ECE 247: Child Development: Birth to Eight

Course Description

This course will focus on an examination of development from prenatal through the early childhood years (to age eight). The course will explore current theory and research of early childhood development and how to translate this into practice in the lives of young children today. The developmental domains of cognitive, physical, and social/emotional are studied from an ecological perspective. Students will consider developmentally appropriate practices for children's diverse and individual differences, including special needs, gender, age, and multicultural dimensions. 20 hours of field experience (observations) required for completion of this course. (3 credits)

Prerequisite

• None

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

1. Examine and discuss various early childhood theories of development and learning, including current research on brain development. [Standard 1a, 1b, 1c]
2. Understand the importance of optimal prenatal development and how children grow and develop from birth to age 8, including those with developmental delays, disabilities, language, and/or cultural differences. [Standard 1a]
3. Connect developmental domains to various age groups (Birth to Age 8) and identify the influences of heredity and environment on a child's development. [Standard 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 5b]
4. Demonstrate understanding and application of observation and assessment tools to gather information about a child's growth and development. [Standard 3a, 3b, 3c]
5. Compare and contrast how children differ in their development and approaches to learning, and discuss how partnerships with parents support all children's development, including those with developmental delays, disabilities, language, and/or cultural differences. [Standard 1b, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3d]
6. Discuss the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and its implications for early childhood professionals. [Standard 6b]

Learning Objectives:

To provide students opportunities to develop knowledge, reflection and understanding of:

1. Early Childhood theories of learning and development. .(P.S. and C for ECE) 1a, 1b, and 1c)
2. Prenatal development (P.S. and C for ECE 1a)
3. Current research on brain development. (P.S. and C for ECE 1a)
4. How all children, including children with developmental delays, disabilities, language and/or cultural differences, grow and develop through successive stages in all domains of development. (P.S. and C for ECE 1a)
5. Developmental domains. .(P.S. and C for ECE 1a)
6. Influences of heredity and environment and their impact on development. (P.S. and C for ECE 1b, 1c, and 2a)
7. A variety of observation and assessment tools to gather information about a child’s growth and development. (P.S. and C for ECE 3a, 3b, and 3c)
8. How children differ in their development and approaches to learning. .(PS and C for ECE 1b,1c, and 1d)
9. Partnerships with parents to support all children’s development including children with developmental delays, disabilities, language and/or cultural differences. (All of Standard 2, and 3d)
10. The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct. (P.S. and C for ECE 6b)

Course Activities and Grading

Required Textbooks

Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle

• Wittmer, Donna, Margaret B. Puckett, and Janet K. Black (2017). The Young Child: Development from Prebirth through Age Eight. (7th edition). Pearson. 

Additional Requirement

• Observation: The observations for ECE 247 need to be set up in a Birth to Five setting for the Infant , Toddlers and Preschoolers and an Elementary School or  before/After School Program for the School Age children. Take care to choose a program of high quality; preferably NAEYC accredited. This may be your place of employment or another site you have access to. The Instructor can assist in finding an accredited program if needed.

Course Schedule

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.