1.2: Flow of the Book
The flow of the text is designed with chapters that build upon each other, so starting at the beginning and moving through in order may make the most sense. In addition to content, we include images, quotes, links (which we will update frequently but may change without our knowledge, so we apologize in advance if that is the case for you), and places to pause and reflect about what you have just read.
The chapters are as follows:
- Chapter 1 History : presents a little about the history of our field and encourages you to dig deeper as your interest dictates
- Chapter 2 Theories : introduces you to some of the major ideas and frameworks used to guide our practices with young children
- Chapter 3 The Early Childhood Teaching Profession : answers many initial questions students may ask about roles, responsibilities, and opportunities in the field of early childhood education
- Chapter 4 Observation and Assessment : Introduces you to the skills of gathering information about young children
- Chapter 5 Developmental Ages and Stages : builds on observational skills to understand the unique characteristics of children at various ages and stages of development
- Chapter 6 Curriculum Basics : builds even further on observational skills and an understanding of developmental ages and stages to provide appropriate interactions and learning experiences for young children
- Chapter 7 Environments : expands beyond curriculum to bring an awareness of the many aspects of planning physical spaces, routines and an interpersonal tone that meet the needs of young children
- Chapter 8 Partnering with Families : introduces the concept of valuing families as a child’s first teacher and the importance of partnering to provide positive collaboration between a child’s most important worlds, home and school.
Information you will cover in other CDE courses:
- The content in Chapter 1 (History), Chapter 2 (Developmental Theories), and Chapter 5 (Developmental Ages and Stages) will be touched upon in many of your other CDE courses.
- The content in Chapter 4 (Observation and Assessment), Chapter 6 (Curriculum Basics), Chapter 7 (Environments), and Chapter 8 (Partnering with Families) will each have their own course where you will study that particular topic in much more detail.
This class will prepare you to work in the field of early care and education as required by CA licensing (Title 22 and Title 5) and Accreditation.
The State of California, Department of Social Services houses a Community Care Licensing Division. A portion of Title 22 of these regulations stipulates requirements for early childhood programs, which includes educational requirements, of which this course applies.
The State of California Department of Education further regulates early childhood programs receiving any form of state funding through Title V (5). This course meets a portion of that academic requirement.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children offers Accreditation to those programs that apply and meet all qualifications of a quality program as defined by this organization. This course is included in the academic requirements.
The regulations above covered in Chapter 3 (The Early Childhood Teaching Profession) with the links included for you to investigate further. Knowledge of the regulations that govern our work with children and families is important as it provides the basis for our profession.
You will also find useful information about the CDE Department at College of the Desert, as well as state and national content in Chapter 3. Our department website has many links in place to assist you in your endeavors. We encourage you to visit it often and take full advantage of the content that is there for you.