New Program Proposal Associate In Public Service In Early Care And Education (Page 2 of 4) in pdf

employees. It is also expected that local public schools will recruit graduates of

the program to work as teacher assistants.

Across South Carolina there are ten technical colleges offering the

Associate Degree in Early Care and Education. Midlands Technical College

currently offers an eighteen-semester hour Certificate in Early Childhood

Development, and the proposal notes that the 65 students currently enrolled in that

course of study are expected to continue working toward the proposed Associate

degree.

Enrollment in the program is also expected to result from Teacher

Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH) scholarships that are administered

through the “Center for Childcare Career Development,” which

administers

statewide early child care training through the 16 state technical colleges in South

Carolina.

Total projected enrollment during the first year is 60 headcount students

(40 new students and 20 currently enrolled in other programs at the institution),

with approximately 100 students enrolled during the second year. The proposal’s

enrollment estimates account for the annual rate of attrition, which ranges from 10

to 30 percent.

The proposed program meets the Technical Education System’s curriculum

model requirements for this major, and requires a total of 66 semester hours of

credit which include: 36 semester hours in early childhood development; 15

semester hours in general education; 12 semester hours in electives; and three

semester hours in computer technology. New courses for the program include

Family and Community Relations (ECD 108); Administration and Supervision

(ECD 109); Principals of Ethics and Leadership in Early Child Care and Education

(ECD 201); Methods and Materials (ECD 237); Supervised Field Experience 1

(ECD 243); and Diversity Issues in ECE (ECD 252).

Currently, Midland Technical College employs seven part-time faculty

serving in an adjunct capacity to deliver the eighteen hour Certificate in Early

Childhood Development.

The proposal suggests a reconfiguration of faculty

assignments to one full-time faculty member and four part-time adjunct faculty.

This reconfiguration would require the hiring of one full-time instructor. All

current and proposed future faculty have at least a Master’s degree in the field of

Early Childhood Education. No additional administrative or support staff will be

needed to deliver the program.

The proposal states that the only new equipment needed to implement the

program are a computer and printer for an additional faculty member, at an

estimated cost of $2,500. Also, computer software will be needed for years two

and three at an estimated cost of $800/year. Thus, the total cost of equipment for

the first three years is estimated at $4,100. The proposal notes that local funding

sources should be sufficient to accommodate these equipment costs.

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