Child Development and Guidance
Course Description:
This course applies to infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Learn the typical developmental characteristics of children from birth to 6 years of age, techniques of positive guidance, how to use daily routines and schedules to meet children's developmental needs, manage transitions with ease, plan a developmentally appropriate curriculum, and promote children's development through interesting activities.
See the course topics listed below for more information on what is covered.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing Child Development and Guidance you will be able to explain basic principles of children’s development; describe the milestones that indicate different stages in each developmental domain; explain the importance of nutrition for children’s development; explain the importance of opportunity for children’s development and the lack of opportunity as a risk factor for developmental delays; and identify strategies for recognizing and reporting the characteristics associated with developmental delays and developmental disabilities. Read more.
Attention Massachusetts Students: This course is approved by Massachusetts EEC to meet the full 3-college-credit requirement in child growth and development for hiring assistant teachers, teachers, and lead teachers. This 3-college-credit training requirement is the same as Category of Study 1: Child Growth and Development, Birth through Eight Years.
Attention Nevada Students: This course fulfills your Child Development/Guidance and Discipline training requirement.
Attention Canada Students: This course is accepted for British Columbia's 20-hour Responsible Adult Child Care Training Requirement, which requires 20 hours of training in child development, guidance, health and safety, or nutrition.
Topics Covered in Child Development and Guidance:
- How children develop
- Typical developmental characteristics (behaviors and skill development) and needs of infants (birth to 12 months), toddlers (1 year to 2½ years), preschoolers (2½ to 5), and school age (5 to 6 years)
- Ways caregivers can meet the needs of infants and toddlers
- Checklists for use in assessing the developmental progress of individual children
- Positive guidance
- Why children need guidance
- The meaning of terms relating to guiding children's behavior
- Techniques of positive guidance
- Ways to help children develop a positive self-concept, and strategies for dealing with disruptive, non-compliant, and aggressive behaviors
- Routines, schedules, and transitions between activities
- Elements of a typical daily schedule for early childhood programs
- Why routines are important for children's development
- Typical routines for children's days at an early childhood program
- Reasons why transitions are often troublesome
- Ideas for ensuring pleasant transitions that contribute to children's development and learning
- Ways to promote child development through activities
- The meaning of developmentally appropriate curriculum
- Guidelines for developmentally appropriate curriculum planning
- Goals for young children's development
- Strategies to promote child development
- How to develop and use lesson plans
- Ways to create developmentally appropriate learning environments
- Suggestions for selecting toys and play equipment to meet children's needs
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.
Comments on Child Development and Guidance:
"Just want to let you know that Care Courses [Child Development and Guidance, Toddlers in Child Care, Principles of Child Development and Learning and Infants in Child Care] is great!!! I get my books mailed to me in a timely manner and the instructions are very thorough and easy to understand!! You guys are the best!" - Middlesex, New Jersey
"I absolutely love the fact that I’m able to study and complete things in my own time and work around my hectic work schedule. COVID-19 has been such a difficult time and after already spending so much money on trying to take online college classes this was such a relief to be able to pay for a course without feeling like I was selling my soul. I feel like I can actually be successful." - Lynn, Massachusetts
"Everything so far has been great with my online course order. I like the layout of the course, it is very easy to use." - British Columbia, Canada
"Everything went so smoothly with the download. I completed my work and mailed in the test yesterday. Love the amount of great information and the flexibility of working at home with my busy schedule. Thanks." - Dallas, Texas
"I was extremely impressed with the course Child Development and Guidance! I will definitely be using your online courses in the future! Useful information available to me when it works with my schedule. Thank you!" - Walworth, New York
"Hi and thank you for the follow up email regarding the Care Course I have begun. So far I have no questions, but want you to know that I am really enjoying the course on Child Development and Guidance. I am already looking forward to the next one that I will be taking. Thank you for setting up such a user friendly and informative system of continuing education. I really appreciate it!" - Damascus, Maryland
Care Courses currently offers over 30 professional development courses and one non-credit training tutorial on the CDA process. All courses offer clock hours and an official online certificate of completion. The free CDA tutorial does not offer clock hours or a certificate.
Care Courses' course tuition entitles one person to receive the clock hours granted by a course upon successful completion. Bundle pricing covers tuition for all the courses included in a bundle.
To receive the CEUs and Clock Hours for a course, you must adhere to and sign our honor code, follow directions on written assignments and show comprehension of the course content. You must make 70% or better on all course quizzes. Less than 70% will result in trainer review and evaluation. If review indicates the need for discussion, you will be informed that you must speak with a trainer. You will be given a second chance to make 70% or better. Should you fail to do so, you will receive a letter indicating that you did not pass the course and may not retake the course for 12 months.
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