Program Overview

Lansing Community College offers two program options in Child Development and Early Education. Each addresses the various components of high quality early childhood education in a variety of settings and for all ages, including infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children. Instructional methods include lecture-discussion, hands-on experiences, and supervised fieldwork. Some courses are offered on-line or as a hybrid.

The conceptual framework of the Child Development and Early Education program evolved out of a series of meetings held in 2007 and 2008. Full-time and adjunct faculty, field instructors, and community stakeholders engaged in guided discussions to identify the program's core values, to explore our assumptions about adult learners, and then to collaboratively develop mission and vision statements which encapsulate our shared philosophy. The resulting conceptual framework is seen as a dynamic document which continuously guides the development, implementation, evaluation, and revision of courses and curriculum whose content and outcomes are closely aligned with NAEYC standards for Associate Degree programs and the Michigan Core Knowledge and Competencies for early childhood professionals.