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Launching in spring 2012, the Elms College degree completion program for teacher leaders in early childhood provides professionals with the background in human resources, staff development, fiscal accountability, and legal issues necessary for assuming leadership roles in the field.
Supplemented by a core of social sciences courses designed to increase interpersonal and cross-cultural effectiveness, the program's education courses will equip early childhood educators with the skills needed to become effective leaders in the discipline.
This Elms College degree completion program is designed for experienced early childhood educators who are not seeking PreK-2 teacher licensure in Massachusetts. Courses will be taught by highly-skilled early childhood educators who are experienced and well-grounded in the education and care of young children.
Program Prerequisites
PSY101, General Psychology; a course in child development; and a minimum GPA of 2.5 in a completed associate's program in early childhood education.Entry into this program is based on you having earned at least 60 credits from your associate's degree program.
The bachelor's degree program requires 120 credits. You can transfer in a maximum of 78 credits from Holyoke Community College and other regionally accredited colleges. A minimum of 42 credits must be earned through Elms College.
All Elms College core and program requirements must be met.
Course Descriptions
HCC courses are distinguished by an asterisk following the course number.
ART 110 (C) Introduction to Art (3)
An introduction to visual art and design, intended for non-art students. Topics may include representation, structure, function, decoration, expression, use of media, art tradition, and cultural context; class activities may include slide lectures, assigned reading, discussion, and special projects.
ASD 301 Introduction to Autism (3)
Autism spectrum disorders reflect a range of diversity and severity. This course provides an introduction to autism spectrum disorders from early diagnosis through adulthood. Course content will include definitions, methodologies, legal aspects, trends and issues, and current research related to individuals with autism. All issues will be discussed in the context of challenges presented by an autism spectrum disorder, related to school, family, and community participation. The course will review the converging challenges and goals of autism research, including contributions by genetics and neuroimaging technologies. Strategies used to teach communication skills and to help individuals with autism achieve the desired level of independent living will be explored.
EDU 300H Human Resources Management in Early Childhood (3)
Skillful program directors need to be able to handle multiple aspects of the supervision of their staff. This course will explore models for staff supervision, including how to establish a climate of effective interpersonal communications. It will also outline processes for human resources management such as writing job descriptions, advertising for staff, interviewing skills, evaluation techniques/instruments, and the process of progressive assistance when expectations are not met. Processes for terminating staff employment will also be discussed.
EDU 301H Staff Development in Early Childhood Settings (3)
A director's responsibilities for training new teachers/staff, and for their ongoing professional development is a major component of the position. This course will explore models and procedures for professional development for adults. Students will teach mini-lessons and workshops on a variety of topics. They will also outline detailed staff development plans. The focus will be on hands-on, experiential, active learning activities.
EDU 302H Fiscal Management in Human Services (3)
Budgetary processes, accounting practices, fundraising, and grant writing are the four focuses of this course. Students will take a hands-on approach to these fiscal aspects of their responsibilities.
EDU 303H Trends in Early Childhood Curriculum (3)
Recent developments in brain-based research, methods of teaching young children, and the development of comprehensive curriculum documents will be the three major topics of this course.
EDU 304H Legal Issues in Early Childhood Education (3)
One of the most important duties of an early childhood leader is to interact with the legal system in the protection of young children. Custody rules/procedures, child protection laws, record-keeping responsibilities, interaction with authorities in the field of child protection, and issues of liability will be explored in detail in this course.
EDU 305H Managing Difficult Behaviors (3)
A leader in the field of early childhood is constantly interacting with others, some of whom are operating under difficult conditions. This course helps the practitioner to develop skillful approaches to dealing with difficult behaviors in children, parents, caretakers, staff, and others involved in the care and education of young children.
EDU 306H Children with Special Needs and Bilingual Learners (3)
In addition to updates regarding the laws relating to children with special needs, and those who are bilingual, this course will explore techniques and practices for accommodating those special needs and linguistic differences. The focus will be on the enriching experiences brought to the classroom by children with special needs and those from homes where English is not the primary, or only, language spoken. Cross-cultural issues will be explored in detail.
EDU 307H Communication with Constituents and Communities (3)
Early childhood leaders need to be able to effectively communicate goals, procedures, success stories, and problems to their various constituent groups. This course will explore how to creatively manage public relations and the various communication streams involved in the field of early childhood education.
HIS 102(C)* History of Western Civilization II (3)
A survey of the history of Europe from the beginning of the 18th century to the present, stressing political, social, cultural, intellectual and economic developments, as appropriate.
Or
HIS 112(C)* History of the United States II (3)
A survey of the political, economic, social, and cultural developments of the United States from the end of the Civil War until the present, including such topics as Reconstruction, industrialization, immigration, the Great Depression, the New Deal, the world wars, and the Cold War.
IDS 410 Colloquium on Social Justice (3)
This is the capstone course of the core curriculum for all graduating seniors in the liberal arts, health care management, and professional studies majors. It is intended to be a forum for students from a variety of academic backgrounds to examine and discuss some of our most fundamentally held beliefs concerning race, class, gender, and sexuality in contemporary society. While this is a capstone for the above listed majors, students from other disciplines are also welcome to take this course, which satisfies the communication intensive core requirement.
PHI 101(C)* Introduction to Philosophy (3)
A basic introduction to central questions in Western philosophy: Does God exist and how are we certain one way or the other? Does science provide reliable evidence about the way the world works? Do people have minds, souls, or are they just bodies? What makes an act the right thing to do? What is the difference between good art and bad art? Does life have no, one, or many meanings? Such questions are addressed reading classical texts in philosophy, and by arguing about these views.
Or
PHI 103(C)* Clear Thinking/Sound Reasoning (3)
Students will learn how to improve their ability to think and reason, to better understand the basis for their opinions, and to build convincing arguments in discussions and debates. By discussing controversial moral and political topics and examining scientific studies, opinion polls, and newspaper editorials students will learn ways one should not argue (by using what philosophers call fallacious reasoning) and then learn how to make more effective arguments.
PHI 110(C)* Comparative Religions (3)
A comparative study of the major world religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, and Taoism, emphasizing their spirituality, beliefs, traditions, and rituals, as well as their historical development. Also critically examines selections of their scriptures.
PSY 335 Psychology of Adolescence (3)
A study of the primary psychological issues involved in understanding the period of adolescence. Physical, emotional, social, and cognitive factors will be related to current social problems. (Addressing issues of adolescent parents of young children.)
SOC 304 Sociology of Marriage and Family (3)
Students will study the family as a major social institution. Considerations of how family is defined, relationships within families and between families, and larger social forces will be included. A realistic appraisal of marriage and family in contemporary American society is a goal of the course.
SOC 316 Racial and Ethnic Groups (3)
Students will examine the relationships between dominant and subordinate groups in the United States. Concepts of cultural and racial pluralism, immigrant experiences, and adaptation will be included. Selected groups will be studied in depth.
SOC 214(B)* Social Problems (3)
A sociological examination of the nature, causes and consequences of, and potential solutions for, social problems. Attention will be focused on problems of deviant behavior, structural problems, problems of inequality, institutional problems, and global survival problems.
SWK 390 Stress Management for Human Service Professionals (3)
This course will enable the participants to identify personal and professional areas of stress through completionof a stress inventory. The participant will practice relaxation techniques and develop an individualized stress management plan for daily use.
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