Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Studies
Learn essential skills needed to begin or advance a career in childcare and early childhood development.
The Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Studies equips students with the skills needed to begin — or advance in — careers in childcare and early childhood studies. This program is not designed as a teacher certification program, nor does it lead to state licensure.
This program provides you with multi-disciplined knowledge, insights, and strategies that you can apply to a career working with young children. The program focuses on young children’s development, care, and education from birth to age 8. The program covers foundational knowledge in child development, education strategies, curriculum design, and the role of play in learning. Students gain practical skills for working with young children in various educational settings while learning how to organize and lead education and care programs to best meet the needs of the children in your community. Graduates have a solid understanding of the key areas of education theory, age-appropriate curriculum planning, childhood development theories, classroom management, instructional methods, and health and safety practices. Students are prepared with knowledge to assist in preschools, private kindergartens, private elementary schools, Head Start programs, childcare facilities, and childhood education organizations.
Applicants that hold a CDA certification may be eligible to receive additional credits. Contact an Enrollment Advisor for more information.
The coursework in the associate of applied science degree can also be applied as a stepping-stone to Aspen University’s Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Studies program.
Enjoy Flexibility– 20 online courses with program start dates every 2 weeks
Choose Where You Learn– Online courses
Affordable Monthly Payments
Why More Students Are Choosing Aspen
AASECS Courses
Aspen’s early childhood studies curriculum features 20 courses designed to equip you with broad, practical skills related to the early childhood studies field. Taught by experienced educators from diverse industries, you’ll have the opportunity to combine general education courses with early childhood studies courses to create a well-rounded higher education.
View the course schedule for this program: AASECS Degree Plan
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COM100 - Introduction to Communications
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ECE103 - Professionalism and Growth in the Early Childhood Field
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MAT140 - College Algebra
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ECE102 - Skills for Early Childhood
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CMP160 - English Composition I
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NPS100 - Introductory Biology
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MAT245 - Personal Finance
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ECE101 - Family, School and Community
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SBS105 - Introduction to Psychology
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SBS120 - Diversity and Culture
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HUM100 - World of Art
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COM220 - Management Communication
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NPS195 - Study of Physical Science
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HUM155 - American History I
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CMP170 - English Composition II
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ECE108 - Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
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SBS200 - Human Development
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MAT201 - Principles of Accounting II
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SBS110 - Introduction to Sociology
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ECE109 - Problem Solving in Early Childhood Studies
This course provides a study of human communication by covering major communication concepts, theories, research, and trends. This introduction communications course will help students to understand their own communication behavior as well the communication behavior of others. Concepts covered include basic theories of communication, understanding individual communication styles, the use of communication across cultures, and listening and critical thinking skills. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: SPC 2300
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course is designed to inaugurate the students’ investigation into the roles associated with early childhood, and gain inquiry into how to grow and develop as a professional in this field. Students gain a historical and theoretical foundation for early childhood studies while exploring instructional and assessment techniques appropriate for this age level. This course addresses effective early childhood strategies that focus on the whole child and are influenced by family centered practice, culture, and community.
