Early Childhood Education
- Career Studies Certificate (C.S.C.)
Program Snapshot
Your Learning Options
In-Person, Hybrid, Online
16 Credit Hours
Estimated Time to Complete
1 year (2 full-time semesters)
In-State Tuition Per Credit Hour
$176.00 | Calculate your costs
Why Early Childhood Education?
Unlock your potential to shape young minds and build a rewarding career with the Early Childhood Education program!
- Experience an accelerated program that fast-tracks your journey to acquiring vital skills in early childhood education.
- Engage in hands-on, applied learning experiences that allow you to directly apply skills, theories, and models in real-world childcare settings.
- Benefit from a guaranteed transfer agreement that paves the way for earning Pre-K to 3rd grade licensure.
Paying for College
We are committed to using all of the available funds to help you gain access to a college education. In fact, more than 91% of our students graduate without any educational debt. In 2023, Reynolds Community College students received over $21 million dollars in grants, loans, work-study and scholarships with the average aid awarded totaling over $4,000 per student.
Payment plans are offered to break down tuition payments. Textbook Assistance and Laptop Lending Programs are also available. Be sure to explore all the types of financial aid available as well!
Get a Skill. Get a Job. Get Ahead.
G3 financial assistance at Reynolds can help cover tuition for select programs like this one! Starting something new or changing a career path can be scary, but if you want to earn workplace certifications or an academic degree that leads to a career, G3 tuition assistance can help remove the financial barrier of going to college.
Why Reynolds?
We are more than a community college.
Reynolds is the key that unlocks the door to your academic and professional success. Here you will find a safe place to start. We will help you explore, dream, succeed, try, and try again. Our amazing faculty and highly personalized advisors, your Reynolds Navigators, are well known for guiding you to discover that "aha moment.” That means an outstanding college experience, less debt, more freedom, and a solid start on your future.
Earn stackable credentials that lead to an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree, opening doors to expanded job opportunities and career advancement in the field of early childhood education. Build a solid foundation for lifelong learning and professional growth.
Take advantage of scholarship opportunities such as the Virginia Department of Education Child Care Provider Scholarship and Virginia Early Childhood Foundation's Project Pathfinders Scholarship. These scholarships alleviate financial barriers, allowing you to focus on your education and career goals without worrying about tuition and books.
Seize the opportunity to enter a field with a national shortage of early childhood education teachers and caregivers. Our program equips you with the skills and qualifications needed to secure rewarding positions in childcare centers, nursery schools, family day care homes, Head Start programs, and more.
The only secret is to keep going… If you fall 100 times then you get up 101 times.
Keya Wingfield
Class Highlights
CHD 205 - Guiding the Behavior of Children
Explore the role of the early childhood educator in supporting emotional and social development of children, and in fostering a sense of community.
CHD 120 - Introduction to Early Childhood Education
Introduces early childhood development through activities and experiences in early childhood, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and primary programs.
CHD 145 - Teaching Art, Music, and Movement to Children
Focuses on children’s exploration, play, and creative expression in the areas of art, music, and movement.
Program Roadmap
Get all the details on our Early Childhood Education program, including class sequences, admission requirements, financial considerations, and more.
Additional Program Information
PURPOSE: This program is designed to provide students with the basic skills needed in the care and development of young children in a variety of child care settings. The program provides training appropriate for persons entering the field of early childhood education, as well as in-service training for persons presently working in the field who wish to upgrade their skills. The program also offers a well-organized course of study for parents who wish to increase their understanding of child development.
OCCUPATIONAL OBJECTIVES: Employment opportunities include preparation or upgrading skills for positions as childcare center assistant directors, teachers or assistant teachers, aides, playroom attendants, home-based providers or daycare workers, camp directors, and before- and after-schoolteachers in the following types of facilities: child day care centers, nursery schools, family day care homes, Head Start programs, recreational before- and after-school programs, hospital-based child care programs, pre-school at-risk programs, and pre-kindergarten church-sponsored programs.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS: General college curricular admission.
PROGRAM NOTES: In addition to the general college curricular admission requirements, a personal interview with the program head is recommended. Students must attain a grade of “C” or higher in all courses completed in this program with CHD, EDU, and PSY course prefixes.
