Early Childhood Education

AAS, DIPLOMA, CERTIFICATE

These program options prepare students for employment in a variety of early care and education settings. Courses meet Minnesota Department of Children Youth and Families educational requirements for assistant teachers and teachers in licensed childcare and preschool settings, before/after-school programs, as a family childcare program provider as well as paraprofessional/aides/assistant teacher requirements in Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) in school districts. Students learn about child growth and development, positive child guidance, working with diverse families and professionals, nutrition, health and safety, cultural sensitivity and anti-bias education practices, and strategies for developing curriculum that promotes learning in young children with differing needs.

All Early Childhood program options require the successful completion of a Minnesota Criminal Background Study.

PROGRAM FACT SHEET – AAS

PTCC’s accelerated program is designed for working adults looking to advance their careers in early childhood. The Early Childhood Certificate will give you the education you need, at a cost that won’t hold you back, in a timeframe that keeps you moving forward.

Accelerated Early Childhood
Certificate Option

Early Childhood Certificate
Part-time HyFlex Option

*Pending Minnesota State approval

Students completing this AAS will be able to:

Employ skills in the areas of child safety, health and nutrition;
Explore the physical, social, emotional, language, cognitive, and creative development of young children from birth through age eight;
Identify and implement guidance and management techniques to accommodate the developmental characteristics of young children, birth through age eight;
Apply content knowledge to design and implement meaningful curriculum;
Observe, document, and assess to support children and families;
Demonstrate professional knowledge and leadership skills in order to access community, family and staff resources and systems that impact children’s, families’ and staff’s lives;
Distinguish between a variety of early childhood curriculum models and apply this knowledge and skill to develop and implement early childhood curriculum and strategies that promote learning in diverse early care and education settings; and
Successfully complete a field-experience in a variety of settings.

JOB OUTLOOK COURSE SEARCH

Additional Information

T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood MINNESOTA is a scholarship program that helps early childhood and school-age care professionals increase their education, compensation and commitment to the field. More information about the T.E.A.C.H. MINNESOTA Grant.

MN Child Care Provider Background Study

State law requires background studies for certain people who provide direct contact services or have access to vulnerable adults and children. The background study determines whether a person has a disqualifying characteristic, which could prevent the person from being in certain jobs or positions. Learn more at MN Department of Human Services.

Child Care Aware of Minnesota

Child Care Aware of Minnesota is a network of organizations, funded by the Department of Human Services, from across the state dedicated to assisting families, early childhood professionals and the community with child care information, grants, services, and training. The mission of Child Care Aware of Minnesota is to promote high-quality, affordable, and accessible child care for all Minnesota families.

Credit for Prior Learning

Although many early childhood educators and providers have not completed college degrees, most have several years of relevant experience and many hours of non-credit-based training. This experiential learning often addresses components found in college courses.

The promising news is that sometimes this learning-through-experience can be counted towards college credit. Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) is an opportunity to recognize the current skill and knowledge level of early childhood educators, improve child care quality, and meet expectations of Parent Aware. Pine Technical and Community College has opportunities for you to earn college credit. Your knowledge and skills might be gained through experiences such as working in the field of early childhood or family education, military training, early childhood industry training, internships and/or volunteering.

Learn more about Credit for Prior Learning by visiting the web page.

Potential Funding Sources for PTCC Early Childhood Students

Why Pine?

At PTCC, we make college possible for those starting out or starting over. Whether you seek a career program, new skills or general education transferable to another college or university, Pine is an excellent choice! Join us for an on-campus or virtual information session.

Start your educational journey at PTCC!