OUR MISSION

To provide school to college or school to career preparation for careers in Child Care through a core curriculum centered around student safety, child development, developmental psychology and educational pedagogy. This program offer students the opportunity to earn college credits and gain valuable hands-on experience working in the field.

OUR GOALS

1. Assist in achieving the Child Care work-force needs of the State

2. Promote the concept that skills learned as a part of Child Care can be applied to all fields, organizations, and industries.

3. Assist in creating a work force in this field that has ethnic and gender diversity

4. Promote a broadly trained worker who will meet the needs for future Child Care centers and businesses.

5. Provide students with a strong foundation in pedagogy, developmental psychology, and child care safety while providing students with the opportunity for hands-on experience in the field.

6. Enhance quality high school to college articulation as well as high school to work-force articulation.

THE COURSE SEQUENCE

Child Development I

This course is designed to help students understand how to provide care to children. It is important for one who cares for children, whether in the home as parents or as workers in a child-related occupation, to have knowledge of a child's growth and development in order to provide for them effectively. The Hopatcong High School Pre School Program provides students with the opportunity of working with children and applying classroom theories to practical use. The students will plan lessons and teach preschoolers, on a rotating basis, three days a week from October to June. There will also be regular textbook assignments. It is important that students realize that it is a serious class that can be both a lot of fun and a lot of work. We do not simply play with preschoolers - we teach them and help them to be ready for kindergarten. Child Development is an elective in the Family & Consumer Sciences Department in which High School students, under the direction of a qualified teacher, serve as teacher-assistants in our Pre-School Program. This course provides an opportunity for High School students to apply learning theories studied in the Child Development classroom, use effective early childhood instructional strategies and make parents partners in their child's education. Safety will also be covered in depth.

Child Development II

This course is designed for the student who wishes to pursue a career in early childhood education and is the second course in the CTE sequence. It will help the student to recall, review and expand on the concepts presented in Child Development I. In this course, students will learn how to prepare content specific lesson plans, including but not limited to writing, mathematics, science, social studies, food and nutrition and music. These lessons will be presented and evaluated and observations will be conducted three days a week with teacher guidance. Students will be encouraged to think more critically when solving problems and making decisions. In this course, students will solve complex problems, make difficult decisions and assess the ethical implications of their decisions. In addition, students will have the opportunity to shadow teachers within the district. Safety will also be covered in depth.

Tomorrow's Teachers

This course is designed to introduce the beginning student to the field of education. The course is being offered to students that want to pursue education as a career path. The course is an overview of what educators learn in college, including lessons on multiple intelligence, learning barriers, classroom observations and pedagogy. A special emphasis will be placed on Early Childhood Education so as to provide a culminating educational experience for students who have recently completed their CDA and will seek future employment in the field of Early Childhood Education.

THE CTSO

SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA's mission is to empower its members to become world-class workers, leaders, and responsible American citizens.

www.skillsusa.org

ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS

Sussex County Community College

9 TOTAL CREDITS

CHILD DEVELOPMENT I @ Hopatcong High School =

CDEV 101: Introduction to Early Childhood Education @ SCCC (3 credits) & CDEV160: Child Nutrition and Health @ SCCC (3 credits)

CHILD DEVELOPMENT II @ Hopatcong High School =

CDEV 280: Child Care Internship @ SCCC (3 credits)

STRUCTURED LEARNING EXPERIENCE

School-Based Enterprise (Year 1):

Working as teacher-assistants in our Pre-School program three days a week from October - June.

School-Based Enterprise (Year 2):

Students will serve as student-teachers three days a week, where they are responsible for writing and leading lessons for the Hopatcong Pre-school program

Job Shadowing (Year 3):

Students will observe teachers in the elementary school after the conclusion of the high school day to view teaching styles and curricular approaches.

THIRD PARTY ASSESSMENT

Students will have the opportunity to earn the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential.

This will allow students to be hired to work in the Child Care field immediately upon graduation from high school.

www.cdacouncil.org