LCACTC Home

Early Childhood Professional

Early Childhood Professional I

I. All students will demonstrate understanding of the ethics and professionalism in child development careers.

• All students will explain ethical responsibilities of working with children (e.g. law-abiding, appropriate language, trustworthiness, abuse reporting).
• All students will discuss rights of families (e.g. confidentiality, personal values and practices).
• All students will discuss ethical responsibilities to families (e.g. respect, mutual trust, communication, access).
• All students will describe ethical practices in a multicultural world.
• All students will provide a positive role model for the child.
• All students will project a positive image to colleagues and parent(s).
• All students will demonstrate professional behavior (e.g. appearance and hygiene, work habits, enthusiasm, stamina, initiative, accepting constructive criticism).
• All students will identify strategies for cooperating with social and community agencies.
• All students will discuss professional and legal issues in child care and education (e.g. crisis, ADA requirements).
• All students will identify professional growth options and affiliations (e.g. inservices, AYEC).
• All students will utilize child development career information in career planning.

II. All students will analyze developmental stages (physical, social, emotional, and cognitive).

• All students will explore different theories of child development (Piaget, Erikson, etc).
• All students will apply knowledge of developmental stages to observation and/or interaction with inpidual children.
• All students will compare and contrast normal and atypical child development (birth to ae 12).
• All students will interpret inpidual differences of young children and apply to predictable developmental sequences.

III. All students will appraise health concerns at developmental stages.

• All students will maintain a safe, healthy and developmentally appropriate environment for children.
• All students will compare and contrast age-appropriate toys and equipment.
• All students will identify symptoms of various common childhood illnesses and diseases.
• All students will identify immunization trends.
• All students will develop policies for maintaining safety procedures when working with various age groups.
• All students will review emergency procedures necessary for the child's environment (e.g. first aid, CPR).
• All students will compile informational resources necessary to produce healthy, age-appropriate meals and snacks.

IV. All students will provide developmentally appropriate children's activities.

• All students will analyze play and its influence on the development of children.
• All students will plan age ad developmentally appropriate activities.
• All students will implement age and developmentally appropriate activities.
• All students will adapt activities for children with special needs.
• All students will adapt activities to the environment.

V. All students will describe balancing work and family.

• All students will describe community resources available to families.
• All students will distinguish between various types of child care facilities.
• All students will identify an employer's policies toward family-friendly benefits (e.g. family leave, on-site child care).
• All students will identify a selection criteria for a child care facility (e.g. quality, affordability, access).
• All students will propose a management plan for balancing personal and family life.

VI. All students will establish a quality childcare program.

• All students will identify components of quality child care programs.
• All students will identify barriers to quality (e.g. salaries, space, social attitudes, training).
• All students will describe the societal benefits to quality care programs.
• All students will explain the impact of shared responsibility for quality care and education (e.g. parents, teachers, administrators, children, community, government).

VII. All students will interact with children in Hand in Hand Lab School and Brookfield Bright Beginnings.

• All students will use appropriate behavior of an observer.
• All students will identify reasons for observing young children (e.g. child interactions, child strengths and weaknesses, curriculum planning, child behaviors within a class and shared with a parent).
• All students will explain methods for observing young children (e.g. checklist, anecdotal).
• All students will demonstrate discipline and guidance techniques.

Early Childhood Professional II

Students will learn to determine the type of need that exists in the community, obtain financial support for the program, locate and prepare a facility, plan the daily program, hire appropriate staff and enroll students.


I. All students will provide a safe environment.

• All students will plan and implement safe and legal trips.
• All students will provide and maintain safety indoors and outdoors.
• All students will respond to emergency situations appropriately.
• All students will practice secure procedures for releasing children from center.

II. All students will provide a healthy environment.

• All students will meet health requirements (child care worker).
• All students will plan, prepare and serve nutritious meals or snacks.
• All students will assess child's health status and follow appropriate health procedures.
• All students will provide and maintain proper sanitary conditions.
• All students will help children develop proper health habits.
• All students will recognize signs of suspected child abuse/neglect.

III. All students will design and implement a quality learning environment.

• All students will plan and arrange learning centers for an early childhood program.
• All students will establish a balanced daily schedule.
• All students will plan for inpidual group needs.
• All students will develop plans for daily activities.

IV. All students will promote physical development.

• All students will observe and describe a child's physical development.
• All students will provide and develop appropriate large motor activities.
• All students will provide activities to promote small motor skills.
• All students will plan and guide activities appropriate for outdoor play.
• All students will interact appropriately with child's physical activities.
• All students will provide opportunities for sensory experiences.

V. All students will facilitate cognitive development.

• All students will plan and guide appropriate language experiences.
• All students will guide the child in problem solving and decision making.
• All students will offer opportunities for emerging literacy.
• All students will use play to support cognitive development.
• All students will plan and guide developmentally appropriate pre-math activities.
• All students will plan and guide developmentally appropriate science and nature activities.
• All students will plan and guide developmentally appropriate social studies activities.
• All students will observe and describe s child's cognitive development.

VI. All students will communicate effectively.

• All students will use effective oral communication.
• All students will listen actively.
• All students will use written communication competently.

VII. All students will encourage creativity.

• All students will evaluate characteristics of process-oriented activities for encouraging children's self-expression.
• All students will plan and guide opportunities for dramatic play.
• All students will plan and guide creative art activities.
• All students will plan and guide activities for self-expression through music and dance.

VIII. All students will demonstrate and encourage the development of social skills.

• All students will encourage cooperation in play.
• All students will identify the levels of play.
• All students will help children develop appropriate social skills.
• All students will observe and describe child's level of social development.

IX. All students will enhance self-concepts.

• All students will interact with child as an inpidual and in group settings.
• All student will identify behaviors that reflect negative and positive self-concepts.
• All students will recognize and respect the inpidual differences of child and family.
• All students will recognize children's special needs.

X. All students will provide age-appropriate guidance.

• All students will set and communicate limits for acceptable behavior.
• All students will direct and guide positive behaviors.
• All students will use strategies to provide guidance/intervention for inappropriate behavior.

XI. All students will relate to families.

• All students will develop and implement strategies to strengthen school/family partnerships.
• All students will communicate with family members.

XII. All students will maintain the program.

• All students will recognize roles within the program.
• All student will support other staff members and professionals.
• All students will keep all appropriate records.
• All students will comply with licensing regulations.
• All students will comply with philosophy and personnel/program policies.
• All students will meet ongoing program needs.
• All students will develop a program budget.
• All students will develop curriculum for the program.
• All students will conduct various program observations.
• All students will conduct various program evaluations.
• All students will locate community resources.

XIII. All students will display professionalism.

• All students will demonstrate professional behavior.
• All students will provide a positive role model for child, parent(s) and coworker(s).
• All students will demonstrate enjoyment of working with young children.
• All student will display good work habits.
• All students will use problem-solving skills to enhance the program.
• All students will balance social, home and work lives.
• All students will accept constructive criticism.
• All students will show interest in professional growth.
• All students will recognize standards of accreditation of child-care programs.
• All students will utilize technology and other resources to influence positive change for children and families.
• All students will maintain confidentiality about the child and family.