The Early Childhood Director Certificate of Competency from Delaware County Community College will prepare students for administrative and leadership positions in early care and education programs. Coursework will cover strategies for program administration, understanding of financial management and current issues facing early care and education programs. This certificate of competency also meets the educational requirements for Pennsylvania’s Director Credential that is awarded by the Pennsylvania Early Learning Keys to Quality. Students seeking this certificate must have an AAS or AS in ECE or related field or higher or have completed 45 hours towards an AAS degree in Early Childhood Education.

• Develop leadership skills to enhance the student’s ability to effectively manage an early childhood program.
• Utilize governmental regulations and best practice guidelines to improve the quality of early care and education services.
• Evaluate current administrative strategies and develop more effective management skills.
• Identify and implement sound and proven business and financial management strategies.
• Identify current trends in early care and education and develop strategies for effectively implementing program policy to address these trends.
• Evaluate current practices in supervision of teaching staff and develop strategies to enhance the staff’s skill in providing high quality early care and education.

The College will award a certificate of competency to students who complete an approved credit-bearing career program that requires less than 30 credits. General education courses may not be required for programs that have less than 30 credits. The student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. At least six credit hours must be in courses that are awarded grade points.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
ECE 290	Administration and Supervision of Early Care and Education Environments	3
ECE 291	Current Issues and Trends in Early Care and Education	3
ECE 293	Financial Strategies for the Business of Early Care and Education	3
Total Hours		9

ONLINE*
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Some online courses have field requirements or in-person or proctored testing. Online courses with these requirements have additional information posted under the COURSE DESCRIPTION section when you are registering. Please note these requirements when registering.