3 CreditsRequired Books
College Algebra will dive deep into problem solving, algebraic reasoning, linear functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, compositions and inverses, and graphing and analyzing data. The student will develop a personal framework for problem-solving. Real-world scenarios are used throughout the course to ensure an understanding of how each concept is used in one’s life. Students will create, interpret, and revise models and find solutions to problems while utilizing real-world situations. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: MAT 1140
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course prepares students to work as a professional in early childhood settings. This course introduces pedagogy designed to help early childhood students learn about themselves, provides experiences to be successful, build supportive relationships with peers, develop social skills, and learn how to appreciate others. The materials are based on self-concept, social, guidance, physical, cognitive, communication and creative skills. It examines indoor and outdoor environments that invite early childhood students to move and explore, offering opportunities to use their muscles and gain new physical skills. Other content includes understanding their environments, building thinking skills, language development, literacy-rich environments, expression through music and movement, and nurturing creativity through art experiences.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course is designed to help students master the traditional five-paragraph essay and variations of this essay. Four principles are presented as keys to effective writing: unity, support, coherence, and sentence skills. The first part of the course focuses on the first three principles and to some extent on sentence skills. It shows, respectively, how these four principles apply in the different patterns of essay development and in specialized types of writing. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: ENC 1101
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course provides a foundation of factual knowledge about biology in order to help students build a cognitive framework for critical scientific thinking. Students will learn key biological terms and theories and exhibit understanding of these terms through assignments that incorporate case studies, essays and ethics questions concerning current biological issues.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course provides comprehensive coverage of personal financial planning in the areas of money management, career planning, taxes, consumer credit, housing and other consumer decisions, legal protection, insurance, investments, retirement planning, and estate planning. The goal is to teach the fundamentals of financial planning so students can make informed choices related to spending, saving, borrowing, and investing that lead to long-term financial security. Provided financial planning tools help identify and evaluate choices as well as understand the consequences of decisions in terms of opportunity costs.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course explores the idea that that interacting with the early childhood student extends beyond education programs that focus on child-centered care to family-centered practices, taking into account that the early education student always comes to school in a context. UrieBronfenbrenner’s ecological model of human development is introduced to emphasize the numerous influences on early childhood students, including families, teachers, schools, communities, and so forth. This course explores how building relationships with families requires inclusive collaboration, effective communication, and ongoing development for parents and the adults in the early childhood student’s lives. This course examines developmental theory and adds diverse perspectives from a base of solid academics, constructivist theory, and the experiences of the author of the text.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course focuses on the many voices of psychology. To some, the science of psychology provides its students with a better understanding of others' behaviors. Others view psychology as a pathway to self-understanding. Others see the potential for a future career, and some are drawn to psychology by the opportunity for intellectual discovery that its study provides. The overall goal of this course is to provide a comprehensive overview to the subject of psychology. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: PSY 2012
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course focuses on understanding and managing diversity. Clearly, diversity is an interdisciplinary field. Much of its theoretical framework originates in the social sciences. There is some disagreement among scholars on the definition of diversity; much less what materials should be included in a course about diversity. To meet this challenge we have selected a text for this course that gathers a wealth of information from the salient issues surrounding the topic of diversity. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: ANT 2410
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course puts the humanities in perspective by discussing the arts and ways of knowing art's main concerns, purposes, and functions. The course also discusses artistic style and how to apply critical skills. This course is designed for students with little or no background in the arts.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course focuses on the skills and strategies that managers need in today’s workplace. The role of communications will be explored, as well as an examination of effective communications in hiring and promoting, conflict management, presentations, routine messages, and reporting and proposals. Studies consistently report the importance of communication to business success, and managers frequently correlate communications proficiency with career satisfaction and progress. This course builds that ability central to managers as they pursue goals and objectives.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course is on thinking about and understanding your physical surroundings. It is a straightforward but substantial introduction to the fundamental behavior of matter and energy. It is intended to serve the needs of non-science majors who are required to complete one or more physical science course and will introduce basic concepts and key ideas while providing opportunities to learn reasoning skills and a new way of thinking about your environment.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course covers American history from the 1500s to post Civil War Reconstruction. You will study a diverse range of cultures from these time periods and how migrations, social and economic changes and interactions between cultures have shaped the history of America. You will study the shifting frontiers and political landscapes of the land before and after the Revolution and examining associated patterns to form a big picture of the historical story of America.
3 CreditsRequired Books
In this course we focus on grammar, sentence structure, and other aspects of the "mechanics" of English. Our emphasis is on creating arguments that persuade, convince, and inspire. The goal of this course is to develop writing skills that enable students to develop powerful arguments that are more than just correct; they produce the results intended. We identify the fixed types of questions that an argument can address, helping students to build writing projects around the need to develop answers to significant questions concerning facts, definitions, causes, values, and actions. These questions form a logical progression - questions of fact and definition must be settled before questions of cause can be addressed, and so on - which means that they can serve as the basis of a sequence of assignments.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course introduces strategies for addressing the needs of early childhood students from diverse backgrounds. Observing and interviewing early childhood students is an approach to understanding their behavior, learning, and development and allows teachers to make connections to the work of major developmental theorists and educational researchers. Understanding the background of students allows for effective teaching and learning. This course provides practical tips for incorporating observations and interviews of early childhood students into education professionals’ busy schedules, and discusses the analysis of observational data and its uses for guiding educational practices (e.g. learning activities, cooperative grouping, and parent conferences).
3 CreditsRequired Books
Using an interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes culture and family, Human Development challenges students to understand development from a broader perspective. Students draw on their own experiences as they weigh the research and ideas presented in the course. The course explores controversies about human development, often within a specific cultural context. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: DEP 2004
3 CreditsRequired Books
A continuation of Principles of Accounting I, this course extends the accounting principles and procedures to corporate accounting. Budgeting, managerial accounting, and automated accounting systems are introduced.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This introductory course in sociology gives students the opportunity to use sociological imagination to master their social world. It examines aspects of the social environment that students might otherwise ignore, neglect, or take for granted. It looks beneath the surface of everyday life to help students understand and anticipate human behavior in a variety of environments. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: SYG 2000
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course emphasizes the process of developing human potential in early childhood students by consciously applying principles of guidance, a process that is in keeping with the current emphasis on "intentional guidance" in the early childhood field. Those principles are based upon child development theory and research, as well as upon the knowledge, beliefs and values gained through many years of experience through work with young children and their families, with early childhood professionals, and with students preparing for careers with young children. This course satisfies the Proctored Exam requirement for this program.
3 CreditsRequired Books
Cost & Time to Completion
The Best Fit for Working Adults
We understand the difficulties in pursuing your associate’s degree when you have a demanding work schedule. The 8-week courses at Aspen University allow you to complete your program in as little as 2 years.
Our Monthly Payment Plan Makes Us Different.
Paying for your associate’s degree shouldn’t be complicated. Our Monthly Payment Plan makes it easy for working professionals to finance their AASECS program.
Tuition Rates
| $15,000 | Tuition |
| $2,325 | Fees |
| $3,000 |
Estimated
Textbook
Costs
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| $20,325 | |
Other Ways to Finance Your Degree
Students who have served, or are currently serving in the United States Military and their legal spouses are eligible to receive a Military Affiliation Discount from Aspen University.
Aspen University is currently approved by the U.S. Department of Education to offer federal student aid for the AASECS program.
Aspen University maintains employee tuition discount partnerships with a large and growing number of organizations. Tell your enrollment advisor where you work and ask them to check for you prior to enrolling.
Aspen offers several payment plans for students to fund their education.
Admission Requirements
Application – A completed application; Aspen does not charge an application fee
High School Diploma or GED – Official Transcript demonstrating a valid high school diploma or GED; this requirement is waived if you have completed at least 15 credits of college–level coursework (see Catalog for more information)
Career Outlook
An Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Early Childhood Studies is designed to prepare students for direct entry into the workforce in the field of early childhood. With a growing focus on the importance of high-quality early education for child development, there’s a consistent demand for trained professionals in this area.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 162,500 openings for childcare workers are projected each year, on average, over the next decade, largely due to replacing workers who are exiting the workforce. Graduates with an AAS in Early Childhood Studies typically find positions as preschool specialists, childcare center staff, or family service providers. Pursuing an AAS in Early Childhood Studies opens doors to fulfilling roles that directly impact children’s educational journeys and support their developmental milestones, making this a rewarding career path for those passionate about working with young children.
Average Annual Salary for Childcare Workers
$30,370
Data pulled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Fall 2024. Salary can vary widely depending on geographical location and role.
AAS Early Childhood Studies Frequently Asked Questions
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Who is the AASECS program intended for?
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Can I finish this degree online?
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Can students work while completing this program?
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Can I use this degree to continue my education?
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I hold a CDA certification from the Child Development Associate National Credentialing Program. Can I use that for credit in this program?
This program is ideal for individuals who want to work directly with young children in early childhood education settings, such as preschools, daycare centers, and after-school programs. It is also suited for those considering further education in early childhood or elementary education.
Yes, