Practicum Information
Practicum experiences are an integral part of the Early Childhood Development and Education program. Students will spend time in an early childhood classroom, supported by a mentor teacher, to develop professional skills for working in early care and education. Associate of Applied Science students will complete two supervised practicum experiences:
ECDE 2900: Early Learning Foundations Practicum (70 hours) at a partner early care and education setting
ECDE 2901: Preschool Practicum (130 hours) at ECDE's Wonder School
If a student currently works at a high-quality early learning childcare center (as determined by the ECDE program), then under certain circumstances and with prior approval, the student may complete one of their practicum experiences at their place of employment while being paid by their employer. In addition, if a student has five or more years of experience working with children in a licensed early learning childcare center, then under certain circumstances and with prior approval, the student may be awarded nontraditional (N) credit for ECDE 2900.
Please see the ECDE Practicum Manual, on Blackboard's ECDE Student Community, for full practicum details.
To be eligible for practicum placement, students must:
1. Complete ECDE 1101, ECDE 1105, ECDE 1107, ECDE 1108, ECDE 1109, ECDE 2010, PSY 1100, and PSY 2261 with a grade of C or better. ECDE 2014 must also be completed before ECDE 2901. Students must have a 2.0 GPA or higher at the time of orientation RSVP, course registration, and prior to the start of the semester.
2. Attend one of the in-person Practicum Orientations the semester before starting practicums, following all paperwork deadlines. Students should reach out to the ECDE Practicum Coordinator at ECDEpracticum@cscc.edu for additional information about the required paperwork.
3. Meet with their assigned ECDE Faculty Advisor to verify that all practicum prerequisites have been met.
ECDE Faculty Advisors are assigned by last name:
A-G Christine Creagh (ccreagh@cscc.edu)
H-O Charvella McKaye (cmckaye@cscc.edu)
P-Z Tricia May-Woods (tmaywood@cscc.edu)