COURSE CURRICULUM

The Early Childhood Studies degree program offers a well-structured eight-semester curriculum that integrates academic theory with practical experience, focusing on the development and care of children from birth to age eight. In the first semester, students take Human Development I (CLD 101), Observation/ELC (CLD 102), Curriculum I: Environments (CLD 111), Social Justice and Mental Health (FCS 101), and one lower-level liberal studies course. The second semester includes Human Development II (CLD 103), Field Education I (CLD 161), Curriculum II: Program Planning (CLD 212), Working Toward a Just Society (FCS 100), and another lower-level liberal studies course. In the third semester, students study Families in Canadian Context I (CLD 231), Children with Disabilities (CLD 241), Field Education II (CLD 262), one course from Children’s Bodies and Movement (CLD 204), Language Development (CLD 206), or Children’s Thinking and Learning (CLD 307), and one open elective. The fourth semester includes History and Philosophy of ECE (CLD 213), Creative Arts I (CLD 215), Interpersonal Communication (CLD 251), one liberal studies course, and one more course from the previously mentioned elective group. The fifth semester includes Children’s Social and Emotional Well-Being (CLD 205), Literacy in the Early Years (CLD 314), Research I: Methods (CLD 322), Families in Canadian Context II (CLD 332), and one open elective. The sixth semester includes Research II: Applications (CLD 323), Assessment for Programming (CLD 342), Field Education III (CLD 363), one upper-level liberal studies course, and one open elective. In the seventh semester, students complete Creative Arts II (CLD 315), Concept Development in Math (CLD 317), choose between Field Education IV (CLD 464) or International/National Placement (CLD 466), take one upper-level liberal studies course, and one core elective. The final semester includes Children and STEM in the Environment (CLD 417), Inclusion and Consultation (CLD 445), one upper-level liberal studies course, one core elective, and one open elective.