EarlyEdU courses are designed to meet the requirements for three college credit courses in bachelor degree completion programs. They have also been field-tested as upper division courses. Content areas align with Child Development Associate (CDA) subject area requirements and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards.

Foundation courses can be used in the first year of a bachelor’s degree completion program, or they may be modified to serve for lower division or CDA credential requirements.

EarlyEdU Course Sequence Recommendation CDA Subject Area NAEYC Standard and Elements
Applied Child Development and Family Engagement   Foundation

This course has been identified as a potential lower-division or CDA course because the content is foundational to all early childhood education coursework and it covers multiple CDA subject areas.		 2. Advancing children’s physical and intellectual development

 3. Supporting children’s social and emotional development

4. Building productive relationships with families

8. Understanding principles of child development and learning  		 1. Promoting child development and learning:
  1. Knowing and understanding young children’s characteristics and needs; building family and community relationships
  2. Knowing and understanding the multiple influences on development and learning
  3. Using developmental knowledge to create healthy, respectful, supportive and challenging learning environments
2. Building family and community relationships
  1. Knowing about and understanding diverse family and community characteristics
  2. Supporting and engaging families and communities through respectful, reciprocal relationships
  3. Involving families and communities in their children’s development and learning
Child Observation and Assessment   Foundation

 This course has been identified as a potential lower division or CDA course because the ability to observe and assess student learning is foundational for teaching academic domains and because it is in direct alignment with CDA requirements.		 7. Observing and recording children’s behavior 3. Observing, documenting, and assessing to support young children and families
  1. Understanding the goals, benefits, and uses of assessment
  2. Knowing about and using observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment tools and approaches
  3. Understanding and practicing responsible assessment to promote positive outcomes for each child
  4. Knowing about assessment partnerships with families and with professional colleagues
 
Becoming a Teacher Leader Foundation

 High potential for lower division course or CDA requirement		 5. Managing and effective operation

6. Maintaining a commitment to professionalism		 6. Becoming a professional
  1. Identifying and involving oneself with the early childhood field
  2. Knowing about and upholding ethical standards and other professional guidelines
  3. Engaging in continuous, collaborative learning to inform practice
  4. Integrating knowledgeable, reflective, and critical perspectives on early education
  5. Engaging in informed advocacy for children and the profession
4. Using developmentally effective approaches to connect with children and families
  1. Reflecting on their own practice to promote positive outcomes for each child
Positive Behavioral Support Foundation

This course has been identified as a foundation course because behavior support is often the first step in successful teaching and learning.  		 3. Supporting children’s social and emotional development   1. Promoting child development and learning
  1. Knowing and understanding young children’s characteristics and needs

2. Building family and community relationships
  1. Involving families and communities in their children’s development and learning

4. Using developmentally effective approaches to connect with children and families
  1. Understanding positive relationships and supportive interactions as the foundation of their work with children
  2. Knowing and understanding effective strategies and tools for early education
Engaging Interactions and Environments Foundational

 Learning to use interactions to support student learning is foundational to successful teaching and learning.		 2. Advancing children’s physical and intellectual development

 3. Supporting children’s social and emotional development  		 4. Using developmentally effective approaches to connect with children and families
  1. Understanding positive relationships and supportive interactions as the foundation of their work with children
  2. Knowing and understanding effective strategies and tools for early education
  3. Using a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate teaching/learning approaches
  4. Reflecting on their own practice to promote positive outcomes for each child
Resiliency and Wellness for Educators Foundation

This course has been identified as a foundational course because skills learned will benefit student teachers in their work, lives, and additional courses. There are currently no similar requirements in either the CDA or NAEYC standards.
Children’s Health and Well-being Information related to nutrition, physical health, and safety make this course suitable for CDA requirements.

Deep dive into research supporting the value of health and safety make this course suitable for upper division credits		 1. Planning a safe, healthy learning environment

2. Advancing children’s physical and intellectual development		 3. Promoting child development and learning
  1. Using developmental knowledge to create healthy, respectful, supportive and challenging learning environments

5. Using content knowledge to build meaningful curriculum
  1. Understanding content knowledge and resources in academic disciplines
Laying Foundation for Reading: Supporting Language and Literacy Development in Preschool These courses are identified as upper division as they build upon previous knowledge. Content covers specializations and specific academic domains. Institutions may use these courses as requirements or electives. Courses with a focus on academic areas and specializations are more specific than the CDA requires.

CDA requires an introduction to essential concepts, inquiry tools and structures for teaching academic concepts but does not include specific content areas or curricula. 		4. Using developmentally effective approaches to connect with children and families
  1. Understanding positive relationships and supportive interactions as the foundation of their work with children
  2. Knowing and understanding effective strategies and tools for early education
  3. Using a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate teaching/learning approaches
  4. Reflecting on their own practice to promote positive outcomes for each child

5. Using content knowledge to build meaningful curriculum
  1. Understanding content knowledge and resources in academic disciplines
  2. Knowing and using the central concepts, inquiry tools, and structures of content areas or academic disciplines
  3. Using their own knowledge, appropriate early learning standards, and other resources to design, implement, and evaluate meaningful, challenging curricula for each child
 
Cognition and General Knowledge
Executive Functioning and Approaches to Learning
Learning with Digital Media in Early Childhood
Supporting Dual Language Learners
Highly Individualized Teaching and Learning
Practice-Based Coaching Upper division elective   Potential for use in coach certification   Not applicable
The Intentional Teacher Upper division

This is a capstone course that combines and builds upon content from previous courses.		 Not applicable

Download the EarlyEdU Crosswalk in PDF.

For questions please contact us at info@earlyedualliance.org.