Early Childhood Education
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Length 600 Hours Admissions Cheri Ashwood, School Counselor
Course Information Dr. Tameka Rodney, Instructor
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2025-26 Child Care Training Schedule!
Next class starts August 19, 2025 (to March 3, 2026)
Mission: The mission of this program is to prepare students for employment in the early childhood education industry and understand developmentally appropriate practices for children birth through age eight. Graduates will be eligible for the DCF Staff Credential.Program E300100 consists of a planned sequence of courses.
This program is approved by the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) as meeting the training requirements for child care personnel/ preschool teachers, 65C-22.001(6), F.A.C. Students who complete all courses in this program and meet additional requirements, including the 480-hour work experience requirement, can be awarded the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), Early Childhood Professional Certificate (ECPC) and will be eligible for a DCF Staff Credential.
Child Care Worker 1 - Course HEV0870 (150 hours) – This course includes competencies on child care rules and regulations, safe learning environments, stages of child development, developmentally appropriate practices, and communication skills, principles of child nutrition and technology use; as well as competencies from the DCF 40-hour Introductory Child Care Training coursework.
Child Care Worker 2 - Course HEV0871 (150 hours) – This course includes competencies on professionalism, community resources, the importance of relationship skills and communicating with children’s families, history of school-age care, infant-toddler developmentally appropriate guidance activities, and observing and recording methods; as well as competencies from the DCF 40-hour Introductory Child Care Training coursework.
Teacher Aide (Preschool) - Course HEV0872 (150 hours) – This course includes competencies in developing lesson plans, child development theories, factors that affect the development of a child, and developmentally appropriate practices and activities for infants/toddlers, preschoolers. Also covered are components on working with students with special needs, classroom management techniques and creating optimum environments for all children; as well as competencies from the DCF 40-hour Introductory Child Care Training coursework.
Preschool Teacher - Course HEV0873 (150 hours) – In this course students will acquire competence in the areas of creating a successful developmentally appropriate curriculum, mentoring, developing the ability to motivate children, recognizing cultural differences when planning activities, including children with special needs, recent trends and issues in early childhood education, and professionalism; as well as competencies from the DCF 40-hour Introductory Child Care Training coursework.
Special Admission Requirements: This program requires a high school diploma or GED for entry, and interested persons must be at least 17 years of age.
This program requires students to obtain 480 hours of direct work experience with children 5 years old or younger while enrolled in the program to be awarded the Early Childhood Professional Certificate (ECPC).
Distance Education: Hybrid
Industry Certification(s): Florida Department of Education (FDOE), Early Childhood Professional Certificate (ECPC) and eligible for a DCF Staff Credential.
Minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirement: 70%
Minimum Attendance Requirement: 70%
Basic Skills Exit Requirement for Program Completion: Student's competency in computation (mathematics) and communication (reading/language arts) is assessed; required basic skills grade levels are: Computation - 10 and Communication - 9.