ECED& 170: Environments-Young Child

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Class Program
Early Childhood Education
Credits 3 Lecture Hours 33
This class focuses on the adults role in designing, evaluating, and improving indoor and outdoor environments that ensure quality learning, nurturing experiences, and optimize the development of young children. Course may include fieldwork. (Formerly: ECE 135)
Quarters Offered
Fall
Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following knowledge or skills:

Outcomes are aligned with the Washington State Core Competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals and the National Association for the Education of Young Children Standards.
  1. Design healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments for children.
    Core Competency: Area II: Curriculum & Learning Environment-1d.
    NAEYC: Standard 1: Promoting Child Development and Learning Key Element 1c.
  2. Identify strategies to achieve compliance with Washington Administrative Code and other state or federal guidelines.
    Core Competency: Area II: Curriculum & Learning Environment-1d.
    NAEYC: Standard 1: Promoting Child Development and Learning Key Element 1c.
  3. Create environments that promote growth in all developmental domains and academic disciplines.
    Core Competencies: Area II: Curriculum & Learning Environment-3e, 3f.
    NAEYC: Standard 5: Using Content Knowledge to Build Meaningful Curriculum Key Element 5a.
  4. Establish environments, routines, and schedules that promote children’s age-appropriate, self-regulated behaviors.
    Core Competency: Area II: Curriculum & Learning Environment-3b.
    NAEYC: Standard 4: Using Developmentally Effective Approaches to Connect with Children and Families Key Elements 4a, 4c.
  5. Establish environments that promote the cultural diversity of children, families, and their communities.
    Core Competencies: Area II: Curriculum & Learning Environment-3c, 3d.
    NAEYC: Standard 2: Building Family and Community Relationships Key Elements 2b, 2c.
Institutional Outcomes
IO3 Human Relations/Workplace Skills: Establish, implement, evaluate and analyze an early care and education setting (Program Planning and Development)
Course Content Outline
  1. Understanding the Importance of the Environment
  2. Establishing an Emotionally Supportive and Equitable Environment
  3. Establishing a Context for Learning: Designing Schedules, Transitions, Groupings, and Assessments
  4. Creating a Healthy, Safe Environment
  5. Arranging an Effective Environment
  6. Design Consideration
  7. Developing Literacy Centers
  8. Developing Manipulative and Sensory Centers
  9. Developing Math Centers
  10. Developing Science Centers
  11. Developing Block and Building Centers
  12. Developing Dramatic Play Centers
  13. Developing Music Centers
  14. Developing Special Interest Centers
  15. Creating Outdoor Environments
  16. Creating Spaces for Families and Teachers
  17. Meeting Environmental Challenges
Department Guidelines
Course may include, but not limited to the following activities:
  1. Student presentations on various topics outlined in textbook
  2. Washington State Early Learning Guidelines
  3. Summaries of articles from professional journals and magazines
  4. Quizzes/assessments of student’s knowledge
  5. Interviews of early childhood professionals
  6. Observations in early learning environments
  7. Evaluate various classroom environments using tools (ITERS, ECERS, FCCERS)
  8. Create a classroom environment model
  9. Reflections of student learning
  10. Review of NAEYC Standards and Code of Ethical Conduct
  11. Review of Washington State Core Competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals
  12. Video clips to reinforce specific skills