As a result of participating in this topic area of the CDA program, attendees will:

• Examine their reasons for wanting to work with young children
• Explore the personal characteristics needed for successfully working with young children
• Develop a broad picture of the responsibilities and rewards of being a qualified early childhood educator
• Understand that the role of an early childhood educator is to facilitate learning by preparing the environment, providing appropriate activities, and interacting with children
• Expand their awareness of the profile of the early childhood workforce and understand the importance and value of continuing education and advocacy for professional development
• Understand and be committed to the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct

As a result of participating in this topic area of the CDA program, attendees will:

• Establish and maintain open, friendly, and cooperative relationships with each child’s family.
• Support each child’s relationship with her or his family.
• Encourage family involvement in the program.

As a result of participating in this topic area of the CDA program, attendees will:

• Provide a safe environment to prevent and reduce injuries
• Be able to handle emergencies, accidents and injuries appropriately
• Promote good health and nutrition practices
• Establish an environment that contributes to the prevention of illness
• Use space and materials to construct an interesting and enjoyable environment that encourages play and exploration
• Use relationships and routines to construct a secure and growth-enhancing environment for children.
• Understand the role of a Mandated Reporter, recognize signs of abuse, maltreatment and neglect, understand preventative measures to reduce the risk of SIDS, and the catastrophic results of Shaken Baby Syndrome

As a result of participating in this topic area of the CDA program, attendees will:

• Understand that early childhood education has a knowledge base of research and theory that derives from and determines practice
• Will know the milestones of growth and development for children birth through age five
• Will understand the concept of sequential stages of development
• Will understand the idea of domains of development (physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language) and the ways in which they are integrated for children
• Will understand the concept of individual differences and variations in learning styles and personalities
• Will know and accept the profession’s definition of developmental appropriateness, so that knowledge of child development will be used as a framework to plan appropriate experiences for children
• Will select and use sound methods to observe children’s behavior, interpret the results, and take actions accordingly
• Will understand the concept of developmental disabilities and recognize the need for specialized resources to facilitate the development of disabled children in mainstreamed settings

As a result of participating in this topic area of the CDA program, attendees will:

• Provide physical and emotional security for each child
• Help each child to know, accept, and take pride in herself or himself
• Help each child develop a sense of independence
• Help children feel accepted in the group and encourage communications so children can get along with others
• Encourage feelings of empathy and mutual respect among children and adults
• Establish a supportive environment in which children can begin to learn and practice appropriate and acceptable behaviors as individuals and as a group.

As a result of participating in this topic area of the CDA program, students will:

• Provide a variety of equipment, activities, and opportunities to promote the physical development of children
• Provide activities and opportunities that encourage curiosity, exploration, and problem solving appropriate to the developmental levels and learning styles of children
• Actively communicate with children and provide opportunities and support for children to understand, acquire, and use spoken and written language to communicate thoughts and feelings
• Provide opportunities that stimulate children to play with sound, rhythm, language, materials, space, and ideas in individual ways to express their creative abilities

As a result of participating in this topic area of the CDA program, students will:

• Learn to effectively use what they have learned in the classroom
• Explore the responsibilities of operating a child day care program
• Reflect on their professional and ethical responsibilities to the children and families that they serve