Course description
The Child Care Career Course is comprised of 12 comprehensive lessons. They are easy to follow, yet challenging and stimulating at the same time. Each lesson begins with a subject matter preview and objectives, an introductory note from your instructor and a vocabulary builder of new words and terms.
Next comes the reading assignment. Practice exercises help you check and review what you've learned. At the end of the lesson is an open-book exam, which you may take online.
Lesson 1: Providing a Safe Learning Environment
Options and approaches to providing child care: the differences between custodial, developmental and comprehensive care; quality issues in child care.
Lesson 2: Providing a Healthy Learning Environment
Developing a safety policy; removing hazards; dealing with medical, fire, and weather emergencies; assembling an effective first aid kit; monitoring illnesses; health problems caused by weather, abuse, and emotion.
Lesson 3: Providing a Developmentally Appropriate Learning Environment
Planning good environments for children; types of learning centers; selecting equipment, materials, and toys; evaluation.
Lesson 4: Early Care & Education: Past, Present & Future
Physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development; promoting maturation and responsibility; how temperament affects personality; the two-year-old stage; impact of play on social development.
Lesson 5: Stages of Early Childhood Development
Recognizing signs of development; the role of accomplishment in developing a child's self-esteem; motor and perceptual skills; how competition, fear, stress, and rules affect a child.
Lesson 6: Expectations of the Early Childhood Professional
Important workplace skills; ethics for child care professionals; promoting communication, cooperation and teamwork; facing day-to-day challenges; managing your time and solving problems effectively.
Lesson 7: Children Don't Come with Directions
Why understanding child development is important; child development theories and principles; developmental stages; self-esteem; observing children.
Lesson 8: Creating & Evaluating & Early Childhood Environment
Qualities of a strong curriculum; how children learn; effective teaching techniques; stages of artistic development; guiding a child's art experiences; planning and leading art activities.
Lesson 9: Planning to Play
Language skill development; assessing books; reading stories; reading and writing exercises; language arts and dramatic play; how dramatic play encourages growth; using puppets.
Lesson 10: Planning for the Mind
Goals of science and math curricula; the teacher's role; planning and leading science, math and active play activities; active play learning centers; safety during active play; creative resources.
Lesson 11: Planning for the Heart & Soul
Planning a social studies curriculum; helping children become responsible citizens; learning about one's self, family, and community; adding an effective music program; planning music and creative movement activities; the teacher's role in music.
Lesson 12: Issues & Trends in Early Childhood
Helping infants and toddlers develop physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially; communicating effectively with parents; planning a safe and healthy environment; common challenges.
Supplement: First Aide For Children
CPR For Children. Essential how to information on first-aid techniques and administering CPR (this knowledge is a must for meeting child development associate (CDA) learning objectives).
Supplement: Starting an At-Home Child Care Business
A guide to help give you a boost of confidence before starting your own at-home child care business.
Supplement: Career Development Bonus
Developing Your Career in Child Care, and Growing as a Professional. Finding career opportunities; writing a good letter of application; your résumé; presenting yourself well in an interview; tips to help you succeed in reaching your career goals; continuing education; balancing your work and your personal life.
