Economic, social and educational changes have made group child 
care a way of life for today's family. Because of these cultural demands, many new opportunities are available for the child development professional. CTC's Early Childhood Professions program provides students the needed academic and skills training to meet these demands.
In addition to classroom learning experiences, CTC operates a Child Development Center to give students practical experience with children. The Center is open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and cares for the children of CTC students and employees and the community. The demand for child care professions is growing rapidly as society recognizes the importance of the early childhood years in shaping the intellectual capabilities of the child.
Students enrolling in the Early Childhood Professions Department must meet general institutional admission requirements. Persons electing to pursue this career field are more likely to derive job satisfaction and be successful if they like and enjoy children, understand and accept individual differences, are patient and flexible, have organizational abilities, and are physically and mentally healthy.
People working with young children must have special skills--knowledge of child development, boundless patience, good judgment, real strength of character, and maturity to exercise the balance of control and latitude such young children require. Few fields offer so many job opportunities for people with varying levels of training, in such a variety of settings, and with as many different scheduling patterns.
Continuing Education, in conjunction with Early Childhood Professions, offers three 60-hour non-credit courses that will prepare a candidate for the Child Development Associate Credential (CDA). Students in the CDS training programs do not automatically receive the CDA national credential.
The program is designed to meet the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development of children ages two-and-a-half through five. The center also serves as a laboratory in which college students can obtain practical experience in child care and early childhood educational programs.
