For related HMS programs, see Related Programs Listing .
Purpose: The Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education is designed to prepare highly skilled graduates for employment in a variety of early childhood settings, to update and enrich the capacities of those persons presently employed in the child development field, and to prepare students for transfer to a bachelor’s degree program in child development, education, or related field. Graduates develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to design, implement, assess, and model for others excellent practices informed by Virginia’s Competencies for Early Childhood Professionals and the National Association for the Education of Young Children Professional Preparation Standards.
Occupational Objectives: Graduates may be employed in a variety of early childhood settings providing the care and education for children from birth to age eight such as: Preschools • Child Development Centers • Public Schools • Private Schools • Family Child Care Programs • Head Start Centers • Hospital-Based Child Care Programs • On-Site Child Care Programs in Business and Industry • Faith Sponsored Programs • Before-And-After School Programs. Occupational titles may vary according to the workplace and the duties involved. Among the specialties are the following: Director • Assistant Director • Master Teacher • Lead Teacher • Teacher • Assistant Teacher • Paraprofessional • Family-Based Caregiver • Provider • Classroom Aid.
Admission Requirements: In addition to the requirements for general admission to the college, a personal interview with the program head is recommended. Placement tests in some areas may be required.
Program Requirements: The Early Childhood program at NRCC combines general education with specialized courses to prepare students to become professional child care workers. To get the most benefit from the program, students should work closely with their faculty advisor in planning their curriculum including field placement experiences. The degree and its sources may transfer to a four-year institution should students decide to continue their education beyond the associate degree. Students who plan to transfer after completing degree requirements should inform their academic and student services advisor at the beginning of their studies to ensure they remain on the appropriate path for transfer.
Students must successfully complete three supervised field placements that include on-the-job teaching experiences in early childhood settings. Application for field placement should be made the semester prior to placement. Students should note that early childhood programs require a criminal background report, a child abuse central registry search, and a TB test as a prerequisite to beginning each field placement experience. A program may deny participation for findings on the reports. Affiliation agreements prevent the placement of a student who is denied field placement participation at one program into a field placement agreement at another program.
Inability to meet the field placement requirements prevents the student from satisfactorily achieving the course objectives resulting in failure of the course. Field placement for the Early Childhood Education degree must be approved by the program head.
Students are required to go through an oral interview at the conclusion of the program for assessment purposes. Upon satisfactory completion of the four-semester program, students are awarded the Associate of Applied Science degree in Early Childhood Education.
For more information about this program visit the department webpage.
