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IECE 101- 35999 Fall 2008
Orientation to Early Childhood Education
Prerequisites: None
Co-Requisites: IECE 102
Associate Professor: April M. Grace Office Number: JHG 272
Email: Office Phone: (270) 824-8597
Office Hours: I will be available to meet with students during the following specified days and times. To request additional hours, a student must call or email me and make an appointment in or to arrange a meeting.
Wednesday: 9:30 – 11:30 am; 1:30 – 3:30 pm Friday: 9:00 – 11:00 am
Textbooks:
Dodge, D.T., Koralek, D.G., & Pizzolongo, P.J. (2004). Caring for preschool children. (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies, Inc.
Bredekamp, S. & Copple, C. (1997). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood
Programs. (Rev. ed.). Washington D.C.: NAEYC.
Websites: www.madisonville.kctcs.edu/library
Supplies: Students should purchase a three-ring binder to store assignments. Students are also required to have a TB skin test, a criminal background check, and liability insurance on file in order to remain in the program.
Course Description: Provides a practical and realistic introduction to the early childhood profession. This course satisfies the requirements for the Kentucky Commonwealth Child Care Credential and satisfies a portion of the training component of the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential.
Field Experience Hours: Twenty hours of field experience required as set by the KCTCS program requirements for IECE.
Course Competencies: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
· Identify factors that promote quality in childcare settings.
· Describe qualities possessed by an early childhood professional and conduct a self-assessment related to the professional role.
· Document autobiographical information as related to the personal commitment to the field of early childhood.
· Identify national early childhood associations concerning membership and available resources.
· Develop an initial plan for personal professional development of knowledge and skills.
· Discuss various ethical issues and applications.
· Document goal statements and activities for creating and maintaining a safe, healthy, and learning environment that enhance growth and development.
· Identify the signs of child abuse and neglect, local reporting procedure, and state statutes related to suspected child abuse and neglect.
· Describe the symptoms and reporting requirements of common childhood diseases.
· Explain procedures to prevent and monitor illnesses.
· Discuss the nutritional needs of children, including special dietary or cultural needs.
· Provide the name of local resources that provide information on nutrition for children.
· Describe first aid procedures for common emergencies.
· Explain why understanding child development is important.
· Identify and explain the domains of development including social/emotional, physical, and cognitive.
· Discuss the principles of development.
· Identify the major milestones of young children across domains of development.
· Collect articles or pamphlets designed for parents to help them understand how young children grow and learn.
· Select safe, appropriate materials, equipment, and activities for young children.
· Explain the importance of play for young children.
· Identify a variety of guidance techniques appropriate for young children.
· Select various tools and methods of conducting and recording observations.
· Collect and record child data systematically.
· Document early childhood program policies that specify what parents should do and what the program does for parents.
· Describe appropriate strategies and techniques for collaboration with families and colleagues.
· Identify local community service agencies that assist families including children with special needs, hospital policies, and family counseling.
· Develop techniques that maintain daily communication with families.
· Articulate reasons for involving families in the education of young children.
· Obtain copy of state regulations and discuss program policies and licensing requirements.
General Education Competencies:
Writing: Acceptable Standards in English Senate Rules, Section V, 2.3.3
Instructors in all courses are expected to call attention to proper English usage and may penalize for errors and/or require the rewriting of papers which do not meet acceptable standards in English. Any instructor who finds the written work of any student seriously defective in English may recommend remedial work or refer the student for additional assistance from local resources.
1. Use appropriate search strategies and resources to find, evaluate, and use information
- Students put together a portfolio for IECE 101 and 102 that is compiled of information collected from outside sources and also contains competency statements applicable to the CDA guidelines.
Grading Criteria: The student will accrue points on all course work throughout the semester. Once all assignments and exams are completed and graded, the student’s points will be added and divided by the total number of points possible for the course in order to determine the final grade.
All grades are figured on a 10-point grading scale.
100-90 A
89-80 B
79-70 C
69-60 D
59-below E
Students are encouraged to keep a record of all grades. By doing this, the students will be able to figure their own grades at any time during the semester.
