Early Childhood Education I Higher Education Program
In Early Childhood Education I, students will:
- Prepare for challenges they may face as well as the rewards of being able to influence the life of a young child
- Develop the ability to offer support to children as they learn, and grow is a point that is highlighted throughout each lesson

Early Childhood Education I Program for Higher Education
Prepare students for the challenges and rewards in a career in early childhood education.
Certification Prep
When paired with Early Childhood Education II, this course prepares students for the Child Development Associate® (CDA) certification exam from the Council for Professional Regulation, providing students everything they need to excel on certification exams and earn resume-boosting credentials.

Turnkey Career Education
Ready-to-use programs in high-demand and emerging fields allow institutions to adapt quickly and meet the growing demand for industry credentials.

Interactive Learning Students Love
Grounded in educational research, each course maximizes student engagement with relevant content, real-world projects, discussion boards, videos, and more.
Ready for the Real World
Students become career ready when they go beyond understanding concepts to applying them in real life. Through practical activities, students gain the skills they need for in-demand careers.
Prepare for a career in early childhood education
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Course Outline
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Module Introduction
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Interactive Instructional Design
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Formative and Summative Assessments
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Accessibility
Early Childhood Education Course Outline by Module
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- Module 1: The Early Childhood Education Profession
- Module 2: Planning a Safe, Clean & Healthy Learning Environment
- Module 3: Planning Food Service & Nutrition
- Module 4: Typical & Atypical Development
- Module 5: Observation & Recording Methods
- Module 6: Methods of Guidance
- Module 7: The Influences of Nutrition, Environment & Heredity
- Module 8: Current and Future Technology in Childcare
- Module 9: Exploring Your State: Child Abuse & Neglect
- Module 10: Exploring Your State: Rules & Regulations in Childcare
Module Introduction
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Module Introduction Video and DescriptionEach module begins with an introductory video where the instructor sets the stage for topics and learning objectives for the upcoming module. The video is followed by a short description of the module content.
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Module Learning ObjectivesEach module introduction includes the set of learning objectives for students to review prior to beginning instruction.
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Polling QuestionStudents engage with an interactive poll related to the upcoming module content. After completing the poll, students can see how their peers responded with a percentage breakdown of the results.
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Introduce New VocabularyThe module introduction concludes with an interactive vocabulary matching activity, designed to familiarize students with words and concepts they will learn in the upcoming module.
Interactive Instructional Design
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Engaging Lesson VideosEach lesson begins with an instructional video from an expert educator, designed to grab students’ attention while addressing learning objectives.
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Interactive ReadingEach lesson video is followed by an interactive reading where students dive into new material with embedded interactives like hot spots, flip cards, slides, videos, and more!
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Integrated ActivitiesActivities are embedded purposefully between lessons and incorporate a variety of interactive tools for students to practice what they’ve learned.
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Project-Based LearningEnd-of-module projects provide the opportunity for students to apply what they’ve learned to a real-world situation that they would encounter in the workforce.
Formative and Summative Assessments
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Concept CheckEmbedded concept checks include a variety of low-stakes activities, including short answer responses, matching, flashcards, and sorting.
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Discussion-based ReflectionsThought-provoking discussion prompts invite students to process and share their learning with their peers. Utilize your LMS discussion board or have students work in an individual course journal.
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Short Answer AssignmentsShort answer assignments are included at the end of each module, providing an opportunity for students to analyze and apply their learning to a real-world situation. Students are supplied with a detailed assignment rubric, with clear expectations.
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Module QuizzesEach module concludes with a quiz, assessing student understanding. Quizzes are auto-scored and the results report back to the teacher’s gradebook in their LMS.
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Midterm ExamAssess student content mastery midway through the course.
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Final ExamA comprehensive final exam assesses student skills and knowledge at the end of the course. The final exam is auto-scored and the results report back to the teacher’s gradebook in their LMS.
Accessibility
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Text-to-SpeechAudio features allow greater accessibility for students. Highlight any text within the course to have it read out loud, including image alt text.
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Language TranslationsTranslate any text within the course, including video transcripts, into 60+ languages. Additionally, many language translations can be read out loud using the text-to-speech feature.
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Closed CaptioningAll videos within the course include closed captioning with the ability to access video transcripts and translate into 60+ languages.
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Alternative ActivitiesAlternative activities are embedded throughout lessons to meet accessibility standards and provide alternatives to the interactive activities in multiple choice format.
Explore course content to promote learning.
Course Preview
Get a sneak peek into the course, featuring key learning highlights.

Digital Tour
Experience the engaging instructional design and learn about system integrations.
Delivered Right in your LMS
Simple. Seamless. Scalable.
Enjoy easy access to career education programs that integrate directly with Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, and other major LMS platforms.
Additional Early Childhood Education I Resources
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Blended Learning Guide
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Pacing Guide
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Answer Keys
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Course Syllabus
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On-Demand Training
Blended Learning Guide
Provides teachers with robust support for planning and implementing the course in a traditional classroom, including best practices for blending face-to-face and online learning activities.
- Step-by-step teaching support for each lesson
- In-class discussion prompts
- Suggestions for independent, small group, and whole class instruction
- Facilitation support and student work samples for projects
- Sample student responses for reflections and short answer assignments

Pacing Guide
Provides a tool for teachers to appropriately assign coursework and allocate time on a weekly basis for completing a course within a semester or year long time frame.

Answer Keys
Includes answers and grading rubrics for Reflections and Short Answer Assignments, along with detailed grading rubrics and sample student work for Projects.

Course Syllabus
The syllabus includes a high-level course overview, module overviews, and module learning objectives.

On-Demand Training

Frequently asked questions about Early Childhood Education I
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What modules are covered in this course?
- Module 1: The Early Childhood Education Profession
- Module 2: Planning a Safe, Clean & Healthy Learning Environment
- Module 3: Planning Food Service & Nutrition
- Module 4: Typical & Atypical Development
- Module 5: Observation & Recording Methods
- Module 6: Methods of Guidance
- Module 7: The Influences of Nutrition, Environment & Heredity
- Module 8: Current and Future Technology in Childcare
- Module 9: Exploring Your State: Child Abuse & Neglect
- Module 10: Exploring Your State: Rules & Regulations in Childcare
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Does this course align to any industry certifications?Yes. When paired with Early Childhood Education II, this course prepares students for the Child Development Associate (CDA) certification exam from the Council for Professional Regulation.
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Is this program available in print or digitally?Early Childhood Education I is a robust, digital–only course ideal for virtual or blended learning.
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What faculty resources are available?Faculty resources include the course syllabus, pacing guide, answer keys, blended learning guide, and digital courseware access. Additionally, an on-demand, self-paced teacher training course covers the fundamentals of implementing the curriculum.
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Which Learning Management System (LMS) does this course integrate with?Digital courseware is delivered on the award-winning Savvas Realize platform, which can integrate with: Google Classroom, Canvas®, Schoology®, Blackboard®, Moodle®, AGILIX® Buzz®, and D2L.
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What are the digital license options?Course digital access can be purchased for 1 year.
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How long does it take to complete the course?Early Childhood Education I is designed to support a full-credit course and therefore may be used to support a semester- or year-long option. On average, this course requires 80 instructional seat-time hours, equating to roughly 3–4 lessons per week. Teachers can make course customizations if desired to meet specific needs.