Early Childhood Teacher Certificate and Associate of Science Degree

This certificate meets the coursework requirements for the Teacher level of the California Child Development Permit and prepares students to be competent and effective teachers and caregivers for young children ages 3-5.

Additional work experience with young children (175 days of 3 hours per day within 4 years) may be required to qualify for state permit. The Saddleback Certificate can be earned with coursework only.

Students are encouraged to apply for BOTH the college certificate and the state permit. See the Child Development website for application information.
Complete all core courses, supervised field experience, including all prerequisite courses and specified general education courses to earn your certificate.

A minimum grade of "C" in each course is required to receive the certificate.

Qualifies you for careers working directly or indirectly with children in related fields such as:

• Preschool & Pre-K Teacher
• Parent Co-op Teacher
• Children's Museums
• Children's Advocacy

Curriculum

Curriculum changes as industry standards transform. Please refer to the Saddleback College Catalog website as the following requirements may have changed since this webpage was published.

Click here to download a worksheet

Early Childhood Teacher Certificate and Associate of Science Degree
Certificate Requirements

Core Courses

Course ID	Title	Units
CD 101*	Principles and Practices for Teaching Young Children	3
CD 105*	Child, Family and Community	3
CD 107*	Child Growth and Development	3
CD 110*	Introduction to Early Childhood Curriculum	3
CD 111*	Child Guidance and Communication	3
CD 112*	Health, Safety and Nutrition	3
CD 117*	Teaching Children in a Diverse Society	3
CD 120*	Observation and Assessment	3

Supervised Field Experience Course

Course ID	Title	Units
CD 121*	Practicum: the student teaching experience Lab placement must be in a setting that serves children ages 3-5	5

General Education (16 Units)

At least one degree applicable course in each of the following four (4) areas must be included. See Associate Degree, CSU or IGETC general education lists found in class schedule or student handbook for acceptable courses.

Content Area	Units
English/Language Arts	4
Science or Math	4
Social Sciences	4
Humanities/Fine Arts	4

Total units in Early Childhood Teacher Certificate:

45

*Course has a prerequisite, co-requisite, limitation, or recommended preparation; see course description in catalog.

 

Degree Information

Associate of Science Degree in Child Development

Completion of the certificate program and a minimum of 60 units including the general education requirements with an overall GPA of 2.0 qualifies the student for the Associate in Science degree. A minimum of 12 units must be completed at Saddleback College. Students intending to transfer must complete IGETC or CSU pattern general education courses.

General Education Requirements for Associate Degrees

Refer to the Graduation Requirements or to the CSU-GE and IGETC patterns in this catalog for specific courses which meet general education requirements. Refer to ASSIST.org and to the transfer institution's catalog for transfer requirements.