Early Childhood Education, Associate of Applied Science

The Early Childhood Education program prepares students to teach young children in a variety of inclusive early childhood settings, including preschools, pre-kindergartens, Head Start, childcare centers and infant/toddler programs. The program is offered at the Eastern, Metropolitan and Western campuses. Students will receive a basic understanding of principles of early childhood education, child growth and development, and will develop specific skills in planning and implementing the curriculum in centers. Upon completion of the program, students will be qualified to assume lead teacher and director positions. This program is accredited by the Ohio Department of Education to prepare students for state licensure as Pre-Kindergarten Associate teachers. Graduates of this program may work with children birth through five years of age. To work with children in kindergarten or the primary grades, a baccalaureate degree and state teacher’s license for Pre-K to third grade is required. A number of four-year teacher preparation programs have transfer agreements with the College’s Early Childhood program.

The Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) Associate Licensure is available for students who complete the Associate of Applied Science degree in Early Childhood Education. The Pre-K Associate license also requires an overall grade point average of 2.00, a grade point average of 2.50 in Early Childhood (ECED) and Education (EDUC) courses, and 3.00 in the teaching practicums and seminar (ECED-1860 Experience with Young Children in Early Childhood Settings, ECED-2870 Early Childhood Education Student Teaching Practicum, ECED-2990 Early Childhood Education Student Teaching Seminar). The Early Childhood Education program recommends graduates for state licensure after the student passes the Ohio Department of Education’s prekindergarten education licensure exam.

Program contact: Learn more

This degree program contains one or more embedded certificates which will be automatically awarded when the certificate requirements are completed. If you do not want to receive the embedded certificate(s), please notify the Office of the Registrar at RegistrarOffice@tri-c.edu.

Learn more about how certificate credits apply to the related degree.

Program Admission Requirements

• High School Diploma/GED
• Complete ENG-0995 Applied College Literacies Language Fundamentals II with “C” or higher or achieve appropriate score on English Placement Test
• Qualified Mathematics placement
• Students will be required to complete and submit a medical statement and request for a background check and submit fingerprints according to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) process prior to taking ECED 1860 Experience with Young Children in Early Childhood Settings. Social Security card and picture ID will be required for the Webcheck background process to be completed. Students under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
• Students whose reports have not been submitted as per policy, or who do not meet the Prohibitive Offenses Rehabilitation (listed in ODJFS Appendix A to Rule 5101:2-13-09) will not be permitted to continue enrollment in the Early Childhood Education programs or teacher education courses, as student will be unable to complete required field and observation experiences as part of the program requirements approved by the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Other Information

• Students with a valid Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential may request to receive By-Pass Credit for ECED 1311 Art and Creative Expression in an Integrated Curriculum and ECED 1860 Experience with Young Children in Early Childhood Settings.
• The student is eligible for the Pre-Kindergarten Associate Teacher's license when the associate degree is completed with an overall GPA of 2.0, a GPA of 2.5 in all Early Childhood and Education courses, and with completion of 345 hours of faculty supervised field work earning a 3.0 in ECED-1860 Experience with Young Children in Early Childhood Settings, ECED-2870 Early Childhood Education Student Teaching Practicum and ECED-2990 Early Childhood Education Student Teaching Seminar.
• Pre-Kindergarten Associate teacher's license can be applied for after the student passes the licensure exam. The licensure exam is a requirement of the Ohio Department of Education and is not affiliated with Cuyahoga Community College.
• Application requirements for the Early Childhood Education degree and the Pre-Kindergarten Associate degree licensure are the same.

Program Outcomes

This program is designed to prepare students to demonstrate the following program outcomes:

1. Support the diverse ways in which children learn by interpreting and applying knowledge of child growth and development.
2. Include and value children, families and communities, create respectful reciprocal relationships, support and involve all families in their children’s development and learning.
3. Use observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment tools for: planning curriculum, identifying special needs, deepening understanding of child development, communicating with families and professionals and improving teaching practices.
4. Create an inviting and enriched environment that supports children’s optimal growth and development within the context of group living.
5. Design, implement and evaluate experiences that promote positive development and learning for all children.
6. Integrate and use a variety of respectful, responsive teaching strategies.
7. Demonstrate acceptance of all children and families, support cultural diversity, develop a program based on anti-biased principles and interact and relate to all persons in a responsive, respectful manner.
8. Display positive leadership qualities within an early childhood environment.
9. Use reflective and ethical practices in the classroom, advocate, access resources, practice appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication, listen and interact respectfully, use Standard English in writing and speaking.

Suggested Semester Sequence

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ECED-1311 Art and Creative Expression in an Integrated Curriculum or ECED-1331 Music and Movement in an Integrated Curriculum will be accepted in place of ECED-1340 for students who completed coursework with a grade of “C” or higher prior to Fall 2024

²

ECED-1311 and ECED-1331 together with a grade of “C” or higher will be accepted in place of ECED-2200.  Students who did not complete both of these courses prior to Fall 2024 must complete ECED-2200.

MATH-1140, MATH-1141, MATH-1200, MATH-1270, and MATH-1280 can no longer count towards fulfilling the college-level mathematics requirement.  These courses were re-classified as developmental mathematics by the state of Ohio in 2016.  Tri-C established a 5-year transitioning window for students who had completed these courses prior to 2016 to apply them towards meeting graduation requirements, which expired in Summer 2021. It is highly recommended to see a counselor to determine the appropriate math required for your current major.