CHLD 110: Early Childhood Development

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2025
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Total Student Learning Hours: 162
Strongly Recommended: ENGL C1000.
District General Education: D2. Behavioral Science
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: No
Grading Method: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass

Catalog Course Description

This introductory course examines the major physical, cognitive, and psychosocial developmental milestones for children from conception through early childhood. There will be an emphasis on interactions between maturational processes and environmental factors. While studying development, students will observe children, evaluate individual differences and analyze characteristics of development at various stages. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Describe major developmental milestones for children from conception through early childhood in the areas of physical, psychosocial, cognitive, and language development.
  • Describe characteristics of typical and atypical development during early childhood.
  • Explain major theoretical frameworks related to the study and understanding of child development.
  • Apply developmental research and theory to child observations, surveys, and/or interviews.
  • Analyze and identify cultural and environmental contexts that affect children’s development.
  • Analyze and describe early child care settings, curriculum and interactions that support positive developmental outcomes.
  • Describe the important role of the child care provider to understand and build partnerships with families to support children's development and learning.

Major Course Content

  1. Early Child Development is a Field of Study
    1. Research methodology used in studying child development
    2. Theories and their applications to child development
    3. Strategies for observing children
    4. Developmentally appropriate practice at different ages/stages of child development
    5. Stages of parenthood
  2. Preparation for Parenthood
    1. Heredity/Genetics/Reproduction  
    2. Preparing siblings for the newborn baby
  3. Prenatal development
    1. Stages of prenatal development
    2. Factors that influence healthy prenatal development
    3. Working with and supporting families
  4. Birth and the Neonate
    1. The birth process
    2. Neonate health and assessments
    3. Neonates in need of assistance
    4. Experiences with being a new parent
    5. Working with and supporting families
  5. Infancy & Toddlerhood: One to Three Years
    1. Psychosocial development
    2. Physical development
    3. Cognitive development
    4. Observations of infants and toddlers
    5. Developmentally appropriate child care for infants and toddlers
    6. Experiences with parenting infants and toddlers
    7. Working with and supporting families
  6. Early Childhood: Three to Six years
    1. Psychosocial development
    2. Physical development
    3. Cognitive development
    4. Observations of three to six year old children
    5. Developmentally appropriate early childhood education 
    6. Experiences with parenting during the "play years"
    7. Working with and supporting families
  7. Risk Factor Including But Not Limited To:
    1. Forms of Abuse and Neglect
    2. Trauma
    3. Housing and Food Insecurity
  8. Careers with Young Children
    1. Careers in child care and early childhood education 
    2. Title 22 teachers
    3. Child development permits
    4. The need for quality child care for infants, toddlers and preschoolers 

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

Suggested reading for this course includes journal articles from publications in:
Young Children Journal, Available at https://www.zerotothree.org/about/
For Families: Zero to Three Publications, Available at https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/mindfulness-for-parents
California State Preschool Learning Foundations, Available at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/documents/preschooollf.pdf
California State Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Program Guidelines, Available at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/documents/itguidelines.pdf

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Assignment #1: Written Observation Analysis Through observation of a 10-18 month old children, learners will identify and provide examples and analysis of core domain of development: 1) Physical Development- Motor Skills 2) Cognitive: Sensorimotor intelligence & learning, goal-directed behaviors and object permanence 3) Psychosocial: Temperament, social-referencing, level of "trust" and attachment style relationship(s), stranger and separation anxiety The written observation analysis will be approximately 2 pages in length.
Assignment #2: Describe and Analyze Parenting Styles Students will interview a family of a 3-6 year old child to identify, describe and provide written analysis about the style of parenting and the effect on the child's subsequent behavioral response, along with the identification of the subsequent impact on the parent-child attachment relationship.

Examples of Outside Assignments

1) Child Development Learning Links: Learners will provide examples of "learning links" from classroom topics to the real world of children and their families. Examples of include experiences pregnancy, being a new parent, breastfeeding, stages of parenting, parenting styles, sibling relationships and influence, cultural diversity in child rearing and family patterns, issues and effects of stress on families, housing and food insecurity, nurturing self-regulation skills through interactions, guidance and discipline, child care during early childhood, the importance of play in nurturing physical, intellectual and/or psychosocial development during early childhood and other approved topics of study. Learners will bring "learning link" topics and analysis to present to the class for discussion and further consideration and application of course content studied in whole or small group formation.
2) Analysis of Temperament and "Goodness of Fit": After a unit of study about psychosocial development, temperament and "goodness of fit," students will assess a young child's temperament (or their own temperament as a young child) and describe a situation in which "goodness of fit" could be nurtured by the adult's guidance through sensitive responsiveness to the child's unique temperamental needs. Learners will present their analysis and example with the whole class for consideration and discussion.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture