Mar 28, 2024  
Official Course Syllabi 2020-2021 
    
Official Course Syllabi 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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ECHS 1801 - CDA Credential Preparation

Credit Hours: 3.00


Prerequisites: ECHS 1100; and ECHS 1150 or ECHS 1200 or ECHS 1550; all with grade C or better

(formerly ECHS 1815)

This course supports the potential CDA candidate in gathering data to complete the Professional Portfolio, prepare for Verification Visit as well as the CDA Credential Exam. The CDA National Credentialing Program is a professional development opportunity for early educators working with children ages zero to five years old to teach basic principles in early education and child development in 6 Competency Standards and 13 Functional Areas. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) recognizes the CDA as a beginning stepping stone on the path of career advancement in early childhood education. The CDA credential is awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition. With prerequisites this course completes the 120 hours of necessary formal early childhood education training required for the CDA.

Contact Hours: 3
Billable Contact Hours: 3
OUTCOMES AND OBJECTIVES
Outcome 1: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able promote child development and learning.

Objectives:

  1. Understand principles of child development and learning.
  2. Plan a safe and healthy learning environment.
    1. Safe: provide a safe environment to prevent and reduce injuries.
    2. Healthy: promote good health and nutrition and provide an environment that contributes to the prevention of illness.
    3. Learning Environment: use space, relationships, materials, and routines as resources for constructing an interesting, secure, and enjoyable environment that encourages and fosters trust, play, exploration, interaction, and learning.

Outcome 2: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to build family and community relationships.

Objectives:

  1. Building productive relationships with families.
    1. Families: establish a positive, cooperative relationship with each child’s family, encourage their involvement in the program, and support the child’s relationship with his or her family.

Outcome 3: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to describe how to observe, document, and assess to support young children and families.

Objectives:

  1. Observing and recording children’s behavior.
    1. Assessment: understand the goals, benefits, and uses of assessment, including its use in development of appropriate goals, curriculum, and teaching strategies for young children.

Outcome 4: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to use developmentally effective approaches to connect with children and families.

Objectives:

  1. Support children’s social and emotional development.
  2. Advance children’s physical and intellectual development.
    1. Physical: provide a variety of developmentally appropriate equipment, learning experiences, and teaching strategies to promote the physical development of children.
    2. Cognitive: provide activities and opportunities that encourage curiosity, exploration, and problem solving appropriate to the developmental levels of each child.
    3. Communication: actively communicates with children and provides opportunities and support for children to understand, acquire, and use verbal and nonverbal means of communicating thoughts and feelings.
    4. Creative: provide opportunities that stimulate children to play with sound, rhythm, language, materials, space and ideas in individual ways and to express their creative abilities.

Outcome 5: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to use content knowledge to build meaningful curriculum.

Objectives:

  1. Support children’s social and emotional development.
    1. Self: provide a warm, positive, supportive relationship with each child, and help each child learn about and take pride in his or her individual and cultural identity.
    2. Social: help each child feel accepted in the group, help children learn to communicate and get along with others, and encourage feelings of empathy and mutual respect among children and adults.
    3. Guidance: provide a supportive environment and use effective strategies to help all children learn and practice appropriate and acceptable behaviors as individuals and as a group, and effectively provide support for children with persistent challenging behaviors.
  2. Advance children’s physical and intellectual development.

Outcome 6: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to show professional growth.

Objectives:

  1. Managing an effective program.
    1. Program Management: use all available resources to ensure an effective operation; a competent organizer, planner, record keeper, communicator, and a cooperative coworker.
  2. Maintaining a commitment to professionalism.
    1. Professionalism: make decisions based on knowledge of researched-based early childhood practices, promote high-quality child care services, and take advantage of opportunities to improve knowledge and competence, both for personal and professional growth and for the benefit of children and families.

COMMON DEGREE OUTCOMES
(Bulleted outcomes apply to the course)

  • 1. The graduate can integrate the knowledge and technological skills necessary to be a successful learner.
  • 2. The graduate can demonstrate how to think competently.
  1. The graduate can demonstrate how to employ mathematical knowledge.
  • 4. The graduate can demonstrate how to communicate competently.
  • 5. The graduate is sensitive to issues relating to a diverse, global society.

COURSE CONTENT OUTLINE
Week 1. Introduction
Overview of CDA Application Process
Organizing the Professional Resource File
Locating Resource Items
Choosing a Professional Development Specialist
 
Week 2. Overview Of The Responsibilities Of A Professional Early Educator
Understanding of the Areas of Competence
Writing Statements of Competence
Competency Standard 1: Managing and Maintaining a Safe, Healthy Learning Environment
Mandated Reporters

Week 3. Observing And Recording Children’s Behavior
Competency Standard 2: Advancing Physical and Intellectual Competence
Planning Lessons Based On Observations
NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct-Responsibility to Children
Statement of Competence 1 Due

Week 4. Maintaining An Emotionally Healthy Environment
Adult-Child Relationships
Relationships with Coworkers
Competency Standard 3: Supporting Social and Emotional Development and Providing Positive Guidance
Statement of Competence 2 Due

Week 5. Working With Families
Understanding Families of Today and Their Challenges
Competency Standard 4: To Establish Positive and Productive Relationships with Families
NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct-Responsibility to Families

Week 6. Working With Families, Continued
Effective Communication Strategies
Epstein’s Six Types of Parent Involvement
Statement of Competence 3 Due

Week 7. Community Resources
Developing a Family Resource Guide
School and Community Relationships
NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct-Ethical Responsibility to Community and Society
Statement of Competence 4 Is Due

Week 8. Management
Competency Standard 5: To Ensure a Well-Run, Purposeful Program That Is Responsive To Participants Needs
NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct, Ethical Responsibility to Colleagues
Recordkeeping Strategies
Child Portfolios

Week 9. Family Questionnaires
Strategies for Distribution and Collection

Week 10. Professionalism
Advocacy
Ethical Dilemmas
Competency Standard 6: Maintaining a Commitment to Professionalism
Statement of Competence 5 Is Due

Week 11. Professionalism, Continued
Networking
Professional Development Opportunities
Writing a Philosophy Statement
Statement of Competence 6 Is Due
NAEYC’s Statement of Commitment

Week 12. Preparing Your Professional Portfolio
Completing and Collecting Activity Plans
Practice Quiz

Week 13. Professional Portfolio Continued
Bibliography of Children’s Books
Collection of Resource Items RC I-1, 2, and 3, RC V, RC VI-1, 2, and 3


Primary Faculty
Boni, Lisa
Secondary Faculty

Associate Dean
Primeau, Paula
Dean
Mirijanian, Narine



Official Course Syllabus - Macomb Community College, 14500 E 12 Mile Road, Warren, MI 48088



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