Early Childhood Education (AST)
Program Overview:
Teach the Next Generation of Learners
each the next generation and plant a love of learning in young children, and prepare children for the demands of advanced learning, explore, laugh, and tackle challenges inside the classroom. Early childhood educators set the foundation for children to become successful adults.
With your Associate in Science in Early Childhood Education for Transfer degree, you, much like your future students, are establishing the building blocks for a successful career in teaching. You’ll learn about child development from birth through age 8, and how to create engaging, a developmentally-appropriate curriculum that keeps young students engaged and motivated. To achieve your teaching goals, you need a desire to share knowledge, patience, understanding, and a passion for learning.
Careers in Early Childhood Education
Teachers work in a variety of settings. Whether you choose to lead a classroom of preschoolers or want to instruct elementary school students at public, private, or charter schools, you’ll need to understand how students learn best and the reasons behind why they may have challenges.
Here are some careers and their salaries you could have with a transfer degree in Early Childhood Education:
Career information below is taken from bls.gov in November 2019. Go to bls.gov for most current career information.
Instruct young students in basic subjects in order to prepare them for future schooling.
Data for Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | $70,310/year | $33.80/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed |
2% increase |
3,540 |
Work with students who have a wide range of learning, mental, emotional, and physical disabilities.
National data
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | $59,780/year | $28.74/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed |
3% increase |
437,200 |
Oversee all school operations, including daily school activities.
Data for Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $124,500/year | $59.86/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| 5 or more years needed |
4% increase |
22,950 |
Help people find information and conduct research for personal and professional use
National data
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $59,050/year | $28.39/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| None needed | 6% increase (much faster than average) |
134,800 |
Oversee school curricula and teaching standards; develop instructional material, implement it, and assess its effectiveness.
Data for Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim
| Typical Education Level: | Salary: | Hourly Median Wage: |
|---|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $82,620/year | $39.72/hour |
| Work Experience in a Related Occupation: | Job Outlook 2018-2028: | Number of Jobs 2018: |
| 5 years or more | 5% increase (much faster than average) |
6,630 |
What You’ll Learn at LASC in Early Childhood Education
You can get Associate in Science for Transfer (AST) degree in Early Childhood Education through LASC’s Child Development Department where you will learn about child development, curriculum, and interacting with students and their families:
- Enhance your critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to evaluate and use various observation and assessment methods for measuring and recording children’s developmental progress.
- Learn current and proven developmentally appropriate activities and lessons used for differently-abled children so you can create a curriculum that is enriching and engrossing.
- Experience LASC’s Child Development Center in action and use your classroom skills to assist.
- Prepare yourself for a rewarding career inside the classroom as you discover the strategies and techniques for building a sensitive and respectful family and community relationships.
- To transfer with your Associate in Science in Early Childhood Education for Transfer (AST) degree, you will save money on your first two years of college learning from dedicated, innovative faculty. Once you graduate, you’ll have guaranteed admission into a CSU, and some UCs, to work towards your Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education degree! Visit your academic counselor for details.
Degrees & Courses You Will Take
Review the LASC Associate in Science in Early Childhood Education for Transfer (AST) degree below, along with our suggested course of study for this program. Go to LASC’s current Course Catalog for specific course information:
The intent of the Associate in Science in Early Childhood Education for Transfer degree is to help you in seamlessly transferring to a CSU, or possibly a UC, Early Childhood Education bachelor’s program. If you successfully complete this degree, you will be guaranteed admission into a CSU and some UCs!
If you are interested in completing an Associate Degree for Transfer, you must:
- Complete 60 CSU transferable units including the minimum 33 units in the major and the completion of either IGETC or CSU GE;
- A minimum GPA of 2.0. Students should meet with a counselor to determine the necessary course work to complete the general education requirements.
The mission of the Early Childhood Education program is to provide an environment for quality learning for a diverse population of students in the discipline of Child Development. Our courses, programs, and activities are designed to educate, inform, and model “Best Practices” for educating and nurturing young children, working with families, and providing services to the community in a variety of early childhood educational careers.The program is designed to meet your educational and vocational training needs to either prepare you for employment or broaden your knowledge if you are already employed in public (Title 5) or private (Title 22) preschools.
