PATHWAYS IN EDUCATION/ECE

Petitioning for a Certificate/Degree 

In the final semester prior to completion, students should petition for completion of their pathway(s) through the Office of Admissions and Records. This is a fully digital process. Students can select the correct form (see the names below), login to the system with their SMC credentials, complete the required information and submit.

• Certificate of Completion Petition (for noncredit certificates) 

• Certificate of Achievement Petition (certificates)

• Associate Degree Petition (AS, AS-T, and AA-T degrees)

Introduction to Early Care and Education (noncredit) 

SMC offers a selection of noncredit, skill-building courses at no cost. These noncredit courses can be taken individually. Students taking these courses as a series can earn a Certificate of Completion. 

ECE noncredit courses provide robust learning environments and opportunities for personal growth. These classes are practical, relevant stepping stones, helping you build essential knowledge and skills to get started in the field of Early Childhood Education.

This program serves as an introduction to the theoretical and practical knowledge required for working with young children in an early care and education setting. Courses will:

• Help you determine your level of interest in the early care and education field

• Prepare you for future credit-bearing coursework in ECE

• Count toward the professional growth requirement for the renewal of an existing Child Development Permit 

The program consists of a sequence of courses that offers you the knowledge and skills practice needed to gain employment as an entry-level Assistant Teacher or Family Childcare Provider.

Required Courses:

• ECE 901 Introduction to Early Care and Education (o units, 12 hours of instruction) 

• ECE 902 Culturally Relevant Curriculum (0 units, 12 hours of instruction)

• ECE 903 Early Care Licensing and Workforce Readiness (0 units, 12 hours of instruction)

Early Childhood Associate Teacher (12 units)

Upon completion of this pathway, students will be able to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to meet the entry-level requirements of early childhood professionals working in programs regulated by the California Department of Social Services, Title 22. This certificate has been designed to meet the ECE coursework requirements for the Child Development Associate Teacher Permit.

Early Childhood Studies (30-60 units)

This pathway emphasizes interpersonal relationships, cultural diversity, child-centered curriculum, and the inclusion of children with special needs in all educational opportunities. The pathway is geared toward students wishing to prepare for employment in early childhood programs and provides a sequential path allowing students to obtain the academic requirements for the Assistant Teacher, Associate Teacher, and Teacher Permit.

Students may build on these courses to later transfer. However, the AS-T in Early Childhood Education is the recommended option for students desiring to transfer.

Required Courses (24 units):

• ECE 2 Principles and Practices of Teaching Young Children (3) 

• ECE 11 Child, Family, and Community (3)

• ECE 21 Observation and Assessment (4)

• ECE 22 Practicum in Early Childhood Education (5) 

• ECE 45 Introduction to Children with Special Needs (3)RECOMMENDED SEQUENCE OF COURSES

• ECE 64 Health, Safety, and Nutrition for Young Children (3) 

• PSYCH 11 Child Growth and Development (3)

Infant and Toddler Teaching (30-60 units)

This pathway prepares students to work with infants and toddlers (0-36 months) enabling the student to teach in a private program or assist a teacher in a public program. In addition, students will develop skills to create respectful, reciprocal relationships that support, empower, and involve families in their children's learning and development.

Early childhood education professionals adhere to the guidelines as well as the professional code of ethics of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, providing developmentally appropriate learning opportunities for the enhancement of the physical, intellectual, social, emotional, and creative domains of young children.

Early Intervention/Special Education (33-60 units)

This pathway prepares students for career placements in public and/or private early intervention and education settings that serve young children with a range of developmental strengths, abilities, and needs. 

Jobs and responsibilities may include serving as an early childhood educator with a specialization in working with children with exceptionalities, a special education assistant for children birth-to-eight years of age, a one-to-one assistant (e.g., inclusion facilitator), or as an assistant teacher on an early intervention team.

Nature Based Pedagogy (22 units)

This pathway provides a foundation in child development, highlighting nature, environmental education, and stewardship. It includes an exploration of a nature-based pedagogy continuum; from nature-focused activities through forest Kindergarten principles and practices, as well as strategies and resources to support children in developing and fostering a curiosity of the world around them. Cultural diversity and placed-based influences will be a focus. 

Outdoor learning environments (OLEs) stimulate the diversity of children’s play experience and contribute to their healthy development. Through observation and assessment opportunities, students will experience an outdoor learning environment first hand; discovering skills and understanding required to create, manage, promote, and organize a quality outdoor learning environment for children.

Early Childhood Education - Transfer (60 units) 

Upon successful completion of the Santa Monica College AS-T in Early Childhood Education, the student will have a strong academic foundation in the field and be prepared for upper-division baccalaureate study. This coursework will satisfy most of the lower-division Early Childhood Education requirements at many institutions. 

This degree is intended for students who are interested in Early Childhood Education and are planning on transferring to a four-year university.

Completion of this degree will likely give you priority admission consideration at CSU campuses. In addition, you will need to complete no more than 60 semester/90 quarter CSU units of coursework after transfer to complete your degree. If you are considering transferring to a UC, private, or out-of-state university, please consult a counselor before applying to transfer, as that institution’s transfer requirements might be different from those required for the AS-T in Early Childhood Education.

Transitional Kindergarten Teaching (24 units)

The goal of this pathway is to provide a strand of unit-bearing curriculum specifically designed to meet the needs of current Transitional Kindergarten (TK) teachers as well as Multiple Subject credential holders needing the Early Childhood 24-unit requirement to be a TK teacher. Students will learn to develop and align TK curriculum to the California Preschool Learning Foundations.

Elementary Teacher Education (18 units)

This pathway is an introduction to the field of teaching. Courses seek to inspire and prepare future educators to teach in urban classrooms. Students learn professional knowledge, including professional teaching standards and ethics, conduct fieldwork to learn about the roles of the teacher and how to meet the diverse needs of students and gain foundational knowledge in some of the disciplines needed for teaching elementary students. Students also develop critical reading, writing, and thinking skills that are pertinent to working in the era of standards-based classroom instruction.

Elementary Teacher Education - Transfer (60+ units)

This pathway is intended for students who plan to transfer to a bachelor's degree in Integrated Teacher Education, Liberal Studies or a similar major. and/or a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential to prepare them for elementary school teaching. Successful completion of the AA-T in Elementary Teacher Education satisfies lower-division preparation for a degree in Liberal Studies.

Students who seek to become teachers in primary, secondary, bilingual, or special education will find this as one possible pathway. This pathway focuses on building the knowledge, skills, and hopefully the disposition that prepares professionals to work with children grades TK to twelve. In this program, students will learn how to promote healthy development and learning in individually, culturally, and linguistically responsive ways.