Brighten a child's future with a specialization in child development

Early Childhood Education Associate's degree - Child Development specialization

Our Early Childhood Education Associate’s degree with a specialization in Child Development can help you start your career as an educator working with young children.  This specialized area of education will give you the focus, knowledge, and skills needed to create a learning environment where your students enhance their social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. 

This emphasis on children’s holistic growth will give you a solid background in early childhood education, and develop the level of confidence you need to successfully lead education initiatives for a classroom of young children.

Join the growing education field with a specialization in child development

As a student in our Early Childhood Education Associate’s degree specializing in Child Development, you will develop a depth of learning that few other schools provide and that employers want when hiring future early childhood educators. Your instructors are seasoned professionals, many with Master’s degrees, and they are dedicated to working with you to maximize your education and give you the knowledge and skills you need to begin a successful career as an early childhood educator, not just as a daycare worker.

We base our curriculum on National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) best standards and focus on the complete lifecycle of Child Development Associate (CDA) credential preparedness. Once you complete your courses and graduate, we will even cover the fee for your CDA application. Plus, to ensure you have substantial hands-on experience working with children in an education setting, you will also complete 540 hours of applied learning in an environment that supports your career goals.

Contact one of our dedicated program managers today at (888) 549-6755 or complete the contact request form on the right to learn more about our Early Childhood Education Associate’s degree with a specialization in Child Development.

Child Development Courses

Online and classroom instruction for the Early Childhood Education degree is supported by an extensive hands-on externship for 30 hours per week. You'll have the opportunity to earn while you learn at a licensed childcare center. Blended online and classroom education focuses on topics such as the foundations of child development, health, safety, nutrition, and implementing curriculum in the classroom.

Some key courses include:

Dynamics of the Family
You will examine multiple family theories and styles of parenting and how culture impacts all aspects of families.

Early Childhood Education Externship
Apply the teaching techniques you learned in the classroom to a real world early childhood education environment.

The Exceptional Child
You will develop a case study based on characteristics of a child with special needs and write a plan to provide high quality care and education for this child.

View courses - Early Childhood Education Associate’s degree – Child Development specialization

Early Education Career Outlook

Rasmussen College graduates have been placed in careers that are in-demand and are expected to have continued growth. Our early childhood education graduates are placed in childcare centers, school districts, non-profit organizations, privately owned preschools/centers, community education programs, private schools, and churches.

Here’s a snapshot of the career:


Salary & growth statistics provided by the BLS ‡		 25th Percentile 50th Percentile 75th Percentile Projected Growth
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $19,280 $24,540 $32,240 22.50%

 

The Rasmussen College career placement services staff starts helping you even before you graduate – with your resume, cover letter, interviewing techniques and how to search for a great career. And it doesn’t end there – these services are available throughout your career.

‡"Occupational Employment Statistics Home Page." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor, 27 July 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.

"Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor, Dec. 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

BLS salary data may not reflect expected entry level earnings.

Seamless Credit Transfer Policies

Transferring your credits doesn’t need to be difficult. At Rasmussen College, our transfer policies are designed to maximize your credit transfer and minimize your time to graduation.

Check out some of our highlighted transfer policies below or visit our Transfer Policy for a full description of each policy.

  • Course-by-course evaluation of all courses with a grade of C or higher
  • General education credits and certain degree-specific courses may be considered for transfer regardless of completion date¹
  • Credit by examination, which gives you an opportunity to test out of courses where you can demonstrate specific knowledge. These tests are offered free of charge to Rasmussen College students.
  • Earn college credit through prior work, learning, and military experiences

Contact a program manager today at 888-549-6755 or complete the form on the right and one of our program managers will contact you to discuss transferring your college credit to Rasmussen College.

¹ Time limits are imposed on some programs and courses, specifically in the Schools of Technology & Design, Nursing, and Health Sciences.