Course Curriculum
Child Care Program Curriculum
10 courses
31 exams
51.6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
2 work experience options
Estimated completion time:
Fast track = 9 months
Average time = 15 months
Main Subjects
Orientation to Child Care Professional
The first part of this course will help you understand how to use your student portal, access the Penn Foster Community and use it to find answers, and connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites. The second part of this course will introduce you to the early childhood field, including the various careers within the field, professional organizations who advocate for young children, and ethical expectations of early childhood professionals.
By the end of this course, you'll be able to:
Understand how to use your student portal
Access the Penn Foster Community and use it to find answers
Connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites
Describe the various careers available to early childhood professionals
Explain the increasing demand for child care
Compare in-home care, family child care, and child care centers
Identify quality child care and its benefits
Child Growth and Development
Child Guidance
Home, School, and Community
Observation and Assessment
Curriculum, Activities, and Lesson Planning
Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child
Family Child Care Specialization
Starting Your Own Early Childhood Program
This course will introduce the student to the effective business activities of starting and owning their own family child care business.
By the end of this course, you'll be able to:
Discuss the planning and organizing of child development programs
Identify the focus of a needs assessment for a child development program
Apply theories in managing a child development center
Discuss policies, procedures and rules for a child development program
Describe the fiscal responsibilities of a child development manager
Explain the licensing requirements for a child development program
Describe the steps in the job design process
Describe the ways in which space is organized to meet the needs of children
Describe the policies and practices that a Family Child Care should have in place to protect and promote child health
Describe the requirements of a quality educational program
Explain the importance of family-friendly practice and cultural responsiveness
Describe effective public relations strategies
Explain the elements of program evaluation
Working with Multi-Age Groups
Caring for Children in Your Home
Center-Based Specialization
Infant and Toddler Care
This course will introduce the student to the developmental continuum of infants and toddlers, as well as effective curriculum implementation and planning of developmentally appropriate creative activities for the infant and toddler classroom.
By the end of this course, you'll be able to:
Describe the interactions that are critical to child development
Describe the components of infant and toddler curriculum
Explain how caregiving supports infant and toddler curriculum
Explain how play relates to infant and toddler curriculum
Describe attachment in children and understand how attachment affects behavior
Describe the growth and development of children in relation to their perceptions and motor skills
Describe how to support cognitive development in infants and toddlers
Explain how to foster language development in infants and toddlers
Foster healthy emotional development within infants and toddlers
Support healthy social behavior in infants and toddlers
Create a safe physical environment for infants and toddlers
Create a safe social environment for infants and toddlers
Create positive relationships within the child care setting
Working with Preschoolers
Working with School-Age Children
Note: We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.
Career Diploma
9 - 12 months
If you want a career that allows you to work with children to help them grow and learn, our online Child Care Professional Career Diploma Program can help you prepare to take the next steps toward your dream job today. Through flexible, online classes, you'll build the skills and knowledge to work with children in a variety of settings while fulfilling the education requirements needed to earn your Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential.
Our online Child Care Classes can help students prepare for a variety of child care careers such as teacher aide, preschool aide, in-home child care provider, or nanny.
Your child care course will fulfill the 120-hour educational component necessary to obtain a CDA. Earning a CDA can often be a requirement for work or promotion in licensed child care facilities.
Choose between two specializations, family child care or center-based care, to tailor your lessons to prepare you to work in the setting you prefer.
Our online programs are flexible enough for you to finish them at a pace that works for you, based on how much time you can dedicate to your coursework each week.
Our Child Care Program curriculum will help you build the fundamental skills and knowledge necessary to work in an entry-level child care role. This includes classes in child development; curriculum and lesson planning; and health, safety, and nutrition.
The program also offers two specializations for you to choose from — family home-based child care or center-based child care. The choice of specialization courses allows you to receive concentrated training for the area of employment you want to pursue in the early childhood care industry. Your online courses include:
Child Growth and Development
Observation and Assessment
Curriculum, Activities, and Lesson Planning
Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child
What you will learn
How to supervise and monitor the health and safety of children in your care.
How to organize developmentally appropriate activities and implement curricula that support healthy social and emotional development, along with healthy growth and development in areas including math, science, social studies, art, music, literacy, and language.
How to recognize signs of social, emotional, physical or developmental delay in children, including the range of development disabilities among young children. Students will understand how to plan for children with special needs and communicate those issues to the proper authorities, including teachers and parents.
How to keep records of children’s progress, routines, and interests, including daily observations and information about activities, meals served, and medications administered.
Our Proven
Learning Model
Empowering students to reach their professional goals
Flexible
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Start anytime
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No exam due dates
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Self-paced
Connected
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24/7 access to online resources
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Online student community
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Student Portal Help Center
Accessible
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Digital study guides
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Self-check quizzes
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Simulations and videos
Supportive
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Expert faculty
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Dedicated student services
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Robust learning resources