Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Education
Learn, Create, LeadIn an early childhood classroom.
In the Early Childhood Education Lab, you'll learn what it takes to work with young children through a balance of classroom learning, hands-on projects, and real-world experience. You'll explore early childhood topics through your textbook and ECE lessons, put what you learn into practice through projects and activities, and rotate into our Learning Lab Preschool at least once a week.
It's more than learning about early childhood. You'll have opportunities to experience it, practice it, and grow as a future early childhood professional.
CDA Credential
The Child Development Associate is a nationally recognized credential.
2 Years
Junior and senior year. Hours in the preschool build across both, so starting as a senior makes the CDA much harder to reach.
No Tuition
Lab fees are typically a few hundred dollars. Payment plans are available.
College Credit
Earn college credit toward a degree while you are still in high school.
The CDA is issued by the Council for Professional Recognition and requires 120 hours of coursework, 480 hours working with children, a portfolio, a classroom verification visit, and a passing exam score. Requirements are set by the Council and can change.
Credentials You Can Earn
The CDA is earned, not awarded. We get you ready. The rest is on you.
COUNCIL FOR PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION
Child Development Associate
- 120 hours of coursework
- 480 hours working with children
- A professional portfolio you build
- A classroom verification visit in the licensed center where you are employed
- CDA Exam
REQUIRED FOR THE CLASSROOM
Additional Trainings
- Communicable Diseases Recognition
- Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention
- First Aid and CPR
- ServSafe Food Handler
- ServSafe Allergens
- ParaPro Assessment
- Ohio's Promise Level 1
Nothing about the CDA is automatic. You log the hours, build the portfolio, get observed working with children by a Professional Development Specialist, and pass the exam. That is exactly why employers trust it.
Real Experiences.
Balance your education by learning in the ECE Lab and The Learning Lab. This helps students discover the complexities of working with young children while developing professional skills and responsibility.
- How children develop and what to expect at each age
- Planning activities and lessons that are developmentally appropriate
- Guiding behavior and managing a classroom
- Early literacy, math, and play-based learning
- Observing children and documenting what you see
- Health, safety, and nutrition in a licensed program
- Talking with parents and families
- Supporting kids with different needs
Why ECE at WCCC?
The Learning Lab Preschool
A licensed Gold Star Public Preschool. Students follow the Ohio Department of Children and Youth guidelines to engage with children and staff as part of their early childhood education curriculum.
Keep your home school
You're still part of your home high school. Graduate with your class, and keep playing sports, going to prom, and showing up for homecoming.
Steady demand
About 66,700 preschool teaching openings are projected each year through 2035. Pay starts modest: the median for preschool teachers is $38,140, and school-based programs pay more than private centers. Elementary teachers, a bachelor's degree from here, earn a median of $63,970.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 wage data and 2025–2035 projections.Where can this lead?
This program is the beginning, not the finish line. When you graduate, you'll have real options:
Start working
Assistant teacher or aide in a licensed childcare center or early learning center
Keep training
Build on the credentials you earn in the ECE program by completing the CDA, attending college, and pursuing additional training
Keep building
Lead teacher, center director, or a licensed teaching career, including special education
Take a Look Around the ECE Lab and The Learning Lab
Applications open December 2.
See the preschool before you apply.