What Do You Learn in an ECE Degree Program?

Posted On October 21,2022

If you’re in the process of choosing what kind of career you want to pursue and you’re interested in working with children and teaching, then you may want to consider getting an Early Childhood Education (ECE) degree. This degree will allow you to work in a daycare, preschool, or as a nanny.

Here at Athena Career Academy, we offer a comprehensive Early Childhood Education Associate Degree Program that can be completed within two years. The following are a few of the things that you’ll learn when completing our ECE degree program.

Early childhood education graduate ready to teach her first year of preschool students.

1. Child Psychology

Child psychology is one of the main things you’ll learn about in an ECE degree program. You’ll take classes that cover topics such as how children develop mentally, emotionally, and physically. You’ll also learn about different methods of teaching and communicating with children.

This knowledge is essential for working in any capacity with kids. It will also help you better understand why they act in certain ways and how to best help them thrive in an educational setting.

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2. Planning Educational Activities For Children

A large part of your job as an early childhood educator will be to develop engaging and educational activities for the children in your care. You’ll learn how to do this effectively in your ECE classes. You’ll learn about the different stages of child development, and what types of activities are appropriate for each stage. You’ll also gain experience creating your own lesson plans and activities.

3. Creating a Safe Learning Environment

Safety is always a top priority when working with children. In your ECE classes, you’ll learn how to create a safe and nurturing environment for kids. You’ll learn about different safety hazards and how to prevent them so that the children in your care can learn and grow without being exposed to unnecessary risks.

4. Handling Challenging Behavior

No matter how well you plan and how safe you make your learning environment, there will always be times when children act out. It’s important to know how to handle these situations in a way that is respectful and effective.

You’ll learn about different behavior management techniques in your ECE classes. This knowledge will be invaluable when dealing with challenging situations in your future career.

5. Teaching Children to Be Independent and Confident

One of the most important things you can do for the children in your care is to teach them to be independent and confident. You’ll learn how to encourage self-esteem and positive behavior in your ECE classes. These skills will help the children you work with throughout their lives.

6. How To Adapt Your Teaching

Every child is different, and it’s important to be able to adapt your teaching style to meet the needs of each individual child. In your ECE classes, you’ll learn about different learning styles and how to accommodate them.

You’ll also learn how to modify your lesson plans and activities to make sure that all children in your care are engaged and getting the most out of their learning experience.

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Enroll In Our ECE Program Today!

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in early childhood education, contact us at Athena Career Academy to learn more about our ECE program. You can schedule a campus tour, talk to our admissions team about how to enroll, and maybe run into some happy students eager to share their experiences and successes with our programs. Let’s talk today!