Early Childhood Development

Diploma: Public Service
Credit Requirements: 42 Semester Credit Hours

The Early Childhood Development diploma program prepares students to provide quality care for young children. This program is designed for students preparing for careers in early childhood development as child care providers in diverse child development settings.

Admission into this program requires proof of high school graduation (or GED) and qualifying scores on SAT, ACT or the TTC placement test. Students who have transfer credits of C or better from an approved, regionally accredited postsecondary institution may not need to take the placement test.

The Early Childhood Development diploma program requires a health assessment denoting good health, a negative tuberculosis skin test and compliance with technical standards. A clear criminal background check by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is also required. In addition to SLED background checks, some child development centers and schools may require fingerprinting. Students entering these laboratory courses may opt to be fingerprinted. Fingerprinting and a SLED background check are required for the Early Care and Education work force.

Recommended Sequence of Courses