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2008-2009 Singapore students

In March 2009, we graduated our first cohort at the Center for American Education in Singapore. CEED Co-Director Christopher Watson spearheaded the effort to introduce the Education of Young Children with Special Needs (Ages 3-5) Certificate Program to Singapore. The cohort included early childhood professionals from across Southeast Asia with diverse educational backgrounds, ranging from high school diplomas to a Ph.D. Members of the cohort were thrilled to learn about the latest trends and best practices in the U.S., which don't always make their way across the Pacific, and apply them to their own classrooms.

About the Program
Guiding Principles
Modules
For More Information

About the Program

The Education of Young Children With Special Needs Certificate Program (Ages 3-5) is a unique opportunity for early childhood professionals to receive a solid grounding in the fundamentals of providing services for children with special needs.

Sponsored and hosted in Singapore at the Center for American Education, this face-to-face training program is constructed to link content and specialized instruction across all five content areas:

1. Introduction to Education of Young Children with Special Needs
2. Typical and Atypical Motor Development in Early Childhood
3. Social Emotional Development and Challenging Behavior in Young Children
4. Autism in Early Childhood
5. Early Childhood Assessment/Linking Assessment to Instruction

The total number of hours of instruction for each module is 12 hours, making the sequence of five modules total 50 hours of instruction.

The Education of Young Children with Special Needs Certificate Program (Ages 3-5) has been licensed by the Singapore Ministry of Education. Participants who successfully complete all five modules receive a certificate from the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota.

This Certificate Program is currently offered only at the Singapore location.

Guiding Principles 

The following are the Guiding Principles of this Certificate Program:

• The Certificate program content is targeted to early childhood educational professionals and related personnel working in diverse instructional and support roles with young children and their families.
• Adult learning philosophies and strategies are integrated throughout each instructional module.
• Modules provide opportunities for applied practice and feedback.
• Research-based international best practices are integrated in each module.
• The content of each module is adapted to the Singapore educational context.
• Instruction is provided by recognized experts in the field of early childhood education.
• The content of the certificate modules provide educators with a foundation to lead and manage high quality early childhood programs.

Modules

Module 1: Typical and Atypical Motor Development in Early Childhood
August 12, 14 & 16, 2008—Instructor: Carol Leitschuh, Ph.D.

This course explores atypical motor development through an understanding of typical motor development in young children. Emphasis is placed on the functional application of this knowledge for children in the home, child care and community life.

Module 2: Introduction to Education of Young Children with Special Needs
September 23, 25 &27, 2008—Instructor: Mary Ann Marchel, Ph.D.

Inclusive education for young children with disabilities is achieved by supporting the learning of children with disabilities who are included in programs with typically developing children. This course begins with an introduction to instruction for children with disabilities, followed by an exploration of program models and methods, including language development and early literacy.

Module 3: Social Emotional Development and Challenging Behavior in Young Children
October 14, 16 & 18, 2008
Instructor: Shelley Neilsen-Gatti, Ph.D.

This course explores how to support the social and emotional development of young children, specifically focusing on children with and without disabilities who engage in challenging behaviors and children who have experienced trauma, abuse or neglect. Course components include: developing positive relationships with children and families; environments and experiences; identifying the cause of a child’s behavior; intervention planning; and monitoring the plan.

Module 4: Autism in Early Childhood
January 6, 8, 10, 2009
Instructor: Theresa Estrem, Ph.D.

This module provides an understanding of autism with particular attention to early identification and interventions for use in the home, day care or community life of the child.

Module 5: Early Childhood Assessment/Linking Assessment to Instruction
February 24, 26 & 28, 2009
Instructors: Lillian Duran, Ph.D. & Christopher Watson, Ph.D.

This course begins with an overview of assessment, followed by learning how to link assessment to instructional practices. Participants will learn about assessment tools most commonly used in early childhood.

For More Information

For more information about the Singapore certificate program, please go to the Center for American Education web site.

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