Certificate of Achievement: ASSOCIATE TEACHER

The Child Development Associate Teacher pathway prepares students with the foundational competency skills necessary to enter the field of early childhood education. This Certificate is the first step on your early childhood career ladder. It meets the minimum coursework requirements for California Child Development Associate Teacher Permit and employment with community care licensed preschools. If you desire to work in an early childhood setting, you must complete these core classes minimally.

20 students.

Program Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Integrate understanding of the needs, the characteristics and multiple Integrate understanding of characteristics, special needs, and multiple influences on the development of children from birth to age eight as it relates to early childhood theories and milestones for optimal growth and development.
• Demonstrate developmentally appropriate practices when creating curriculum for young children.
• Identify and demonstrate the strategies and techniques for building sensitive and respectful child, family, and community relationships that express understanding of culture, diversity, and factors that influence health safety, nutrition, and mental health.
• Uphold professional standards (based on NAEYC code of Ethics) for job seeking, respecting, interacting, and communicating with others (parents, staff, children, community members, colleagues, and peers).
• This program supports students seeking employment or advancement in early childhood education by preparing them to create developmentally appropriate curriculum, build respectful family and community relationships, and uphold professional standards in early learning settings.

The Associate Teacher program requires completion of 16 units of required Child Development coursework. The program requirements are designed to provide students with foundational knowledge in child growth and development, early childhood principles and practices, family and community relationships, early brain development, and early childhood curriculum. Students will gain an understanding of how children develop from birth through early childhood and how to support children’s learning through developmentally appropriate curriculum and responsive teaching practices.

Certificate of Achievement: ASSOCIATE TEACHER

Required Core Courses: 16 units

The Associate Teacher program currently exists in the college curriculum as a Skill Certificate. Through this new program, the department seeks to elevate the existing curriculum to a Certificate of Achievement and formally add the program to the Chancellor’s Office Curriculum Inventory (COCI).

• East Los Angeles College (ELAC) — Child Development certificates and AS degree aligned with the California Child Development Permit Matrix.
• Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) — AA degree and seven Child Development certificates, including Teacher and Early Childhood Education certificates.
• Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC) — AA/AS in Child and Adolescent Development and transfer degree.
• Los Angeles City College (LACC) — Child Development certificates and permit-pathway coursework.
• El Camino College — Child Development certificates with related coursework in guidance and child psychology, though the text notes it does not offer a certificate specifically dedicated to social-emotional learning and trauma-informed care.

20 students 

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