Program Goals

Hands-on Experience

Student teaching Practicum classes are offered in the Children's Center on the Aptos campus and in various community Mentor Sites under the supervision of Mentor Teachers and ECE faculty.

Bilingual Teaching

The ECE Department and the College Children’s Center sustain a bilingual and bicultural environment in each of the three Children’s Center classrooms. This environment provides essential practice in bilingual/bicultural teaching, and a welcoming, familiar and culturally friendly context for families as well as novice and advanced ECE students who are English language learners.

Accredited Program

Our course content and guiding principles are in accordance with the Licensing Standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Our success is measured by our students' success, including

• transferring to a four-year institution
• obtaining an A.S. degree, a childcare license or teaching permit
• developing vocational work skills
• working toward job advancement
• completion of General Education requirements
• retraining
• personal fulfillment