Early Childhood Education
Interested in a rewarding career that makes a difference? Great teachers work with families and communities, educating, guiding, and inspiring all of our children to their full potential! At Highline, you’ll find programs that prepare you for a broad range of careers working with children and families, from birth through middle school. With courses offered in the evenings, on the weekend, and online, the program meets the needs of new practitioners and working professionals alike.
Career
Educators work with children, families, and communities in a variety of roles including infant/toddler programs, preschools, Head Start, ECEAPs, and elementary (K-8) schools. Graduates with this degree may also find careers as coaches, trainers, or family support specialists.
Bachelors Degree
Earning a BAS in ECE prepares you for a leadership role in early learning. Graduates pursue careers as center directors and owners, childcare licensors, state trainers, lead teachers at Head Starts and ECEAPs, and family services managers.
Program Map
Department/Program URL:
Education Department – BAS Early Learning Program
GPA Requirement:
All individual classes must be completed with a 2.0 or better to apply for certificates or degrees.
Number of Credits:
181 credits
Degree or Certificate Learning Outcomes:
- Use knowledge of individual children and child development theory to promote learning
Develop strategies to learn more about individual children (families, languages, abilities, culture, etc)
Use knowledge of child development and individual children to create equitable, supportive, and challenging learning environments for young children
Create curriculum that builds resilience in children, inclusivity, and pushes back against systems that may harm children (racism, classism, trauma, poverty, etc) – - Engage families and communities in the education of young children
Value diverse family structures, languages, cultures and norms
Create reciprocal and authentic family and community partnerships - Observe, document, and assess learning to support development
Link the purpose of observation to curriculum planning and assessment to teaching strategies
Explore how assessment can be harmful to children and how to use assessment responsibly
Share information with families and other service providers - Use a wide array of developmentally, culturally, and linguistically sustaining approaches, strategies and tools to connect with children and families.
Describe the importance of relationships in teaching and learning
Use research-based strategies, tools, and approaches that support the cultural, linguistic, and individual development of the children in the classroom
Develop a habit of reflecting on practice, changing strategies and approaches as necessary to support children and families - Use content knowledge to build meaningful curriculum.
Use the central concepts and tools of a wide range of academic disciplines: language and literacy; the arts – music, creative movement, dance, drama, visual arts; mathematics; science, physical activity, physical education, health and safety; and social studies.
Use early learning standards, integrating anti-bias strategies
Design, implement, and evaluate curriculum - Identify with the profession and conduct themselves professionally
Uphold ethical standards in classroom and practicum communities
Engage in advocacy for children, families, and the field
Top Transfer-To institutions
- Eastern Washington University
- Antioch University
Important Dates or Milestones Specific to Degree/Certificate
N/A
Key Advisors
Associates Degrees
Program Map
Department/Program URL:
GPA Requirement:
All individual classes must be completed with a 2.0 or better to apply to certificates or degrees.
Number of Credits:
90
Degree or Certificate Learning Outcomes:
- Manage classrooms and guide learner behavior by implementing strategies that build social competence in learners, utilizing additional resources and outside agencies when appropriate.
- Demonstrate cultural competence through self-awareness, action for social equity, and knowledge of individual students and their cultural groups and application of best teaching practices.
- Utilize knowledge of child development to construct and implement curriculum that effectively addresses the needs of diverse learners as individuals and in groups. They integrate content knowledge into environments that are healthy, respectful, supportive and challenging for all learners.
- Conduct themselves in accordance with current governing policies, professional standards and ethical codes of the education profession by articulating a philosophy and rationale for decisions using a cyclical process of theory, action and reflection.
- Observe, document and assess learning and teaching to support the success and progress of diverse learners, they use data to reflect on the effectiveness of their own teaching.
- Know about, understand and value different family structures and cultural backgrounds, which they use to establish and maintain reciprocal and authentic family and community partnerships that best support student learning.
Top Transfer-To institutions
- Highline College – BAS in Teaching and Early Learning (Elementary Education Certification)
- HIghline College – BAS in Teaching and Early Learning (Early Childhood Education)
- North Seattle College – BAS in Early Childhood Education
Important Dates or Milestones Specific to Degree/Certificate
N/A
Key Advisors
Certificates
Earning the state ECE Certificate builds your knowledge and skills to promote the healthy development of our youngest learners – children birth to eight years old. It emphasizes relationships with families, culturally sustaining practices, and is a stepping stone to the AAS in early childhood education.
Program Map
Department/Program URL:
GPA Requirement:
All individual classes must be completed with a 2.0 or better to apply to certificates or degrees.
Number of Credits:
47
Degree or Certificate Learning Outcomes:
- Identify strategies that guide learner behavior by implementing strategies that build social competence in learners, utilizing additional resources and outside agencies when appropriate.
- Describe cultural competence through self-awareness, action for social equity, and knowledge of individual students and their cultural groups and application of best teaching practices.
- Utilize knowledge of child development to construct and implement curriculum that effectively addresses the needs of diverse learners as individuals and in groups. Integrate content knowledge into environments that are healthy, respectful, supportive and challenging for all learners.
- Conduct themselves in accordance with current governing policies, professional standards and ethical codes of the education profession by articulating a philosophy and rationale for decisions using a cyclical process of theory, action and reflection.
- Explain how observation and assessment are used to support the success and progress of diverse learners and how data is used to inform teaching practices.
- Know about, understand and value different family structures and cultural backgrounds and be able to describe their own cultural identities and how these identities inform their values and practices.
Top Transfer-To institutions
- People with the state certificate in Early Childhood Education (ECE) continue to the AAS in ECE at Highline College.
Important Dates or Milestones Specific to Degree/Certificate
N/A