CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Early Childhood Education Department

The following statements reflect the goals the Early Childhood Education Department has for Early Childhood Education students during their educational experience at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

The vision of AB Tech’s Early Childhood Education Program is to improve the quality of early childhood education, birth to eight years old, thus positively influencing the lives of the children and their families in Buncombe and Madison counties.

The mission of AB Tech’s Early Childhood Education Program is to provide the knowledgebase necessary for our students to become teachers who make informed decisions therefore providing the best educational experience possible for young children and their families.

The Early Childhood Education Department shares, articulates and supports the vision and mission throughout the curriculum in classroom instruction as well as field experiences.

The Early Childhood Education Department strives to instill in our students a passion and commitment to continually work to improve their lives and the lives of children and their families.

The Early Childhood Education Department endeavors to equip students with a toolbox that has everything they need to know about the following topics:

• Characteristics of growth and development of all children
• Best practice
• Appropriate use of assessments
• Professionalism, including, but not limited to advocacy for all children and their families as well as advocacy for themselves and their profession
• State-of-the-art technology that will enhance their own lives and the lives of the children and families with whom they work

A goal of the Early Childhood Education Department is to produce independent thinkers confident in their knowledge of young children and their families.

Philosophy

The basic tenets of our philosophy apply to learners of all ages. These tenets are:

• Every person has inherent dignity and worth and should be treated as an individual
• Students of all ages are active learners
• Students learn best in a nurturing and safe environment
• Students will rise to the expectations of the educator
• Educators must honor and support the diverse backgrounds and abilities of each student
• Educators should be constantly aware of the potential life-changing effect they have on their students
• Educators are aware that they are serving as role models
• Education is a reciprocal process
• Education is required for making informed decisions
• Education should entice people to become life long learners

Program Outcomes

The Early Childhood Education Department program bases outcomes on the five standards set forth by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Standard 1: Promoting Child Development and Learning

1. Demonstrate a knowledge of child growth and development
2. Demonstrate ability to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment
3. Demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively with all children

Standard 2: Building Family & Community Relationships

4. Demonstrate understanding of characteristics of all families
5. Demonstrate ability to involve all families and communities in their children’s development and learning
6. Identify and use community resources that support children, families and early childhood professionals

Standard 3: Observing, Documenting & Assessing to Support Young Children & Families

7. Understand the goals, benefits and uses of assessments for all children and appropriate adaptations
8. Understand the uses of responsible assessment through observation, documentation and other appropriate assessment tools
9. Use authentic assessment strategies to facilitate development of all children

Standard 4: Teaching and Learning

10. Promote the growth and learning of all young children with or without disabilities
11. Demonstrate knowledge of all young children’s characteristics and needs
12. Use knowledge of development to create healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging environments
13. Demonstrate ability to use developmentally effective approaches in teaching and learning
14. Demonstrate ability to use content knowledge to build meaningful curriculum
15. Demonstrate ability to integrate appropriate technology in environments for all children
16. Provide positive guidance that supports social and emotional development
17. Interact appropriately with all children to support the development of their communication skills

Standard 5: Becoming a Professional

18. Practice professionalism
19. Demonstrate knowledge and practical application of NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct
20. Demonstrate ability to advocate for young children and their families

The past and present strengths of the Early Childhood Education Department include a dedication to quality instruction, a supportive college administration, community respect, responsiveness to community needs, quality field placements, articulation agreements with local universities, a partnership with Buncombe County Smart Start , and instructors dedicated to students and their families. These strengths result in well-prepared graduates who have a positive influence on the lives of the children and the families with whom they work.

The Early Childhood Education Department strives to build on past and present strengths while continually seeking to improve the quality of the educational experience for our students. We are committed to ongoing assessment of our curriculum/courses, making necessary improvements to meet the needs of our students and the evolving field of early childhood education.

Links to Helpful Websites

• NC Division of Child Development
• NC Rated License Assessment Project
• National Association for the Education of Young Children
• NC Association for the Education of Young Children
• TEACH Scholarship 
• Partners in Out-of-School Time