PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Offered for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders, the Early Childhood Education program offers training for employment in the Early Childhood profession or a strong foundation for continuing into post secondary education. This "teacher training" course emphasis of the curriculum is the development of the knowledge and skills necessary to provide safe, healthy, positive, developmentally appropriate, high quality care for young children. Classroom instruction is reinforced with hands-on experience teaching toddler and preschool-age children who are enrolled in the WMCTC Panda Preschool. Course work includes: instruction in PA Dept. of Welfare regulations, CPR certification, first aid, nutrition, child development, structuring routines, time management, curriculum planning, positive guidance techniques, observing children's behavior and supervisory skills relating to children. Emphasis is placed on self-help skills, self-concept, art, language arts, music, math, science, social sciences, infection control, room arrangement and developmentally appropriate practices.

OCCUPATIONAL DESCRIPTION
A Childcare worker has many duties they may need to perform: assist in preparing food for children and serve meals and refreshments to children and regulate rest periods; care for children in institutional setting, such as group homes, nursery schools, private businesses, or schools for the handicapped; discipline children and recommend or initiate other measures to control behavior, such as caring for own clothing and picking up toys and books; dress children and change diapers; help children with homework and school work; identify signs of emotional or developmental problems in children and bring them to parents' or guardians' attention; instruct children in health and personal habits such as eating, resting, and toilet habits; keep records on individual children, including daily observations and information about activities, meals served, and medications administered; observe and monitor children's play activities; operate in-house daycare centers within businesses; organize and participate in recreational activities, such as games. Organize and store toys and materials to ensure order in activity areas; perform housekeeping duties such as laundry, cleaning, dishwashing, and changing of linens; read to children, and teach them simple painting, drawing, handicrafts, and songs; sanitize toys and play equipment; sterilize bottles and prepare formulas. Workers support children's emotional and social development, encouraging understanding of others and positive self-concepts.