Child Development

• Award: Certificate
• Credits: 17
• Delivery: Land/Campus
• WIA certified: YES
• Emphases: N/A

MCTC's Child Development program will prepare you to organize and lead activities and provide nurturing care for children, particularly in urban childcare centers, nursery schools, elementary classrooms and afterschool programs. The program incorporates cultural diversity into all of its courses, emphasizing working with children and families of all kinds in an urban setting. Your coursework will cover child development, community, family and parent relationships, oral and written communication, safety, health and nutrition, and child guidance. You also will study various teaching and learning methods and be trained to observe, document, and assess children, and to convey a sense of professionalism and ethical behavior in a classroom setting. By the time you complete the program, you will know how to promote and communicate knowledge of child development; create healthy, respectful and challenging learning environments; create and maintain respectful and supportive relationships with families; and design and implement developmentally and culturally appropriate activities and curriculum. You will put your new knowledge to work and gain experience through two practicums. MCTC partners with many agencies and organizations that provide wonderful learning opportunities for program participants. Employment in the field will require you to pass a background check, as employers will not hire anyone who has a felony record. You also will need CPR and first aid training. MCTC has an articulation agreement with Metropolitan State University, University of Wisconsin' Stout and Southwest State; and the MnSCU consortium. Where You Could Work Childcare centers Family support agencies Head Start Public schools Afterschool programs Nursery schools or preschools Childcare resource or referral agencies Social service agencies Family resource programs Child life programs in hospitals