In this course, you’ll gain an understanding of professionalism as it relates to the field of early childhood education — what it means, why it’s important, and how to achieve it. You’ve chosen a profession that has tremendous impact on the lives of young, vulnerable children. We must be educated, familiar with research, aware of new evidence, and eager to embrace best practices. In other words, early childhood educators must become professionals!

The path to professionalism lies in having a clear understanding of what is required of you as a professional early childhood educator. And that’s exactly what this course is about. This course provides specific strategies to support you as a professional.

Learning Outcomes

• Plan and implement a “learning through discovery and play” lesson for the children in your program.
• Learn and practice the steps for choosing a quality curriculum for your program.
• Reflect on your career goals and create your own professional development plan.
• Recognize ethical responsibilities and dilemmas and commit to the ethical standards of the profession.
• Become an advocate for the early learning profession and plan for advocacy success.
• Understand developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) and team up with your colleagues to create an intentional plan to share information and research-based strategies to support DAP.