Early Childhood Certificate

School: Business and Professional Careers
Academic Dept: Education
HEGIS: 5503

Important Note about Program Requirements

The requirements listed below are for students entering into this program from Fall 2021 to Summer 2022. Students who entered the program during a prior semester will find their specific requirements listed in the Catalog under which they entered. Archived Catalogs are accessible through the dropdown menu above.

Students are encouraged to apply early due to an extraordinary demand.

Program Description

The Early Childhood Certificate program is a 25-credit program that serves multiple purposes (birth – second grade). Public school professionals seeking additional credits in order to teach in the lower grades or to become a head teacher or director can use these credits to expand their current certification. In addition, these credits can be utilized to prepare for the State Education exam to become an Assistant Teacher in any Early Childhood class. These credits can also be used to prepare for the nationally recognized Child Development Association (CDA) credential and applied Toward the AAS degree in Early Childhood.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, a student will:

Demonstrate the ability to build a philosophy of teaching based on valuing children’s strengths and ways of knowing to guide daily practice and inform curriculum choices in early childhood settings.
Demonstrate knowledge of how to support each child’s strengths and ways of knowing in early childhood settings.
Demonstrate the ability to recognize the diverse and complex characteristics of children’s families and communities as a foundation for building relationships with them in early childhood settings.
Demonstrate the ability to work effectively in early childhood settings.

Program Map

The academic map below presents the recommended plan of study and will guide you through your program in a timely manner. Click the course abbreviations for full course descriptions. A course may be critical because it is a pre-requisite, requires a minimum grade, or because it is only offered once a year. Missing a critical course may push back your graduation date. Meet with an Academic Counselor or Faculty Advisor to ensure you are on track to complete your program.

Critical Courses should be taken in the order shown to stay on track and graduate on time.

Semester 1

Course (click for more information)	Critical Course	Pre-reqs or Co-reqs	Credits	Notes
ECE 170	✔		3
ECE 171	✔		3
ECE 270	✔	✔	4
ECE 271	✔	✔	3
Semester Total Credits			13

Semester 2

Course (click for more information)	Critical Course	Pre-reqs or Co-reqs	Credits	Notes
ECE 272 or ECE 274	✔	✔	3	✹
ECE 273 or ECE 275	✔	✔	3	✹
ECE 280	✔	✔	3
The Arts Gen Ed Elective			3
Semester Total Credits			12

Notes:

✹ Choose either ECE 272 and ECE 273 ; or ECE 274 and ECE 275 . Students are allowed only one field-related course per semester.

Minimum Total Credits: 25

Gainful Employment Disclosure

For information about graduation rates, the median debt of students who have completed this program, and other important information please visit Early Childhood Certificate - GE Disclosure. For an overview of all gainful employment disclosures at Westchester Community College, visit www.sunywcc.edu/gainfulemployment.

Career Opportunities

Visit Career Coach to explore career paths, job descriptions, salary trends, and job trends.

Visit the Career Services page for more career resources.