Students are required to write proficiently with minimum spelling or grammatical errors, points will be deducted from assignments according to the number of errors made. As teachers of young children, it is important that the early childhood student be able to speak, read, and write in a way that will enhance appropriate language development in children.
Attendance Policy: Students are required to attend all classes. All students are required to arrive on time. More than three absences will result in the students’ grade being lowered by one letter grade.
Late Work Policy: All assignments are to be turned in at the beginning of class!
Late work will not be accepted.
Make-Up Policy: Students are encouraged to take tests on the day they are given. Students
can choose to drop the lowest quiz grade. There will be no make-up quizzes.
Withdrawal Policy: A student may withdraw from the class at any time following the policies
and standards set by the institution. The instructor may deny the request if sufficient reasoning is not presented.
ADA Requirements: If you have a documented disability and need any type of accommodation, you are required to register with the Disability Resource Coordinator, Room 112 LRC. 270-824-.1708
KCTCS Student Code of Conduct: You can locate the Kentucky Community and Technical College Student Code of Conduct at: www.kctcs.edu/student/code.htm
Course Requirements:
· Obtain a copy of the state license and regulations. Read the regulations in its entirety and be prepared to be quizzed on the regulations throughout the semester. A copy of the regulations can be obtained by visiting the following site: www.chs.state.ky.us, go to the division of child care license and regulations, scroll down and the regulations can be downloaded from the links provided on that page. (25 points)
Arrangement of the Resource File
The material in the Professional Resource File can be arranged in any one of many creative ways. It should be professional looking, manageable in size, and legible. It should be easy to add to or delete from. There are no requirements about how it should look. Whatever its physical form, the Professional Resource File should be portable. It should be designed to be carried to and from a work site on a home visit, or to a meeting.
Contents
The Professional Resource File has three major sections: (1) Autobiography; (2) Statements of Competence; and (3) Resource Collection.
(1) Autobiography
The student writes a statement about herself of about 300 words. In the first part, the student tells who she is, and in the second part, tells what things about her life influenced the decision to work with young children.
(2) Statements of Competence
The student writes six Statements of Competence based on the six Competency Goals. The student will begin each section by writing out the following Competency Goal Statement:
Goal 1: To establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment.
Goal 2: To advance physical and intellectual competence.
Goal 3: To support social and emotional development and to provide positive guidance.
Goal 4: To establish positive and productive relationships with families.
Goal 5: To ensure a well-run, purposeful program responsive to participant needs.
Goal 6: To maintain a commitment to professionalism.
In the student’s own words, she describes the things she does with children and families. The description should demonstrate the student’s specific needs of children and families in each of the six CDA Competency Goals and 13 Functional Areas. The description in each statement of competence should be 200-500 words in length and should state the student’s goals or objectives for children and give specific examples of what she does or will do with the children (activities) to achieve those goals.
(3) Resource Collection
This section should be organized by Competency Goal areas and numbered so that each item can be located easily during the grading process.
Competency Goal I
To establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment
1. Provide a summary of the legal requirements in your state regarding child abuse and neglect (including contact information for the appropriate agency), and also your program’s policy regarding your responsibility to report child abuse and neglect. (If student does not work at a facility, something can be taken from another center or made up)
3. Use the Internet, public library, or your program’s professional library to obtain the name and contact information for an agency that supplies information on nutrition for children and/or nutrition education for families (e.g., Cooperative Extension Service or Child Care Food Program).
4. Provide a sample of your weekly plan that includes goals for children’s learning and development, brief description of planned learning experiences, and also accommodations for children with special needs (whether for children you currently serve or may serve in the future).
Competency Goal II
To advance physical and intellectual competence
5. Select four songs, fingerplays, word games, or poems that you can use to promote phonological awareness. Describe strategies to promote phonological awareness among children whose home language is other than English.
6. Describe nine learning experiences for three, four, and five year old children (three-year-olds, three four-year-olds, and three for five-year-olds). Each learning experience should promote physical, cognitive, and creative development. Describe the goals, materials, and teaching strategies used.
