Early Childhood Education and Family Studies

Nurture young minds and launch your early childhood education career at Clackamas Community College

Help nurture young minds and shape the future with Clackamas Community College's Early Childhood Education and Family Studies Associate Degree program.

The early years are critical for a child's development, laying the foundation for their social, emotional, cognitive and physical well-being. As an early childhood educator, you will play a vital role in shaping these young minds, fostering their curiosity and guiding them on their learning journey.

Clackamas Community College's Early Childhood Education and Family Studies Degree equips you with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in this rewarding field. Our program offers:

• Expert faculty and advisors: Benefit from personalized guidance and support throughout your program.
• Real-world experience: Gain valuable hands-on training through our site placement program.
• Strong job prospects: Many graduates secure full-time employment at their work experience sites.

Take the first step toward a fulfilling career that makes a lasting impact. Contact Clackamas Community College today to learn more about our early childhood education and family studies program!

Información en español

For detailed description and outcomes for this program, view thecourse catalog.

Program accreditation

The Early Childhood Education and Family Studies AAS program at Clackamas Community College is accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, www.naeyc.org.

The accreditation term runs from August 2019 through July 2026.

Required classes for Early Childhood Education and Family Studies Associate Degree

Start your fulfilling career as an educator

The demand for qualified early childhood educators is on the rise. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 17% job growth in this field by 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations. With your associate degree from Clackamas Community College, you will be prepared for a variety of fulfilling career opportunities.

Gain the skills and qualities of a nurturing and effective educator

Our early childhood education and family studies program emphasizes the development of essential skills that can empower you to connect with children and foster their growth. You should gain expertise in:

• Building positive relationships with children and families: Develop effective communication and support strategies.
• Creating engaging learning environments: Design activities that promote child development in all domains.
• Observing and assessing children's progress: Track individual development and tailor learning experiences accordingly.
• Nurturing and effectively guiding children's development: Promote children’s knowledge and learning through facilitated and emergent activities.
• Advocating for children and families: Become a professional to advocate for children and families.

For more information on expected outcomes of successfully completing this program, view the course catalog.

Investing in your future

Clackamas Community College offers some of the lowest tuition rates in the Portland metro area. To begin building the cost for your program, you can start with the base estimate below. 

This estimate includes the cost of tuition and the general fees applied per class and per academic term. This estimate does not include additional fees required for many courses or the cost of course materials. Contact the program to learn more about additional costs that may apply. 

You can also find more information about the costs of attending CCC on the Tuition and Fees page.

Get help paying for college

Scholarships and grants (free money!) are available for students in this program. For help with financial aid and scholarships, contact the Financial Aid Resource Lab.  

Early childhood education and family studies mission

Clackamas Community College provides highly skilled early childhood professionals to work in early childhood classroom settings, in support roles with families and young children, and in other capacities that interact, lead and advocate for young children and families.

Conceptual framework

The core of the conceptual framework for the early childhood education and family studies program is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) professional standards.

• Standard 1: Promoting Child Development and Learning is visited in nearly every course, but receives particular focus in HDF 225 Prenatal, Infant and Toddler Development, HDF 247 Preschool Development, and ECE 240 Environments and Curriculum Planning.
• Standard 2: Building Family and Community Relationships is the primary focus of ED 246: School, Community and Family Partnerships, HDF 140: Contemporary American Families and is also considered in other courses including ED 254: Instructional Strategies for Dual Language Learners, ED 258: Multicultural Education, ECE 291 and 292 Practicum II and III respectively.
• Standard 3: Observe, Document and Assess to Support Young Children and Their Families is reflected in ECE 121 and 221: Observation and Guidance I and II and ECE 291 and 292, Practicum II and III.
• Standard 4: Using Developmentally Effective Approaches is met in the ECE Observation and Guidance courses ECE 121 and 122 and Environments and Curriculum I and II series as well as in the practicum courses.
• Standard 5: Using Content Knowledge to Build Meaningful Curriculum is focused on ECE 154: Language and Literacy Development, ECE 240 Curriculum and Environments, ECE 241 Curriculum and Environments for Infants and Toddlers, and ED 114 Instructional Strategies for Math and Science and the practicum courses, ECE 291 and 292.
• Standard 6: Becoming a Professional is the sole focus of ECE 179: The Professional in ECE. This focus is carried into ECE 291 and 292, Practicum II and III as well.
• Standard 7: Field Experiences, is the focus of ECE 280 Cooperative Work Experience, ECE 291and ECE 291, Practicum III and III respectively.

With the NAEYC standards as the foundation, the early childhood education and family students program also vales the core concepts of developmentally appropriate practice, equity and diversity, accessibility and the continuum of development from birth through age 8.

• Developmentally appropriate practice: We promote knowledge, understanding and application of Developmentally Appropriate Practices. Students in our program learn about the three tenets of developmentally appropriate practice: age appropriate, culturally appropriate and individually appropriate.
• Equity and diversity: We prepare early childhood educators to work with diverse children and families and to value the strengths and experiences all families bring as funds of knowledge. We integrate diversity into all courses and have three standalone courses as well ED 254 Strategies for Working Dual Language Learners, ED 169 Working with Children with Special Needs, and ED 258 Multicultural Education that focus to help students learn how to promote equity in the classroom and in their work with families.
• Accessibility: Just as we value accessibility in our early learning programs, we value accessibility in our teacher education preparation program. We believe in meeting students where they are academically and giving them the supports they need to succeed. We are an open-entry program. We offer courses when students indicate they need them (online, evenings and Fridays primarily) and we have offered courses at students’ work sites and in Spanish to increase accessibility of our program.
• Continuum of development from birth through age 8: We prepare teachers to work with infants-to-8-year-olds. While we are not a teacher licensure program, we do share several courses with the education program to expand the breadth of knowledge of early childhood education and family students with our students, while also helping those who are interested continuing at a four-year institution have transfer courses they need.
• Employability: We ensure our courses include the real-world content students need to obtain employment in early childhood education. Many of our students obtain employment with our community practicum partners upon graduation.