UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I
Maui College
Program Proposal
Certificate of Competence
Certificates of Completion
Certificate of Achievement
Associate in Science Degree
in
Early Childhood Education
Date of Proposal: March 2010
Proposed Date of Program Implementation: Fall 2010
1
Table of Contents
Purpose/justification…………………………………………………………….. 3
Objectives of program……………………………………………………………. 4
Program learning outcomes…………………………………………………….. 5
Program objectives within College & University……………………….. 7
How program is organized to meet objectives…………………………. 8
Who will enroll…………………………………………………………………………. 9
Resources required …………………………………………………………………. 10
Efficiency…………………………………………………………………………………. 10
How effectiveness will be demonstrated………………………………… 10
Table 1 – Program Review Elements………………………………………. 12
Appendix A – Program Description…………………………………………. 18
Appendix B – Job outlook, program budget & costs………………. 22
Program Proposal
Purpose:
The purpose of this Proposal is to establish Early Childhood Education as an academic program separate from the Human Services Program where it currently resides. The Human Services Program is concurrently requesting the deletion of the ECE Program and curricula.
Justification:
· In Fall 2006 MCC ECE, in partnership with Hawai’i, Honolulu and Kaua’i Community Colleges’ ECE programs, developed a common Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education which articulates as a “Two plus Two” with the UH West Oahu BA in Social Science, Early Childhood Education Concentration.
· UH Maui College is the only remaining campus housing these two distinct majors (HSER/ECE) under one academic program (HSER).
· Both the UHMC ECE and HSER program components have experienced significant growth in course offerings and student enrollment in both program options.
· Human Services Program students often experience confusion between the ECE and HSER specialization requirements, which has added to the need for a clear delineation between the programs.
· The ECE and HSER program aspects have for years had distinct Community Advisory Committees that meet annually in both conjoint and separate meetings.
· Students currently enrolled in the two options will not be impacted by this proposal.
1. What are the objectives of the program?
The Early Childhood Education Program currently exists as a part of the Human Services
Program. The primary objective of the program is to provide a high quality education to those who want to or are working with young children birth to age eight (primary focus on children up to age five), enabling those students to provide a high quality early childhood experience for the young children and families in their care.
It has one Certificate of Competence:
Preschool Child Development Associate (CDA) 9 credits
Two Certificates of Completion –
1. Early Childhood Education (22 credits)
2. Early Childhood Option I (12 credits – for those with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than Early Childhood/Child Development or Elementary Ed)
One Certificate of Achievement (31-32 credits) and
One Associate’s in Science Degree (62-66 credits).
This initiative applies to an already existing program. The re-naming of the program will be to our students’ advantage and will address campus and system purposes.
The College’s mission to “provide affordable, high quality credit and non-credit educational opportunities to a diverse community of lifelong learners” is consistent with the mission of the UH System. The UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII SYSTEM STRATEGIC PLAN: Entering the University’s Second Century, 2002–2010 states that its purposes are to:
· Provide all qualified people in Hawaii with equal opportunity for high quality college and university education and training.
· Provide a variety of entry points into a comprehensive set of postsecondary educational offerings, allowing flexibility for students to move within the system to meet individual educational and professional goals.
· Advance missions that promote distinctive pathways to excellence, differentially emphasizing instruction, research, and service while fostering a cohesive response to state needs and participation in the global community.
The proposed program/name change applies to all three of these purposes.
Fall 2008 there were 137 total Human Services majors, and out of those, 41% or 57 were Early Childhood Education majors. Fall 2009 there were 198 Human Services majors and 58 are Early Childhood Education, 59 are unknown (have not taken Early Childhood or HSER classes yet). Separating the ECE from Human Services will make it easier to track the majors and provide more specific academic counseling. Currently the faculty has to discuss and count manually the differentiated majors, then the counselor assigned to the program follows up on the students who have not taken any courses in the program yet.
The Associate’s degree (62-66 credits) is an Early Childhood Education degree that was developed in partnership with Hawai'i, Honolulu, and Kaua'i Community Colleges’ ECE programs. There are minor variations between the degrees, and a common core of ten courses. This degree articulates in a “Two plus Two” format to the UH West O’ahu BA in Social Science, Early Childhood Education Concentration. This new common degree began in Fall 2006.
Specific program learning outcomes are:
1. Plan, implement and evaluate curriculum and learning environments to ensure that they promote health, safety, positive development and learning for all children.
2. Use formal and informal observation and assessment tools and methods to appropriately plan for individual children and groups of children, assess their progress, positively influence their development and learning, and communicate effectively with families and with other professionals.
3. Communicate appropriately with children and adults from all backgrounds to build respectful, reciprocal relationships; use appropriate guidance practices with children.
4. Participate in management of fiscal, educational, physical and human resources in classrooms and programs for young children and their families
5. Advocate for children and their families in the classroom and the program; base decisions and actions on ethical and other professional standards; apply knowledge of development and its multiple influences; participate in ongoing, collaborative learning; demonstrate collaboration, critical thinking and reflection.
The program strives to meet the diverse needs of our students in wide-spread Maui County. Our student needs are largely driven by the State Department of Human Services’ (DHS) rules and regulations regarding staff qualifications for programs that care for young children out of the home. The program is also driven by current developments in the national Head Start Reauthorization Act that specifies the educational qualifications of lead and assistant teachers working in Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Another force in the field is NAEYC, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, which has the largest early childhood program accreditation (over 8000 programs nationwide) in the nation. Early childhood program accreditation acknowledges degrees and credits in early childhood education and child development.
NAEYC in 2006 started the new Early Childhood Associate Degree Accreditation Program. Fifty one Associate Degree programs currently are accredited, and Maui CC’s program, along with Hawai'i, Honolulu, and Kaua'i, hope to add to that number. The self-study process of continual improvement using relevant data and based on current research promises to constantly invigorate the program and provide a high quality program for our students and ultimately for young children and their families.
