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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 major early childhood theories of development and learning, including current research on brain development, and explain how these theories inform understanding of both common developmental patterns and individual variation among young children across diverse abilities, experiences, and contexts. [Standard 1a, 1b, 1c]
  2. Describe the importance of optimal early development and explain how children grow and develop from birth to age 8, including individual variation in development related to abilities, delays, disabilities, language, and cultural experiences, and identify the roles of heredity and environment in shaping development. [Standards 1a, 1b, 1c]
  3. Connect developmental domains to various age groups (birth to age 8) and compare how children differ in their development and approaches to learning in order to inform educator understanding of development in context. [Standards 1a, 1b, 1c]
  4. Demonstrate understanding and appropriate use of observation techniques to document and interpret children’s growth and development. [Standards 3a, 3b, 3c]
  5. Discuss how partnerships with families support the development of all children, including those with developmental delays, disabilities, and diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.  [Standards 2a, 2b]
  6. Demonstrate ethical, reflective, and professional practices in early childhood education by engaging in objective observation, respectful and strengths‑based interpretation of child development, and responsible use of professional language, evidence, and standards to support ongoing professional learning. [Standards 6a, 6b]

Course Activities and Grading

AssignmentsWeight

Discussions (Weeks 1-8)

33%

Assignments (Weeks 1-8)

30%

Surveys (Weeks 1 & 8)

2%

Key Assessment (Week 8)

35%

Total

100%

Required Textbooks

  • This course uses Open Educational Resources (OER). OER are openly licensed, educational resources that can be used for teaching, learning and research. OER may consist of a variety of resources such as textbooks, videos and software that are at little or no cost for students.
    • Buckley, D., and Budzyna, D. (2023). The Whole Child: Development in the Early Years. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
    • The OER textbook used for this course is:

Note: For students enrolled in the CDA sections of this course, (ECE 247 36; ECE 247 37):

  • Child Development Associate National Credentialing Program and Competency Standards, Infant-Toddler Edition, by Council for Professional Recognition. 
  • Child Development Associate National Credentialing Program, Preschool Edition, by Council for Professional Recognition. 

Course Schedule

WeekSLOsReadings and ExercisesAssignments

1

1,6

Topic: Introduction to Child Development & Theoretical Perspectives

  • Read and Review:
    • Read Whole Child, Chapters 1 & 2
  • Read assigned material
  • Review the lecture material
  • Conduct 1.5 field experience hours
  • Participate in Discussion Board
  • Submit Week 1 Assignment
  • Complete Survey

2

2,3,6

Topics: Developmental Domains and Brain Development

  • Read and Review:
    • Read Whole Child, Chapters 3 & 4
  • Read assigned material
  • Review the lecture material
  • Conduct 1.5 field experience hours
  • Participate in Discussion Board
  • Submit Week 2 Assignment

3

2

Topics: Prenatal Development and Birth

  • Read assigned material
  • Review the lecture material
  • Conduct 1 field experience hour
  • Participate in Discussion Board
  • Submit Week 3 Assignment

4

3,4

Topic: Infancy (0-12 months)

 

  • Read assigned material
  • Review the lecture material
  • Conduct 4 field experience hours
  • Participate in Discussion Board
  • Submit Week 4 Assignment

5

3,4

Topics: Toddlerhood (1-3 years)

  • Read and Review:
    • Read Whole Child, Chapter 7
  • Read assigned material
  • Review the lecture material
  • Conduct 4 field experience hours
  • Participate in Discussion Board
  • Submit Week 5 Assignment

6

3

Topics: Preschool Development (3-5 years)

  • Read and Review:
    • Read Whole Child, Chapter 8
  • Read assigned material
  • Review the lecture material
  • Conduct 4 field experience hours
  • Participate in Discussion Board
  • Submit Week 6 Assignment

7

3,4

Topics: School-Age Development (5-8 years)

  • Read and Review:
    • Read Whole Child, Chapter 9
  • Read assigned material
  • Review the lecture material
  • Conduct 4 field experience hours
  • Participate in Discussion Board
  • Submit Week 7 Assignment

8

4,5,6

Topics: Professionalism, Ethics, and Family Partnerships

  • Read and Review:
  • Read assigned material
  • Review the lecture material
  • Participate in Discussion Board
  • Submit Assignment
  • Submit Key Assessment
  • Submit Field Experience Hours Form
  • Complete Survey
  • Complete Course Evaluation

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.