“This is where you really develop your experience in different age groups,” said Associate Professor Stacy Surwilo. “What a 1-year-old toddler needs is completely different from what a 3-month-old baby needs.”
The Child Development program at College of Continuing Education is a career education pathway designed for adult learners. Classes are offered on campus, online, and in a hybrid format. Select Child Development certificates are eligible for college credit through credit by exam and count toward an associate degree at San Diego City, Mesa, or Miramar colleges.
Nine tuition-free certificate programs are offered at College of Continuing Education’s Child Development program: Child Care Provider; Infant Care Specialist; Child Home Care; Infant & Toddler Development; Early Learner Development; Infant & Toddler Enrichment; Early Learner Enrichment; School-Age Care & Leadership; and 3- to 5-Year-Old Specialty Curriculum.
While certificate programs prepare graduates for careers in early childhood education and after-school programs, select classes include opportunities for parents to learn with their children in developing effective parenting techniques.
The one-to-one ratio and parent involvement are key differentiators at College of Continuing Education. Every child in the class has a parent or caregiver attending to them.
“An average daycare might have five children to every adult, and a preschool might have up to 12 students for every one teacher,” Surwilo said.
Child Development student Lannette Sugihara enjoys the safe and inclusive space College of Continuing Education provides students while having her child learn and socialize alongside her. She first enrolled in the Early Learner Development and Care program in 2015 with her first-born daughter. After seeing the developmental impact it made during her daughter’s kindergarten year, she enrolled again, this time in the 3- to 5-Year-Old Specialty Curriculum, with her second child in 2022.
“There is a lot of learning with incredible professors. As a new mom, you can psychologically feel alone,” Sugihara said. “In this class we are sharing the same experiences and we are a part of a community. Once my kids are older, I would consider a career in preschool addressing children’s social-emotional growth I learned at College of Continuing Education.”
Indoor and outdoor learning labs are located at four College of Continuing Education campuses, including the César E. Chávez Campus in the heart of Barrio Logan, West City Campus in the Midway District, Mesa College, and Miramar College. Each campus comes with a specialized playground, a community garden, and imaginitive learning environment that promotes literacy, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Off-site locations offer the same courses at Park de la Cruz in City Heights and the Harold J. Ballard Parent Center in Old Town.