The certificates for the most part build on each other. A student might start with earning a Certificate of Competence in Preschool Child Development Associate (9 credits). This certificate acknowledges the instructional part of the national CDA credential process – there is also experience with children, a portfolio and oral and written exam that must be passed before actually receiving the CDA. Because the state of Hawai'i recognizes the CDA as one way to be a qualified preschool teacher, some of our students earn the CDA to be qualified in their setting, and continue on their degree path to receive higher earnings.
The Early Childhood Education Certificate of Completion is 22 credits and according to current DHS regulations, “organized two year program and certificate of completion” is another way that one can be qualified to be a preschool teacher. Many students do this certificate as part of their AS degree, while others come to the program with an Associate’s in another field and then complete this certificate to meet preschool teacher qualifications.
The Certificate of Achievement is 30-32 credits and marks a halfway point for students. Since the math requirement is part of the CA, many of our students have been applying for the CA at the same time that they apply for their 62-66 credit Associate’s degree. The varied certificates provide for the diverse student needs, as not all students need all of the certificates.
The Certificate of Completion – Early Childhood Option I (12 credits) was developed as a response to a need for recognition for those with a BA or higher in a field other than Early Childhood or Elementary Education. DHS regulations require 12 credits in ECE plus experience for the person to be considered a qualified teacher in a DHS licensed program.
2. Are the program objectives appropriate functions of the College and the University?
The program learning outcomes are appropriate functions of the College and University as they are consistent with:
· The mission of the University system, the UH Community Colleges, and the approved academic development priorities of the College.
· The provision of a skilled workforce that builds on the economic base of the State and County.
· High quality early childhood educators provide high quality learning environments and teaching for young children that allow their parents/caregivers to work with greater productivity, knowing that their children are well cared for.
While the number of openings for staff has declined in the current economy, the demand for higher educational qualifications has gone up. The current Head Start reauthorization calls for Early Head Start (serves children up to age 3) staff to all have at least a CDA (Child Development Associate credential) by September 2010, and all lead teachers need an Early Childhood Associate’s degree by 2012. For Head Start staff (serving children ages 3-5), all assistants need a CDA by October 2011, and all teachers have to have at least an Early Childhood Associate’s degree by 2013. In 2011, those teachers with only a CDA will no longer be recognized as teachers in Head Start – they will be qualified assistant teachers. These requirements will be driving many staff to the program. Head Start is one of the major early childhood employers in the County.
For programs outside of Head Start, NAEYC program accreditation has teacher qualification requirements that are also above and beyond licensing regulations. NAEYC criteria for teachers require a minimum of an Associate’s degree or equivalent.
Both Head Start and NAEYC accreditation criteria are moving the field towards requiring Bachelor’s degrees. This is why the common degree that articulates into UHWO is so crucial and needed at this time.
3. How is the program organized to meet its objectives?
The current program, as cited earlier, allows students to meet their varied needs according to licensing, accreditation, or Head Start/Early Head Start requirements.
The program also seeks to meet the needs of Hana, Lana'i, and Moloka'i through offering of courses through the HITS interactive TV system, and increasingly through a limited number of online offerings. Moloka'i Ed Center has qualified on-island lecturers that also offer live classes. The full-time program faculty have been part of a P3 initiative (part of the larger P20 initiative) to increase the number of online courses in early childhood, and MCC’s first online course was launched in Fall 2008, and two more launched in Spring 2010. Perkins grants have also allowed acquisition of hands-on teaching materials for Moloka'i, Lana'i, and Hana that will make access to learning materials more equitable throughout the County.
The program provides hands-on experience with children at the UHMC/MEO Head Start program on campus, unique in the system. This partnership provides a high quality learning experience not only for the three- and four-year-olds enrolled, but also for the adult practicum students enrolled in the ED 190 – Field Experience IA class. Up to five students/semester can be accommodated in this setting. It maximizes resources – just part of one faculty’s time is spent in the classroom with the children and adult students. MEO Head Start handles the registration, staffing with lead teacher and assistant teacher, and all the requisite materials and supplies. MCC provides the facility and facility maintenance, and the facility was constructed with a grant to MEO Inc. from the County of Maui.
Students further along in the program do their second practicum in an early childhood program off campus. The program is working towards having student practicum only in NAEYC accredited programs. However, this is a gradual process, as we work to preserve community relationships while encouraging and recognizing quality. Students who are already working in a program may do their first practicum in their worksite, although if at all possible, they are encouraged to do the practicum on campus.
Constant interaction with the early childhood community allows faculty to recognize current needs and arrange for efficient ways to meet those needs. A current initiative is a Memorandum of Agreement with Head Start and Early Head Start to recognize the CDAs of students who earned their CDA outside of MCC.
As the majority of students are already working in programs, most courses are offered in the evenings.
In the current tight economy, more families cannot afford to send their child to a tuition based early childhood program. However, as the economy improves, it is anticipated that the demand for programs and teachers will come back up. Before the steep dive in the economy, we faced a statewide need for qualified early childhood teachers. Early childhood programs across the state were facing a shortage of qualified teachers. In fact, DHS created a limited time “super-waiver” for programs so that they could hire someone who was working on their teacher qualification and that person could be “super-waivered” as a teacher while s/he was completing their studies.
At UHMC, before the economy took a nose-dive, the program coordinator would receive calls requesting referrals for a qualified teacher about once a month. As the economy recovers, we anticipate that there will again be a need for qualified teachers. There may be a wave of retirement in the near future and subsequent need for qualified teachers, directors, and aides.
4. Who will enroll in the program?