Early Childhood Teacher Education - AA
Helping to shape small minds, while spending your day playing with children - a career in early childhood education can be serious fun! Teachers in early childhood settings have an enormous impact on the lives of young children, helping their developing brains build critical skills like curiosity, persistence, and collaboration that will support success in kindergarten and beyond. Early childhood educators monitor developmental progression while creating a safe, engaging environment for play-based learning to occur.
An Early Childhood Education teaching degree can lead to a role as a classroom teacher, a center director, or an advocate for this important industry on which many families rely. In an associate program in Early Childhood Teacher Education, you will study developmental milestones, learn observation techniques, and explore culturally responsive and engaging teaching practices. This degree is transferable to universities offering bachelor’s degrees in Early Childhood Education.
Students interested in Early Childhood Education with plans to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree would follow this recommended track. If you are planning to transfer on to a 4-year university after graduating at Otero, view the Otero Transfer Agreement. Each student should work closely with their Otero advisor and contact their transfer institution choices for more specific transfer information. Other transfer information can be found at The Colorado Dept. of Higher Education.
All courses required for this degree must be completed with a “C” or better to be considered for transfer to another Colorado institution. Transferability of courses to colleges or universities outside of Colorado is determined by the receiving institution.
The first year of an Early Childhood Teacher Education program will include math and English courses to meet general education requirements. The completion of introductory math and English courses in your first year is proven to greatly increase your likelihood of crossing the graduation stage, boosting your momentum along the academic pathway you select. Other general education courses on your pathway will cover topics in Arts and Humanities, History, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Natural and Physical Sciences.
Program-specific courses may begin as soon as your first semester. These courses will become more advanced as you move along your degree pathway. Through this sequence of courses, your knowledge of early childhood education concepts and instructional methods will grow and deepen. Coursework will include Guidance Strategies for Young Children, Curriculum Methods and Techniques, Child Growth and Development, and Working Parents, Families, and Communities. After completing a 60- credit associate degree, your degree pathway can continue with guaranteed transfer to a college that offers bachelor’s degrees.
| Required Courses that Fulfill General Education Requirements (33 Credit Hours) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Credit Hours | Course Number and Title | |
| (Written) Communication |
3 | ENG 121/1021 English Composition I |
| 3 | ENG 122/1022 English Composition II | |
| Mathematics | 4 | MAT 120/1240 Mathematics for the Liberal Arts |
| Arts & Humanities |
3 | MUS 120/1020 Music Appreciation OR ART 110/1110 Art Appreciation OR THE 105/1005 Theater Appreciation |
| 3 | LIT 115/1015 Introduction to Literature OR LIT 255/2055 Children’s Literature | |
| History | 3 | HIS 121/1210 U. S. History to Reconstruction OR HIS 122/1220 U.S. History Since Civil War |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences |
3 | GEO 105/1005 World Regional Geography |
| 3 | PSY 101/1001 General Psychology | |
| Natural & Physical Sciences |
4 | SCI 155/1055 Integrated Science I with lab |
| 4 | SCI 156/1056* Integrated Science II with lab | |
| **Additional Required Courses & Electives (27 Credit Hours) | |
|---|---|
| Credit Hours | Course Number and Title |
| 3 | ECE 101/1011 Intro to Early Childhood Education |
| 3 | ECE 102/1045 Intro to ECE Techniques |
| 3 | ECE 103/1031 Guidance Strategies for Young Children |
| 3 | ECE 220/2621 Curriculum Methods and Techniques |
| 3 | ECE 238/2381 ECE Child Growth and Development |
| 3 | ECE 256/2101 Working with Parents, Families, and Communities |
| Electives - 9 credit hours determined by the receiving institution. | |
Otero College is a part of a Statewide Transfer Articulation Agreement between Colorado community colleges and universities. These agreements allow you to graduate from a community college with a 60-credit Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree with designation; enroll with junior status at a university; and complete your bachelor’s degree. If you attend full-time and follow the structured schedule, you can complete your bachelor’s degree in 4 years.
The following Colorado public four-year institutions will accept your completed Early Childhood Teacher Education AA degree from Otero College.
Adams State University
[B.A. Early Childhood Education]
Colorado Mesa University
[B.A. Early Childhood Education – Early Childhood Special Education]
Colorado State University-Ft Collins
[B.S. Early Childhood Education]
Colorado State University-Pueblo
[B.S. Early Childhood Education]
Fort Lewis College
[B.A. Early Childhood Education]
Metropolitan State University of Denver
[B.A. Early Childhood Education]
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
[B.A. Inclusive Early Childhood Education]
University of Colorado Denver
[B.A. Education and Human Development – Early Childhood]
University of Northern Colorado
[B.A. Early Childhood Teacher Education (Birth-Grade 3)]