The skills learned are a combination of professional workplace competencies and technical knowledge focused on child development.

Students progress from foundational knowledge to hands-on application, building expertise in the following key areas:

1. Child Development & Guidance

This is the scientific and theoretical backbone of the pathway. Students learn how to:

• Track Milestones: Understand the typical physical, social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones for children from birth through age eight.

• Observe and Assess: Use observation and documentation techniques to assess a child's learning and growth, and use that data to plan instruction.

• Positive Behavior Guidance: Implement positive, relationship-based strategies to guide behavior and support children's social-emotional development, rather than relying on punitive measures.

2. Health, Safety, and Nutrition

Students learn the crucial skills required to maintain a safe and nurturing environment, often preparing them for professional credentials:

• Creating Safe Environments: Design and maintain safe, healthy, and challenging learning environments that meet licensing and ethical standards.

• Emergency Procedures: Implement Universal Precautions and emergency procedures (like those for choking or sudden illness).

• Nutritional Planning: Understand basic child nutrition and plan age-appropriate meals and snacks.

• Safe Sleep Practices: Apply safe sleep practices for infants and toddlers (crucial for those working with the youngest age groups).

3. Curriculum and Instruction

These are the practical teaching skills needed for a classroom or child care setting:

• Curriculum Design: Design, implement, and evaluate developmentally appropriate, content-rich, and purposeful curriculum (e.g., creating engaging lesson plans for literacy, math, and science).

• Play-Based Learning: Facilitate learning through play-based activities and hands-on experiences, which are central to early childhood education theory.

• Inclusion: Apply principles of inclusive teaching to support children with diverse needs and abilities.

4. Professionalism and Family Relations

The pathway emphasizes the soft skills and ethical practices required for the job:

• Communication: Forge positive, reciprocal relationships with children's families and community members to empower and engage them in the child's learning.

• Professional Ethics: Demonstrate ethical guidelines and professional standards as a collaborative, continuous learner in the early childhood profession.

Work Based Learning can be tied into this pathway, Jr and/or Senior year.