Program Requirements for Early Care and Education

Candidates for an associate degree or a certificate in Early Care and Education must meet the following program requirements:

1. Complete all required coursework with a “C” or higher.
2. Be responsible for transportation to and from any practicum, lab or clinical sites.
3. Pass a drug screening.
4. Have a current acceptable background check. A criminal record could make you ineligible for enrollment or participation in a supervised field experience, creating an inability to graduate from the program.
5. Candidates are required to complete a minimum of one summer session of coursework.
6. Program Electives for the Early Care and Education associate degree include: AST 101, BIO 101, BIO 102, BIO 210, CHM 110, CPT 101, ECD 109, ECD 200, ECD 205, ECD 207, ECD 246, ECO 210, ECO 211, ENG 102, ENG 208, ENG 201, ENG 202, ENG 208, GEO 102, HIS 101, HIS 102, HIS 115, HIS 201, HIS 202, MAT 110, PHS 101, PHY 201, PHY 202, PHY 221, PSC 201, PSY 210, REL 103, SAC 101, SOC 101, SPA 101 or SPA 102.
7. Students who plan to graduate from the ECD Program and then transfer to a four-year institution to earn a bachelor's degree and South Carolina teaching certification must meet with an ECD Program advisor for specific transfer information. Passing all three sections of Praxis Core before transfer is encouraged.    
8. ECD 243, ECD 244 and ECD 251 are field placement experience courses. Students are placed at schools/childcare centers near their homes, when possible. Travel to Greenwood or Newberry will be required once per month for workshops.
9. Students transferring to a four-year institution should reference the transfer agreement to choose their Program Elective and Humanities Elective.
10. CPR and First Aid certifications are required as part of ECD 135. There is an additional fee associated with these certifications.
11. A tuberculosis test may be required for clinical sites. Students will be required to pay for this and provide results to the ECD 243, ECD 244 or ECD 251 instructor.
12. Students may only take ECD 243, ECD 244 and ECD 251 two (2) times and must receive a grade of “C” or higher on the second attempt for the course to count towards graduation.
13. Courses with a prefix of ECD or SAC must be less than 8 years old in order to count toward a certificate, diploma or degree program.

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