The Early Childhood Education Program’s mission is to prepare individuals in providing quality care and education with children from infancy through middle childhood in diverse learning environments. Graduates will be prepared to plan and implement developmentally appropriate practices in a variety of child care settings. It is our mission to provide early childhood students with support to build community relationships that impact the lives of young children and families.
The Early Childhood curriculum prepares individuals to work with children from infancy through middle childhood in diverse learning environments. Students will combine learned theories with practice in actual settings with young children under the supervision of qualified teachers.
Graduates are prepared to plan and implement developmentally appropriate programs in early childhood settings. Employment opportunities include:
CCC&TI offers several different educational programs in this area:
Please review the Admission Requirements for the Early Childhood Education program.
Program Outcome Data is available at www.cccti.edu/Programs/Documents/ECPrgramOutcomeData.pdf
Students enrolled in the Early Childhood Education Program are responsible for the following:
Students in the Early Childhood Education Program must be able to:
According to Federal Law, students completing their practicum or classroom observations in the public schools are required to obtain a criminal background check before beginning their practicum hours. It is the responsibility of the student to submit the appropriate documentation to the cooperating public schools or child care facility. Child care facilities may require the same information, but it is up to individual facilities as to their requirements. Students will be responsible for the costs of the criminal background check. College faculty do not have access to the information contained in the background check and do not receive any information regarding the nature or cause of the student not being eligible to participate in field experiences. The decision to allow a student to conduct a field experience is determined solely by the school/child care center, not representatives from CCC&TI. Students should be aware that a record of criminal activity may jeopardize field placement. Each field placement site has the right to refuse a student placement. Such refusal may impact the student’s ability to successfully complete an A.A.S. degree in Early Childhood Education.
For more information about course descriptions or required courses, refer to the current CCC&TI Course Catalog. Courses in the Early Childhood program are taught during the day and evening, and some courses are available through Distance Learning.
If you are interested in the Early Childhood Education program, please let us know by clicking on the link below and completing the form:
According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook, Employment of childcare workers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2014 to 2024, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Job opportunities for childcare workers are expected to be favorable.
The median annual salary for childcare workers was $20,320 (9.77 per hour) in 2015.
To learn more about employment outlook and work environment in the Early Childhood Education field, visit CCC&TI's Career Coach site for the following programs:
Associate Degree: Early Childhood Education
Diploma: Early Childhood Education
Certificate: Child Care Operator
Certificate: School-Age provider
In the past decade, early childhood education has become widely recognized as important for children’s development. Childcare workers often work alongside preschool teachers as assistants. This continued focus on the importance of early childhood education, in addition to increases in the number of children in this age group, will spur demand for preschool programs and thus for childcare workers as well.
There are no additional costs for this program outside of tuition, fees, books, and supplies.
Childcare workers introduce babies and toddlers to basic concepts, such as manners, by reading to them and playing with them. For example, they teach young children how to share and take turns by playing games with other children.
Childcare workers often help preschool-age children prepare for kindergarten. Young children learn from playing, solving problems, questioning, and experimenting. Childcare workers use play and other instructional techniques to help children’s development. For example, they use storytelling and rhyming games to teach language and vocabulary. They may help improve children’s social skills by having them work together to build something in a sandbox or teach math by having children count when building with blocks. They may involve the children in creative activities, such as art, dance, and music.
Childcare workers also often watch school-age children before and after school. They help these children with homework and take them to afterschool activities, such as sports practices and club meetings.
During the summer, when children are out of school, childcare workers may watch older children as well as younger ones for the entire day while the parents are at work.
Information taken from US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics website.
Additional career information can be found at:
Careers in Early Childhood: A National Directory, 4th Edition
North Carolina Child Care Workforce Report
The Early Childhood Education Program at CCC&TI is committed to preparing caring, thoughtful, and responsive early childhood professionals who recognize, create and maintain high-quality learning environments for all children from infancy through middle childhood. Candidates are prepared through educational experiences focused on the adult-leaner that examine developmentally with support to build community relationships that positively impact the lives of young children and families.
We believe that graduates should demonstrate a strong understanding of child development and learning:
We believe that graduates should support respectful, reciprocal relationships with families across diverse cultures:
We believe that graduates should serve as professional community members:
The Early Childhood Education Program is committed to helping students develop into knowledgeable ECE practitioners. We adhere to principles stated in the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and are guided by the core values in the National Association for the Education of Young Children Code of Ethical Conduct for Adult Educators. Faculty members are guided by the beliefs outlined in the conceptual framework when planning candidates learning experiences. We rely on these guiding principles to direct teaching practices and yearly program planning.