With UC Online’s Associate in Early Childhood Care & Education (ECE), all of your coursework is completed online, providing the flexibility, accessibility, and control you need to complete your degree on your terms. With four (4) different concentrations to choose from, UC Online allows you to really personalize your educational experience.
Our courses give you information and strategies that you can learn today and apply in the classroom tomorrow! Graduates will be able to implement developmentally appropriate integrated activities and materials across the domains, including visual arts, music, movement, science and math, and early language development.
Upon completing the Associate degree program, many of our ECE graduates continue their education by pursuing a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education (Birth – Age 5) – opening up even more opportunities for career growth and professional advancement.
This degree does not lead to Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 5 licensure.
Learn more about which courses are taken for each concentration by reviewing this Program Map and the below descriptions for all AAS in Early Childhood Care & Education courses that may be taken.
CDA Coursework: Through UC’s online Early Childhood Education program, students have the opportunity to meet the education requirements for obtaining the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ while receiving advanced standing in the Associate degree program.
Accreditation: The University of Cincinnati and all of its regional campuses are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Additionally, UC’s College of Education, Criminal Justice & Human Rights (CECH) is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
This course provides a basic overview of the skills needed to be a successful online student inEarly Care & Education. Topics include: developmentally appropriate practice in preschool classrooms, national and state standards in early care and education, professional communication, academic writing, using references in writing, best practices for an online student, and study skills.
The goal of this course is to explore concepts of theory and practice in early childhood education about health, safety, nutrition, and other related topics, such as gross motor development, recognition and response to maltreatment, support for inclusion of children with disabilities and special needs, and considerations for creating linkages between schools, families, and communities. Students must receive a C (not a C-) or better in every ECE course in order to graduate.
This course provides an introduction to developmentally appropriate methods of guiding young children’s behavior including communication skills for use with young children, staff, and parents. The student will construct concepts and develop skills which will provide a foundation for classroom environmental design, organization and guidance. During this course students must have access to a classroom other than their own.
This course addresses specific caregiving of infants and toddlers in both individual and group care settings. Course content will cover environmental design, curriculum implementation, and responsive adult-child interaction. Students will need access to a child between the ages of 3-30 months who is not a child living in their home. Students will also need access to a child care center for a classroom observation.
This course focuses on understanding how young children birth to five develop oral language and emergent reading and writing skills. It also examines ways teachers can provide developmentally appropriate, literacy-rich experiences in an integrated early childhood classroom through play, environmental design and knowledge of children’s literature. This course requires access to children ages 2 – 5 years.
This course focuses on the supervision and organizational structure of staff in early care and education programs. Topics will include recruitment and orientation of new staff, staff development, reflective supervision and the development of systematic observation of staff to inform continuous improvement.
Assessment is an important and ongoing responsibility of professionals who serve young children and their families. This course fosters an in-depth study of authentic assessment practices for children ages birth to five including identification of children with special needs. Use of data for curriculum planning and measurement of quality in early childhood programs is included. Students need access to one child between the ages of 3 and five who is not their own child.
This course will focus on creating developmentally appropriate environments, curricula, and instructional strategies to foster the intellectual, creative, and social-emotional development of young children.
This course focuses on the business and operational aspects of an early care and education program. Topics will include business practices (budgeting, financial systems, and accounting practices), program evaluation, facilities management (including equipping the center) and strategic planning to meet the needs of families and the community.
This course sets the foundation for nature-based early learning. Students will study the principles, philosophical underpinnings, and models for nature-based education in early childhood education, exploring various models of nature-based early learning. Students will study the tenets of early childhood environmental education and explore the propensities of a nature-based educator and how nature lends itself to a child-driven curriculum.
This course focuses on how teachers can build on children’s enjoyment of play to encourage the development of environmental understandings and 21st Century skills for diverse groups of children. Through creative arts, music, movement, and stories, students will learn how to plan and implement joyful instruction that links to children’s immediate surroundings, later expanding to larger environmental concerns and contexts.
This course aims to develop both teachers’ and children’s penchant for nature (biophilia) in exploratory, contemplative, and knowledgeable ways. The quintessence of curiosity about natural phenomena will be fostered throughout the course. Students will explore ways to advocate for children’s rights to experience a connection to nature. They will also be introduced to the role of science and the nature of expertise.
This course explores the numerous ways science, mathematics, engineering, and technology can be integrated into nature-based early learning. It introduces Whitehead’s learning cycle of romance, precision, and generalization with regard to a nature and play-based curriculum for young children. It focuses on a reflective, educative STEM curriculum that fosters eco-literacy development within a framework of early childhood environmental education. (APELS videos)
Tuition is calculated on a per-credit basis. Refer to the Tuition and Fees Chart for more details.
Programs can be completed full-time or part-time. Many programs are set up to be part-time, with most containing fewer than 10 credit hours in any given semester. We know you have a lot going on, so want to make sure that school can fit into your schedule. Note: There are some exceptions.
Yes. You will need to work with a program advisor to understand what credits will apply and meet the minimum requirement for credit hours completed at the University of Cincinnati.
Additional resources to support you from start to finish.
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