TEDX1886X - Early Childhood: Program Planning
Course Description
This course, Program Planning, has been divided into four chapters. It discusses numerous considerations for planning and implementing a comprehensive, research-based curriculum for young children. Included will be topics such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Understanding by Design (UbD), differentiated instruction, and the use of developmentally appropriate technology for young children. Various perspectives on the history and theory behind early childhood education and child development will be examined, in addition to discussing various forms of diversity among children. We will also discuss what curriculum is, and identify guidelines presented by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) for appropriate curriculum for young children through eight years of age. We will take an overall look at the basic steps for creating an appropriate curriculum, planning a daily schedule, and creating lesson plans and activities for early childhood programs. In addition to focusing our attention on appropriate curricular approaches, we will touch briefly on several curricular approaches to avoid.
While the first chapter of the course provides an overview of general considerations and approaches for early childhood curriculum, assessment, and evaluation, later chapters of the course will take a more in-depth look at appropriate curriculum for various age groups such as infants & toddlers, preschoolers, and primary school children. Curricular considerations for integrating specific content areas such as language and literacy, math and science, and social studies and expressive arts will also be discussed.
Each chapter contains additional handouts or attachments that cover specific topics from the chapter in greater depth. They are provided for you to read, ponder, and apply to the early childhood education setting in which you work. Some of the topics are intended for you, as the professional, while others are intended for you to pass on to parents, when appropriate.
View Early Childhood: Program Planning syllabus for additional information.
Key Benefits
- 100% online self-paced course.
- No prior experience required.
- No textbooks and other materials required for purchase.
Learning Modules Include
- Chapter One: Developing Appropriate Programs for Young Children—A Look at Curriculum, Assessment, & Evaluation
- What is curriculum?
- Curricular approaches to avoid
- NAEYC’s position on ECE curriculum, child assessment, and program planning
- Developmentally Appropriate Practice—What is it?
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Differentiated Instruction (DI), & Understanding by Design (UbD)—Connecting Content to Kids
- Planning the ECE program—Planning the daily schedule, lesson plans and activity plans
- Considerations for use of developmentally appropriate technology with young children
- Making adaptations and modifications for students with special need
- A note about social-emotional learning (SEL)
- Chapter Two: Developing Appropriate Programs for Young Children—A Look at Language & Literacy
- Creating the curriculum—What does research say?
- A look at Language and Literacy: oral language, written language, reading
- Language and literacy activities across the curriculum
- Curricular considerations for children with special needs: sensory, cognitive, and physical impairments, cultural considerations, giftedness
- Chapter Three: Developing Appropriate Programs for Young Children—A Look at Mathematics & Science
- NCTM and NSES principles and content standards for mathematics and science
- NCTM’s curricular focal points for each age group, pre-K through 2nd grade
- Key mathematical concepts for young children: classification, ordering, counting, adding and subtracting, measurement, geometry
- Key science concepts for young children: physical science, biological science
- Assessment: A critical component of ECE and program planning
- Integrating mathematics and science activities throughout the ECE curriculum
- Chapter Four: Developing Appropriate Programs for Young Children—A Look at Social Studies & Expressive Arts
- A look at social studies: historical perspectives
- National Council for Social Studies (NCSS): ten themes
- Suggestions for thematic social studies curriculum: Categories of intertwined content
- Social studies disciplines: history, geography, sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, values education
- An important social studies theme: conflict resolution
- Integrating social studies activities across the curriculum
- A look at expressive arts: art, music, movement
- A look at child development: cognitive development, social and emotional development, physical development
- Considerations for infants, toddlers, preschool, kindergarten, and primary children
- Integrating expressive arts activities across the curriculum
- A note about quality research improvement systems (QRIS) for ECE programs
Course Learning Outcomes
- Identify the general guidelines for early childhood curriculum, assessment, and evaluation as presented by NAEYC.
- Explain the key components of a developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) for young children.
- Discuss numerous ways to make adaptations, accommodations, and modifications for students with special learning needs.
- Explain the three principles for learning presented by the National Research Council that directly apply to classroom teaching for children of all ages.
- Discuss research-based positions and standards for various curricular content areas.
- Identify and plan key components of an integrated early childhood curriculum that fosters curiosity and promotes the process of inquiry.
- Describe a variety of ways to integrate language and literacy, mathematics and science, and social studies and expressive arts activities in meaningful ways throughout the early childhood curriculum.
- Provide the most current requirements for earning a CDA Credential or NAEYC Accreditation.
Requirements to Enroll
No application is needed to enroll. All learners are eligible to enroll in the course. There are no admission requirements. It is recommended that learners have a high school diploma or GED, and have basic computer and internet knowledge.
Semester Open-Enrollment Schedule:
- Spring = January - April
- Summer = May - August
- Fall = September - December
*Please note that students are only allowed to register max 5 TEDX courses per semester period*
Estimated Time to Completion
This course can be completed in approximately 40 hours of asynchronous work.
Access Time
Learners will have access to their course learning modules for up to 365 days from the date of enrollment.
CEUs and PDUs
- CEUs 4.0 National University Continuing Education Units
Certificate of Completion
Learners will be awarded a National University Workforce and Community Education, Professional and Continuing Education Certificate of Completion after satisfying the course requirements below:
- Complete all four information sections showing a competent understanding of the material presented in each section.
- Complete all four section examinations, showing a competent understanding of the material presented. You must obtain an overall score of 70% or higher, with no individual exam score below 50%, to pass this course. *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.
- Complete a review of any section on which your examination score was below 50%.
- Retake any examination, after completing an information review, to increase that examination score to a minimum of 50%, making sure to also be achieving an overall exam score of a minimum 70% (maximum of three attempts). *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.
- Complete a course evaluation form at the end of the course.
Refund Policy
We at National University want all of our students to have a positive and rewarding learning experience. In the event that a student is not completely satisfied with a course, we offer a refund policy to ensure satisfaction.
To be eligible for a refund, the student must submit a written request, including a valid reason, within 9 calendar days of registering for the course. Additionally, the student must not have attempted more than 25% of the course.
To request a refund, email PACE@nu.edu and include your full name, student ID, and course name. Your reason for requesting a refund will be carefully reviewed, and we reserve the right to refuse a refund if we determine the request to be invalid.
If you meet the eligibility criteria and are approved for a refund, we will issue a refund to your original method of payment within 60 days of the refund approval.