Early Care and Education Certificate

(Academic Plan Code: 330911CRTS)

No new students are being admitted to this program. Contact the Department of Child and Family Development.

The certificate program in early care and education is designed to strengthen skills and competencies of students interested in careers in early care and education forming and fostering relationships- based interactions with young children ages 0-3 and their families. The certificate program is designed for individuals working on degrees in child development, health science, psychology, and social work. It also provides a self-improvement opportunity for individuals seeking employment working with infants and toddlers and their families.

There are two categories for admission to the certificate:

Category A: Matriculated SDSU students with upper division major status in child development. A maximum of 19 units of the 37 units required for the certificate may be counted towards the major in child development, if applicable.

Category B: Matriculated SDSU students in non-child development majors and non-matriculated SDSU students. Matriculated students from other majors who do not have the preparation for the major in child development will be required to complete the lower division prerequisites first and then the 37 upper division units required for the certificate. Non-matriculated students from the field who have completed the child development units to meet the requirements for teaching in the early childhood field (minimum 24 units in child development) can enroll through SDSU Global Campus for certificate classes and will not be required to complete the lower division prerequisites.

Required Courses

Courses must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or better in addition to an internship of eight hours per week for two semesters (240 hours).

Courses in the certificate may not be counted toward the child development minor.

The certificate requires 37 units to include

CFD 135 - Principles of Family Development Units: 3
CFD 270 - Human Development Across the Lifespan Units: 3
CFD 270L - Principles of Observation: Child Development Laboratory Units: 1-3
CFD 272 - Child, Family, and Community Engagement Units: 3
CFD 275 - Learning Environments and Developmentally Appropriate Practices Units: 3
CFD 278 - Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Children Units: 2
CFD 375A - Human Development and Learning: Infant/Toddler Units: 2
CFD 377 - Leadership and Adult Supervision in Child and Family Development Programs Units: 3
CFD 378A - Laboratory Experiences: Infants/Toddlers Units: 1-3 (one unit)
CFD 378D - Laboratory Experiences with Children and Families Units: 1-3 (one unit)
CFD 380 - Early Language and Literacy Development in a Linguistically Diverse Society Units: 3
CFD 477 - Administration of Child Development Programs Units: 3
CFD 560 - Theories in Socio-Emotional Development Units: 3
CFD 565 - Best Practices of Care for Infants/Toddlers Units: 3
CFD 577 - Professionalism and Advanced Administration of Child Development Programs Units: 3
CFD 580 - Observation and Assessment of Young Children’s Environments and Relationships Units: 3
CFD 585 - Family Involvement and Engagement with Young Children: Work with Families at Risk Units: 3
CFD 595 - Early Childhood Mental Health: Theory and Practice Units: 3
CFD 497 - Field Experience in Child and Family Development Programs Units: 3 (six units)