The Early Childhood Professional
Course Description
This course is written for all early childhood professionals, working in homes or centers.
Become a more professional child care provider as you examine standards for high-quality child care in one of our most popular courses. Learn ways to show respect for diversity among children and families and develop congenial relationships with families and staff. Learn the signs and effects of stress as well as strategies to manage stress.
See the learning outcomes and topics below for more information on what is covered in this course.
Course formats
This course is offered in both our coursebook (with required online component/testing) and our fully online format. The online format of this course includes audio narration in most course sections.
Listen to this page read aloud in a format similar to the online course:
Click here to learn more about Care Courses' training formats.
Acceptance information
This course is accepted for child care professional development training requirements in most states and for the CDA credential and for CDA renewal training requirements.
- Kentucky: The Kentucky Division of Child Care and ECE-TRIS do not accept courses that are more than 15 clock hours in length for annual professional development hours. This 20 clock hour course may only be used for CDA and CDA renewal training in Kentucky.
NAC training
The NECPA Commission, Inc. has approved this educational program as meeting the criteria for continuing education for the National Administrator Credential. Click here for more approved NAC training.
Learning outcomes
After completing The Early Childhood Professional you will be able to describe the purpose of child care and early education; recognize the characteristics of various types of child care; identify how to assess the quality of your early childhood program; identify developmentally appropriate practice in child care; and list various program requirements and rules to apply to your child care setting. Click here to read all of the learning outcomes for this course.
Topics covered
- Standards for a high-quality child care environment
- The purpose of child care and early childhood education
- Characteristics of developmentally appropriate child care
- The meaning of professionalism in child care
- Characteristics necessary for child care providers
- Duties and responsibilities of various jobs in the child care profession
- Ethical standards for child care professionals
- Respecting diversity among children and families
- Ways to analyze classrooms for an anti-bias approach
- Ways to show respect for family differences
- Ways to ensure a congenial relationship with parents
- How to plan and conduct parent conferences
- Characteristics of successful communication with parents
- Guidelines for harmonious staff relationships
- Five-step problem-solving process
- Stress management strategies
- Sources, signs, and effects of stress
- Ways to reduce stress in child care settings
- Ways to improve your own stress management skills and help children develop their own coping skills
Prerequisites
Must be able to fluently read and write English.
Instructional methodology
Read written material, view videos, listen to audio segments.
Assessment methods
Multiple choice quizzes and written assignments.
What our students say about The Early Childhood Professional
"The material is very relevant and informative. It is also written in a way that is illuminating and not tedious. We chose a career that demands dedicated, loving individuals who understand the importance of building the ideal foundation which infants and young children need in order to grow up to become self assured, intelligent and well adjusted young people and adults on all levels." - Brecksville, Ohio
"Thank-You. Everything went very well ...smoothly and quickly. The Care Courses are the, 'only way to go.' After years of taking training hours the old fashion way... I'll never take training any other way. I hope you continue to add new courses." - Salem, Oregon
"Everything went really well in this course! This is my second care course, but my first online course. Instructions were very clear and navigating through the course was very easy! The content, assignments, testing were just difficult enough without being too easy or too difficult. I will continue to purchase courses from Care Courses in the future! - New Bedford, Massachusetts
"This is the third Care Course that I have ordered. They have all been great. I keep all the books and often refer to them. What a wonderful way to learn and earn hours." - Southaven, Mississippi
"I loved downloading the course as it gave me time to read in my spare time. I could pick a time when it was quiet, and I have the course on hand when I want to go back and reread it if I want. Thank you for offering these [The Early Childhood Professional, Preschoolers in Child Care] online." - Baxter Springs, Kansas
How Care Courses® Training Works: Details & Support
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Course Details & Support
Prerequisites
- Language: Fluent reading and writing in the language of instruction (English or Spanish).
- Technology: Internet access and a web-enabled device (computer, smartphone, or tablet).
Access & Completion Deadline
- This training expires 12 months from the date of purchase.
- To receive a certificate of completion, you must successfully finish the course before the expiration date.
Learning Methods
- Read instructor-written material
- Watch videos
- Listen to audio segments
Assessments
- Multiple-choice quizzes
- Written assignments
Requirements for CEUs and Clock Hours
To earn CEUs and Clock Hours for a course, you must:
- Agree to and acknowledge our Honor Code & Policy
- Follow all instructions for written assignments
- Demonstrate comprehension of the course content
- Achieve the passing score specified in your course.
Quizzes and Assessments
- If your score falls below the passing mark, a trainer will review your work. If needed, you may be asked to speak with a trainer.
- You will have a second chance to retake any quiz or assessment.
- If you do not pass on your second attempt, contact us at info@carecourses.com. We will review your course and follow up directly.
- All quizzes are open book; all answers are found in the course material.
Certificates
- Official Care Courses certificates of completion record your clock hours and CEUs.
- Certificates are available in the My Courses area of your account.
- Please note: All course and certificate dates and times are on Eastern Time.
Getting Started
- See how our training works on the training process page.
- Watch our course navigation video for a quick tour of the online portal.
- Free Unlimited Assistance
- We’re here to help with training, billing, and technical support questions.
- Phone: 1-800-685-7610 (Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Eastern)
- Email: info@CareCourses.com or techsupport@CareCourses.com (days, evenings, and weekends)
About Care Courses
- Care Courses offers over 50 professional development courses and one non-credit training tutorial on the CDA process.
- All professional development courses include clock hours, CEUs, and an official online certificate of completion.
- (The free CDA tutorial does not offer clock hours or a certificate.)
Tuition & Bundles
- Course tuition entitles one person to receive the clock hours and CEUs granted upon successful completion.
- Bundle pricing covers tuition for all courses included in the bundle.
Policies & Requirements
