Early Childhood Education (Transfer)
Teach and Engage Young Learners
Are you ready to make an impact on the next generation of learners? Do you have a strong passion for working with young children?
Early Childhood Education at Kirkwood is an excellent program choice, focusing on the care and education of young children including child development, nutrition, safety, and appropriate childhood curriculum and environments.
Coursework focuses on various aspects of childhood education including technology, health and safety, curriculum, development, and guidance.
Career opportunities include Head Start centers, kindergarten classrooms, state funded four-year-old programs, and child care settings. Whatever your path, transferring and earning a degree in early childhood education couldn’t be easier or more affordable.
If you're planning to transfer to a four-year program, you'll work with our Early Childhood Education faculty coordinator to plan out your academic path while at Kirkwood and beyond. They'll help ensure you have everything completed for a seamless transfer.
You should work with your advisor to plan out your class schedule based on Kirkwood’s graduation requirements, as well as the admission requirements to your transfer school.
By meeting with your faculty coordinator early and often, you’ll be better prepared for the next steps in continuing your education after Kirkwood.
Early Childhood Education Transfer Agreements:
Take advantage of your share of more than $3 million in scholarship opportunities! At Kirkwood, we make it easy. You only need to apply once, even if you are eligible for more than one scholarship.
Lenora Lundquist Endowed Teaching Scholarship
- Must be enrolled in Education Careers, Early Childhood Education, or Human Services.
- Must have a minimum 2.5 GPA.
- Must demonstrate financial need.
A career in early childhood education can be very rewarding, especially if you have the special ability or desire to connect with little ones.
Students with a background in early childhood education often find that they can work in a variety of settings, including child care programs, public schools, churches, government agencies, non-profit organizations, medical and health facilities, and social service agencies.
Kirkwood can help you explore your career options by providing exciting experiences in and out of the classroom to help you find the right path for you.
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The Early Childhood Education interest area at Kirkwood is part of the Liberal Arts program. You will work closely with our early childhood education faculty coordinator and early childhood education faculty when deciding on which classes are right for you.
The faculty are a great resource to you in making transfer decisions and planning for a career in an early childhood education related field. They are experts in the discipline and have years of professional experience as childhood educators helping students just like you. They are passionate about what they do and ready to help you find the right path during your journey into a rewarding career.
With many options to choose from, working with your faculty coordinator will help you figure out what area of specialty to pursue.
ECE-103 Introduction to Early Childhood Education
Gives students a historical and philosophical foundation of the field of early childhood education. Includes an overview of assessment and evidence-based practices. Addresses the influences of family centered practice, inclusion, culture, and language. Explores early childhood careers.
Credits: 3, Hours: (3/0/0/0), Prereq: none; Coreq: none; Arts & Sciences Elective Code: A
ECE-105 Technology for Early Childhood
Introduces appropriate use of technology in early childhood professional practice, including a focus on approaches for instructional use with young children. Introduces students to development of a personal eportfolio and discusses appropriate use of technology, including assistive technology, in early childhood classrooms.
Credits: 1, Hours: (1/0/0/0), Prereq: none; Coreq: ECE-103 or ECE-158; Arts & Sciences Elective Code: B
ECE-133 Child Health, Safety and Nutrition
Focuses on evidence-based concepts in the fields of health, safety, and nutrition and their relationship to the growth and development of the young child ages birth to eight. Blends current theory with problem solving, practical applications, and assessments. Includes collaboration with families and assesses the role of culture, language and ability on health, safety, and nutrition decisions in early childhood settings.
Credits: 3, Hours: (3/0/0/0), Prereq: none; Coreq: none; Arts & Sciences Elective Code: A
ECE-158 Early Childhood Curriculum I
Focuses on the development, implementation and assessment of appropriate environments and curricula for young children ages three through eight. Prepares students to utilize evidence-based, developmentally appropriate practices in the context of children's culture, language, and abilities. Emphasizes understanding children's developmental stages and developing appropriate learning opportunities, interactions and environments to support each child in the following areas: literature, dramatic play, art, music, fine and gross motor play.
Credits: 3, Hours: (3/0/0/0), Prereq: none; Coreq: none; Arts & Sciences Elective Code: A
ECE-159 Early Childhood Curriculum II
Focuses on the development, implementation, and assessment of appropriate environments and curricula for young children ages three through eight. Prepares students to utilize evidence-based, developmentally appropriate practices in the context of children's culture, language, and abilities. Emphasizes understanding children's developmental stages and developing appropriate learning opportunities, interactions and environments to support each child in the following areas: emergent literacy, math, science, technology, and social studies.
