is to introduce you to the Home-Based Child Care Final Project, including the rubric which will be used to score your final project submission.

Foundations for Early Childhood

In this module, we define Developmentally Appropriate Practice and discuss the importance of play in early childhood. We also outline the domains of children's learning.

Family Engagement

In this module, we discuss teacher/family relationships, including ways to communicate and involve families in early childhood programs.

Observation and Assessment of Children

In this module, we will explore the use of observations in early childhood settings along with the varied assessments utilized and their purpose. In addition, we will look at developmentally-appropriate assessment strategies.

Guiding Children's Behavior

We will explore factors that influence behavior in this module. We will also discuss the importance of regular, predictable, and positive learning environments along with various guidance techniques for young children.

Inclusion and Diversity

This module is geared toward understanding strategies for teaching in an inclusive setting, recognizing culturally-diverse classrooms and establishing anti-bias curriculum.