(Non-teacher Certification Degree)

The Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Studies (ECS) prepares professionals who will serve young children, their families, and the agencies that support them both. This degree program will assist graduates in becoming advocates for children from diverse family structures and will provide them with the critical knowledge to advance the intellectual life of the children and families they serve.

Program Overview

This program is for candidates wishing to work with young children, from birth through preschool. The program offers opportunities to combine theory and practice through application experiences in early childhood settings. The Early Childhood Studies Program offers a choice of specialization with the following emphases: birth to three years, special needs students, or agency leadership. These specialization options are designed to meet the professional goals of each candidate.

The bachelor’s degree satisfies the Head Start Reauthorization Act of 2007 that at least 50 percent of Head Start teachers have a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education by September 2013. Degree completion does not lead to a Washington State Teaching Certificate.

Program Admission Requirements

The minimum requirements for entering the program are the completion of the ECS alternative General University Course Requirements (Options II-VI), as approved by the ECS director, or an AA/DTA degree and a cumulative GPA of 2.6. Also, students must have a program selection interview. Students short of meeting these requirements will be considered with the approval of the associate dean of Residency Teacher Preparation Programs in the College of Education and Psychology.

Candidates must meet all background screening, as required by the university; Washington State licensure requirements; and the Washington State Department of Early Learning.

Specialization Choice

Candidates decide on the area they wish to specialize in by the end of the third semester of coursework. Choose one area of emphasis:

• Birth to Three Specialization
• Special Needs Students: Birth to Five Specialization
• Agency Leadership

Total specialization credits: 9

Application Experiences

Application experiences are required each semester for candidates to apply the knowledge, skills, and disposition required in that semester’s course work. These application experiences will give candidates the opportunity to learn at the infant, toddler, and preschool levels. These application experiences should include both private and public settings. Professors will work with candidates who have full-time work responsibilities in order to design meaningful observation opportunities.

Elements of each application experience include:

• Analysis of context
• Application of theory and practice in professional situations to demonstrate their impact on children’s learning
• Demonstration of the candidate’s impact on children’s learning
• Development and updating of the candidate’s professional growth plan based on NAEYC and Washington State competencies
• Development of reflective practice skills
• Time spent in a variety of locations, reflective journal, and seminars
• Development and continual updating of initial advocacy statement

Senior Project and Specialization Internship in Early Learning, with Focus on Area of Emphasis

• Research project based on assessment, instruction, and impact on children’s learning and area of specialization
• Presentation to PEAB, Heritage University faculty, and ECS professional community leaders
• Advocacy paper
• Internship in area of specialization
• Internship based on agreement of faculty and advisor; internship arrangements will take into account employee and family obligations
• Demonstration of impact on child and family learning

 
1. ECS Alternative General University Course Requirements................................................ 61-67 credits
or
AA/DTA........................................................................................................................... 60 credits
2. Major Requirements ......................................................................................................... 66 credits
ECS    300W    Literacy Development............................................................................................. 3
ECS    330       Child Development ................................................................................................ 4
ECS    331       Applied Experience for Child Development ............................................................ 1
ED      311       Learning in an Online Program................................................................................ 1
ECS    301       Early Childhood Literacy Development.................................................................... 3
ECS    333       Assessment of Young Children
ECS    334       Appl. Exp. for Observation for Assessment of Young Children................................ 1
ECS    302W    Issues in Early Learning.......................................................................................... 2
BLE    310       Language Acquisition in Early Childhood ................................................................ 3
ECS    305       Developmentally Effective Instructional Practices Aligned with
Approaches to Learning and Assessments.............................................................. 4
ECS    306       Appl. Experience for Developmentally Effective Instructional
Practices Aligned with Approaches to Learning and Assessments............................ 1
ECS    308       Diversity and Cultural Competence in Young Children and Families........................... 3
ECS    309       Appl. Experience for Early Learning Curriculum Domains:
Language, Literacy, and Communication................................................................. 1
ECS    400       Early Learning Curriculum Domains: Language, Literacy, and Comm........................ 3
ECS    401       Appl. Experience for Early learning Curriculum......................................................... 1
ECS    404       Early Learning for Curriculum Domains: Social, Emotional
Development, Physical Well-Being, Health, and Motor Development......................... 3
ECS    405       Appl. Experience for Curriculum Domains: Social, Emotional
Development, Physical Well-Being, Health, and Motor Development......................... 1
ECS    408       Early Learning Curriculum Domains: Cognitive and General Knowledge..................... 3
ECS   409       Appl. Experience Curriculum Domains: Cognitive and General Knowledge................ 1
ECS    410       Collaboration and Communication in Early Learning................................................. 2
ECS    411       Appl. Experience Collaboration and Communication in Early Learning....................... 1
ECS    495W    Senior Internship and Project............................................................................. 8-10

      Select One Area of Specialization.................................................................................... 6-8 credits
      Birth to Three Specialization
ECS    415W    Infant Development: The First Three Years of Life.................................................... 3
ECS    416       Educating Infants: Environment for Learning............................................................ 2
ECS    417       Play Theory........................................................................................................... 3
      Special Needs Students: Birth to Five Specialization
SPED             430 ....................................................................... Introduction to Special Education            3
SPED             420 ............................................................................... Methods in Early Childhood            2
SPED             433 ......................................... Behavior Management and Positive Behavior Support            3
      Agency Leadership Specialization
ECS    421       Adult Development and Organizational Foundations for Program Admin.................. 3
ECS    425       Leadership Theory and Practice in Early Learning Sites............................................ 3
Minimum total credits 126, including 48 upper-division credits

Please see the Director of Early Childhood Studies for detailed information about this degree opportunity.