6 semester credits

Healthy development of children from prenatal stages throughout early childhood does not depend on one group of people, one type of agency, or even a continuum of quality early childhood education. Rather, public policy, government processes, funding streams, and research from disciplines such as medicine, psychology, and public health all have an impact—positive and negative—on whether children and families thrive. In this course, educators examine existing early childhood systems—how they function and how they interact—with the goal of improving services for young children and families. Education professionals research and evaluate case studies to develop a deep understanding of the ways that systems are impacted by funding and public policy, determine services, function in today’s society, and ultimately affect the lives of young children and families.