Competency Goal III
To support social and emotional development and to provide positive guidance
7. Provide the titles, authors, publishers, copyright dates, and short summary of ten age-appropriate children’s books that you use to support development of children’s self-concept and self-esteem, and to help children deal with life’s challenges. These books may support development of cultural and linguistic group identity; gender identity; children with disabilities or special needs; separation, divorce, remarriage, or blended families; everyday activities and routines; and/or the cycle of life from human reproduction to death.
8. Use the Internet, public library, or your program’s professional library to obtain at least two resources designed to assist teachers in constructively dealing with children with challenging behaviors (Such as aggressive behavior like hitting or biting, or shyness).
9. Provide the name and telephone number of an agency in the community where you work for making referrals to family counseling.
Competency Goal IV
To establish positive and productive relationships with families
10. Find out where to obtain resources, materials, and translation services for families whose home language is other than English. Provide the agency name and contact information.
Competency Goal V
To ensure a well-run, purposeful program responsive to participant needs
12. Provide three samples of record-keeping forms used in early childhood programs. Include an accident report, emergency form, and a third form of your choice.
Competency Goal VI
To maintain a commitment to professionalism
13. Use the Internet, public library, or your program’s professional library to obtain the name, address, and phone number of your state’s agency that regulates child care centers and homes. These regulations are available electronically at the website of the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care (http://nrc.uchsc.edu/STATES/states.htm). Make a copy of the section(s) that describes qualification requirements for personnel (teachers, directors, and assistants.)
14. Review the websites of two or three national early childhood associations (one with a local affiliate) to obtain information about membership, their resources, and how to order. Download at least two resources from the Internet that will enhance your work.
15. Obtain four pamphlet(s) or articles (may be downloaded from the Internet) designed to help parents understand how young children develop and learn.
Articles must help parents understand development and learning of 3 to 5 year olds. At least one article must relate to guidance.
16. Locate an observation tool to use in recording information about children’s behavior. One copy should be blank; the other one should be filled out as a sample of your observation of an individual child. (The child’s name should not be included.)
17. Obtain contact information for at least two agencies in the community that provide resources and services for children with disabilities (in most communities, the local school district provides these services).
· Students will write one state of competence for each of the six competency goal areas.
Directions will be provided by the instructor and due once the material is covered. (25 pts each)
· Quizzes will be administered throughout the semester. Therefore it is important that the student comes to class having read the material assigned for each meeting. (20 points each)
· Students will complete 20 hours of field experience in which the student will go out into the field and complete the assignments provided by the instructor. The student will visit centers that are approved by the instructor. Please see the instructor for a list of appropriate centers in your area. (10 points each)
Class Meeting / Reading Topics and Assignments / AssignmentsAugust 19 / Getting to Know You
August 21 / Module 13 – Sowers of the Future Video
Professional Organizations Lecture
Code of Ethical Conduct
August 26 / Design Plan for Professional Growth
Discuss Autobiography
August 28 / Bring Child Care Regulations – What is quality?
September 2 / Module 1 – Safe / Autobiography due
September 4
September 9 / Module 2 – Healthy / Quiz 1
September 11
September 16
September 18 / Module 3 – Learning Environment
September 23
September 25
September 30 / Module 4 – Physical / Quiz 2
October 2 / pp. 55-71; Dev. Appropriate Practices: Infants and Toddlers
October 7 / Module 5 – Cognitive
October 9 / pp. 97-122; Dev. Appropriate Practices: Three to five year olds
October 14 / Fall Break – No Class
October 16 / Fall Break – No Class
October 21 / Module 6 – Communication
October 23
October 28 / Observation Day
October 30 / Module 7 – Creative / Quiz 3
November 4 / Election Day – No Class
November 6
November 11 / Module 8 – Self
November 13
November 18 / Module 9 – Social / Quiz 4
November 20
November 25 / Module 10 - Guidance / Observation Assignments Due
November 27 / Thanksgiving – No Class
December 2 / Notebooks Due
December 4 / Module 11 – Program Management
December 11 / Final Exam / Final Quiz
Students will work on their portfolios in both IECE 101 and IECE 102. The notebook will need to be turned in to the instructor on December 2. We will attempt to write competency goals and develop activities during class in order to decrease the time outside of class needed to complete the notebook.