Foundations of Childcare

This course is an introduction to the foundations of early child care, including basic child development, health and safety, nutrition, and behavior management and discipline. The course includes practical guidelines for child care and explores options for careers and vocations in early child care. This is the introductory course to the Child Development Program and will provide you with the foundations of early childcare, including basic child development, health and safety, nutrition, and behavior management and discipline. The foundational application focuses on the identification of normative similarities and differences of intellectual, emotional, social, and physical theories at each developmental stage in early childhood. The fundamentals of family microsystems, family types, and the subsequent macrosystems are explored in order to design appropriate child care providing strategies.

As a career technical education course, the course has a competency-based focus across three key areas: knowledge, skills and abilities, and behaviors and characteristics. Practical guidelines for childcare and exploration of options for careers and vocations in early childcare are weaved into the competency themes including supporting child development, caseload management, accountability, communication, monitoring and enforcement, and leadership. In this course, you will gain a deeper understanding of the roles adults and caregivers in professional areas of service providing for the needs of infants and toddlers.

Upon critically assessing theoretical and practical research on appropriate elements of caregiving to facilitate decisions for a healthy environment designed for infants and toddlers, you will create a final project presentation.

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Identify and describe normative similarities and differences of intellectual, emotional, social, and physical theories at each developmental stage in early childhood, especially in infants and toddlers

2. Critically assess research of theoretical and appropriate practical elements of caregiving to facilitate decisions for a healthy environment designed for early childhood, especially in infants and toddlers

3. Apply knowledge of family microsystems, family types, and the subsequent macrosystems to childcare providing strategies

4. Demonstrate an understanding of the roles of adults and caregivers in professional areas of service providing for the needs of infants and toddlers