The Early Childhood Occupations program prepares students for careers that involve working with young children.

Early Childhood Occupations I acquaints students with the latest ideas and theories concerning child development from conception through the school age years. Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of typical and atypical development, describe the influence of early experiences on brain development, create healthy learning environments, analyze trends that affect families and communities, explore methods of child observations, among other skills gained.

Early Childhood Occupations II provides students with a more in-depth study of child development. Students learn how to use formal and informal assessments to determine skills, interests, temperament, and learning styles of individual children. Students also gain an understanding of NAEYC developmentally appropriate practice, and explore how young children gain social competence, mathematical and scientific knowledge, among other approaches of learning. Business management practices, curriculum design, and career opportunities are explored in this half of the program.

This program meets the following standards:

Maine Certified Industry Standards for CIP 19.0709
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Professional Preparation
Certifications: CECA (Certified Early Childhood Assistant-a Maine certification)*
First Aid and CPR
CDA (Child Development Associate-a national certification)
3rd Party Assessment: NOCTI assessment #4016

*To earn Certified Early Childhood Assistant (CECA) certification, students will need to complete the following: NAEYC Standards Completion Portfolio, earn First Aid and CPR certification, score 70 or better on NOCTI assessment # 4016, complete 180 hours each of field and classroom instruction, complete Maine Roads to Quality registry requirements.

Students can also earn up to 9 Dual Enrollment college credits from Northern Maine Community College:

ECE 101 Healthy and Safe Learning Environments: 3 credits
ECE 105 Intellectual and Social Development: 3 credits
ECE 192 Field Experience in Early Childhood: 3 credits