Early Childhood Education

Our Vision

Our vision is to be the early childhood education leader in Southwestern Connecticut known to prepare teachers who are reflective, knowledgeable and responsive to the needs of all children in their care. These qualities all contribute to supporting a high quality inclusive teacher preparation program.

Our Mission

To prepare effective teachers who are knowledgeable in Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP),Connecticut State Standards and the cycle of intentional teaching, as well as the most current trends in the field of early childhood education. We strive to create qualified, reflective early childhood education practitioners ready to work in diverse inclusive settings to support the children, families and communities they serve. This is accomplished through the implementation of a relationship based; high quality hands-on curriculum that meets the academic and social emotional needs of the individual student. Our goal is to meet the academic, training and workforce needs of the early childhood community in the 10 town region.

Core Values

The Norwalk Community College Early Childhood Program espouses the following core values:

Quality Instruction:
Evidenced by meeting NAEYC Higher Education standards.

Relationship Based Practices:
Evidenced by responsiveness to student needs, including access, diversity and intense advising.

Integrity:
As evidenced by the high standard of professionalism expected of our students and faculty.

Community Engagement:
Evidenced by our responsiveness to the workforce as well as involvement in the early childhood organizations working on behalf of children and families within the community.