Certificate
Designed for preparing graduates for entry into early childhood settings to provide services to children from birth to age eight and their families. Completion of required course also entitles student to receive a New Mexico Child Development Certificated issued by the Office of Child Development, Children, Youth, and Families Department of the State of New Mexico. The Certificate Program is designed to be completed within two (2) trimesters. Students will utilize the Early Childhood Education Certificate of Completion program of study (below) to guide their journey and will work with their advisor towards completion.
The mission of the Early Childhood Education Certificate Program prepares Native American students to meet entry level professional requirements for individuals who wish to work in a classroom setting with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The certificate program immerses students into an intertribal community of learners in order to expose them to a beginning dialogue in early childhood education.
- Students will identify theories of growth & development and learning and apply them to educational practices within early childhood settings.
- Student will demonstrate knowledge of developmentally appropriate practices.
- Students will describe how developmental variations & family, culture, language, and environment influence a child's growth & development.
- Program graduates will be admitted to an Early Childhood Education Associate of Arts degree program.
- Graduates will be employed as an entry level early childhood teacher or assistant within tribal communities.
- Graduates will be eligible to receive the New Mexico Child Development certificate from the New Mexico Office of child Development.