The Child Development Department and Child Development Center laboratory school collectively provide the education and vocational training necessary for LASC Child Development students to succeed in their higher educational/transfer goals, individual career choices, and professional business plans.
Upon completion of this program, you should be able to:
- Integrate understanding of the needs, the characteristics and multiple influences on the development of children from birth to age eight as it relates to optimum growth and development.
- Create developmentally appropriate strategies, techniques, and curriculum incorporating domains of learning, health, safety, nutrition, as well as anti-bias and adaptation principles for working with typical and atypical developing children.
- Apply developmentally appropriate social-emotional learning strategies and positive guidance techniques in a professional early childhood setting.
- Evaluate and utilize various observation and assessment methods for measuring and recording children’s developmental progress.
- Implement various early childhood environment rating scales and assessment tools.
- Compare and contrast the basic theories in child development, family studies, as well as historical perspectives of ECE programs.
- 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).
- Demonstrate strategies and techniques for building a sensitive and respectful family and community relationships.
- Develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills for learning.
| Required Courses: | Units |
|---|---|
| CH DEV 1 Child Growth and Development | 3 |
| CH DEV 2 Early Childhood: Principles and Practices | 3 |
| CH DEV 7 Introduction to Curriculum in Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| CH DEV 10 Health, Safety, and Nutrition | 3 |
| CH DEV 11 Child, Family, and Community | 3 |
| CH DEV 22 Practicum in Early Child Development I | 3 |
| CH DEV 34 Observing and Recording Children’s Behavior | 3 |
| CH DEV 42 Teaching in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| TOTAL UNITS | 25 |
Requirements to Become an Early Educator:
Once you successfully complete your Associate in Arts in Child Development at LASC, you will be ready to take the Child Care Licensing Exam, as well as meet the minimum requirements to work within the Los Angeles area and the state of California.
Please review the requirements below to find out what you’ll need to work in child development in L.A. and California:
Review the Child Care Licensing Requirements needed in California
Review the requirements needed to work in the Los Angeles Unified School District
LAUSD Early Childhood Education Division
Child Development Training Consortium Permit Matrix
California Department of Education Immunization Requirements
State of California Health & Human Services Agency – Request for Live Scan
Get Ready Before You Start
Interested in a career in teaching or that’s related to early childhood education? Before your first class starts at LASC, you can start preparing for your early childhood education career:
- Make an appointment with your LASC academic counselor to review LASC’s program, develop a Student Education Plan (SEP), and discuss which four-year colleges and universities would be a good match for your future career goals.
- Still in high school? Contact local elementary schools and preschools to see if you could observe for an afternoon to watch teachers in action. Talk with your high school counselor to see if they can recommend any local opportunities that you could be a part of.
Grants
Make the most with your time at LASC, and gain career experience while meeting and working with others who want to further their knowledge and experience for a thriving career in early childhood education and child development:
Child Development Teacher Grant – get money to help pay for your child development education so you can enter the field of childcare and development in a licensed children’s center
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon successfully completing this program, you should be able to:
- Integrate understanding of the needs, the characteristics and multiple influences on the development of children from birth to age eight as it relates to optimum growth and development.
- Create developmentally appropriate strategies, techniques, and curriculum incorporating domains of learning, health, safety, nutrition, as well as anti-bias and adaptation principles for working with typical and atypical developing children.
- Apply developmentally appropriate social emotional learning strategies and positive guidance techniques in a professional early childhood setting.
- Evaluate and utilize various observation and assessment methods for measuring and recording children’s developmental progress.
- Implement various early childhood environmental rating scales and assessment tools.
- Compare and contrast the basic theories in child development, family studies, as well as historical perspectives of ECE programs.
- 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).
- Demonstrate strategies and techniques for building sensitive and respectful family and community relationships.
- Develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills for learnin