Learn about Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) for children with special needs, including planning IEP/IFSP meetings, setting goals and objectives, writing the IEP plan, legal rights of children with disabilities, and the importance of working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams including culturally diverse families, advocates, general education teachers and support personal to meet the social and academic success of each student.

Explore specific learning disabilities including dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and non-verbal learning disability. Identify multi-sensory strategies for teaching children with learning disabilities; identify student strengths and use them to address weaknesses; learn how to create an inclusive learning environment; and become aware of community resources.

Explore the definition and etiology of social emotional differences (also known as social emotional disturbance or SED), disproportionality and strategies to address it, prevention/intervention strategies for supporting children diagnosed with SED, and strategies for teacher self-awareness and reflection.

Explore behaviors, strengths, and needs of children with ADHD and develop teaching strategies that support them and their families. Conventional and alternative approaches to diagnosis and treatment as well as prevention and inclusion strategies will be explored.

Introduction to basic issues in special education TK (transitional kindergarten-12 including legal rights of children with disabilities and their families, Individual Educational Plans (IEPs), disability sensitivity and awareness, inclusion, collaboration strategies and community resources.

This course will provide on or off-campus experience in early childhood/child development- ECE, K -12 classroom, after-school or youth work settings. The focus will be on providing practical experience in the methods and principles of teaching in early childhood and school-age classrooms. Emphasis will be placed on the role of the teacher in the field experience setting. One unit of credit is earned for 54 hours of unpaid or paid work.

Importance of communication in child care and school settings. Family needs, differences, and expectations are stressed. Special attention paid to cultural, racial, economic, gender, and family structure differences and their various impacts on communication strategies.

The course provides an overview of child nutrition issues, with an emphasis on practical skills and approaches to influence positive eating behaviors that promote optimal health and nutrition. Topics include basic nutrition principles, the feeding relationship, breastfeeding & child nutrition, planning healthy meals & snacks, food safety, childhood obesity, physical activity, nutrition education, child nutrition programs & food assistance resources

Early childhood teachers will explore materials and teaching strategies that support young children’s interest in and understanding of science and the natural world.

An overview of violence prevention and intervention strategies found in best practice early childhood programs. This course focuses on developing professional and interpersonal skills of educators to respond to diverse children and their families who experience high levels of stress and chronic violence that compromise development and can result in the need for trauma care.