Associate in Arts

Preschool - Grade 3 Education

Program

The Preschool to Grade 3 Education degree prepares students to work with children in early childhood centers and social service agencies. It provides the student with approved academic training for group teacher positions in state-licensed child care facilities. This program also provides a foundation of courses suitable for students interested in certification in early childhood education at a bachelor’s degree level. Transfer requirements (including Praxis Core) of the four-year college must be satisfied for admittance into that college and its teacher certification program.

For further information about this degree, contact faculty advisor, Lisa Stein, at (609) 343-4960 or lstein@atlanticcape.edu or contact department chair, Dr. Beth Sanders-Rabinowitz, at (609) 343-4982 or bsanders@atlanticcape.edu.

Upon completion of this program students will be able to:

Analyze major theories of child development with emphasis on similarities and differences and the interaction of the four learning domains and models from infancy through age eight;
Evaluate family and community characteristics in relation to their role in the economic, political and cultural institutions of society;
Apply the goals, benefits and uses of assessment using observation, documentation and other appropriate assessment tools and approaches;
Recognize and apply effective approaches, strategies and tools to positively influence children’s development and learning;
Articulate and uphold ethical standards and other professional guidelines and engage in informed advocacy for children and the profession;
Document children’s development and apply the documentation to curriculum development.

(EDPR-Fall 2023)