Credits: 3, Hours: (3/0/0/0), Prereq: ECE-158; Coreq: none; Arts & Sciences Elective Code: A
ECE-170 Child Growth and Development
Reviews typical and atypical development of children from conception to adolescence in all developmental domains. Examines interactions between child, family, and society within a variety of community and cultural contexts and how each impacts the developing child. Examines theories and evidence-based practices associated with understanding and supporting children.
Credits: 3, Hours: (3/0/0/0), Prereq: none; Coreq: none; Arts & Sciences Elective Code: A
ECE-221 Infant/Toddler Care and Education
Focuses on care, education, and assessment of children from birth to thirty-six months. Prepares students to utilize developmentally appropriate evidence-based practices including responsive caregiving, routines as curriculum, collaborative relationships with culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse children and families, and a focus on the whole child in inclusive settings.
Credits: 3, Hours: (3/0/0/0), Prereq: ECE-170 or PSY-121; Coreq: none; Arts & Sciences Elective Code: A
ECE-243 Early Childhood Guidance
Focuses on developmentally appropriate evidence-based approaches and positive guidance strategies for supporting the development of each child. Emphasizes supportive interactions and developmentally appropriate environments. Uses assessment to analyze and guide behaviors. Studies impact of families, and each child's culture, language, and ability on child guidance.
Credits: 3, Hours: (3/0/0/0), Prereq: ECE-170 or PSY-121; Coreq: none; Arts & Sciences Elective Code: A
ECE-262 Early Childhood Field Experience
Supervised experience* in selected early childhood settings serving children ages birth through eight. Includes integration of theory, and developmentally appropriate evidence-based practice. Provides an understanding of working with culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse young children and families. Emphasizes professional relationships and behavior, appropriate adult/child interactions, basic curriculum planning, and program routines.
Credits: 3, Hours: (1/0/6/0), Prereq: ECE-103, ECE-158, ECE-170; Coreq: none; Arts & Sciences Elective Code: A; Comments: *Requires a minimum of 108 hours of direct work with children
ECE-290 Early Childhood Program Administration
Addresses the function common to administering quality child care programs, planning, implementation, operating, and evaluating. Aspects covered include director responsibilities; policy setting; development; staff, fiscal and facility management; parent involvement; and marketing.
Credits: 3, Hours: (3/0/0/0), Prereq: none; Coreq: none; Arts & Sciences Elective Code: A; Comments: Experience in child care setting, Early Childhood curriculum courses preferred
ECE-924 Honors Project
Allows a qualified honors student to pursue a special concentration of study under the guidance of an honors faculty member. Requires completion of an honors project learning contract. May be taken more than once.
Credits: 1, Hours: (1/0/0/0), Prereq: none; Coreq: none; Arts & Sciences Elective Code: A; Comments: Requires approval of supervising professor and dean
ECE-928 Independent Study
Allows the student to pursue a special concentration of study under the guidance of a faculty member. Requires an independent study contract.
Credits: 1-2, Hours: (0/2-4/0/0), Prereq: none; Coreq: none; Arts & Sciences Elective Code: A; Comments: Requires approval of supervising faculty member and dean
Students in Kirkwood's Early Childhood Education (Transfer) program, as well as those pursuing the Early Childhood Administration Certificate, Early Childhood Paraprofessional Certificate, or Early Childhood Education Diploma, are encouraged to join the Kirkwood chapter of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), the only national Career and Technical Student Organization with the family as its central focus.
FCCLA is one of eight recognized members of the National Coordinating Council for Career and Technical Student Organizations (NCC-CTSO). CTSOs are co-curricular groups that help students in career and technical education programs further their knowledge and skills by participating in activities, events, and competitions.
| Eman Mohamed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title: | Professor, Early Childhood | |||||
| Phone: | 319-398-1258 | |||||
| Email: | eman.mohamed@kirkwood.edu | |||||
| Office: | 1028 Cedar Hall | |||||
Adjunct Faculty
Cynthia Clymer
Melanie Nollsch
Glenda Seward
Ellen Clar
Vivian Quinn
Successful completion of this program leads to a professional licensure or certification. View the state listing guide to identify which Kirkwood program fulfills state guidelines for professional licensure and certification.
“I love Kirkwood’s Criminal Justice program! The instructors are former law enforcement officers, so not only do they have practical experience to share, they have contacts that lead to interesting experiences. My class went on a tour of the Linn County Courthouse and it was so neat to get an insider view and see how it applies to our classwork.”
Malayna Arp,
Walker, Iowa