Early Childhood Development

Associate Degree Program

Delaware Tech’s Early Childhood Development degree will give you the knowledge and skills required to enter the early childhood field. The Delaware Tech degree will teach you curriculum development and implementation, communication skills and classroom management strategies. You will also participate in a number of practical experiences that provide the hands-on training needed to be successful in this field.

As a graduate of the program, you will be ready to play an important role in the delivery of quality children’s programs in a variety of settings including home and child care centers. The experience you develop in these locations will establish your professional credentials and a foundation for moving into a management position in this growing field.

This program is offered at the Dover, Georgetown, and Wilmington campuses.

What You Can Do

In this program, you will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare you for a position as a:

• Child care center director
• Head Start teacher
• Agency early childhood educator
• Child advocate
• Early childhood curriculum coordinator
• Home/child care provider
• School-age care site administrator 

What You Will Earn:

Competitive starting salaries range from $17,000 - $40,000.

What You Will Learn:

Program Graduate Competencies

The Program Graduate Competencies listed below identify the major learning goals related to your specific program of study and identify the knowledge and skills you will have when you graduate to be successful in your chosen field.

1. Implement developmentally appropriate practices based on theories, norms and milestones associated with development in early childhood.
2. Communicate information about student learning and behaviors in a collaborative manner with school, family and community members.
3. Plan developmentally appropriate curricula for quality infant/toddler and preschool children in multicultural settings.
4. Maintain a healthy, safe environment for children by following licensing requirements and legal issues affecting Early Childhood programs.
5. Apply knowledge of the physical, social, emotional, cognitive and language development of birth to pre-school aged children in a classroom setting.
6. Access and implement educational technology.
7. Develop an effective business plan for the operation of an Early Childhood Program.

Core Curriculum Competencies

The Core Curriculum Competencies listed below identify what you will be able to do as a graduate, regardless of your program of study. You will acquire these core competencies through general education courses and program-specific coursework. You will be expected to use relevant technology to achieve these outcomes:

1. Apply clear and effective communication skills.
2. Use critical thinking to solve problems.
3. Collaborate to achieve a common goal.
4. Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct.
5. Use information literacy for effective vocational and/or academic research.
6. Apply quantitative reasoning and/or scientific inquiry to solve practical problems.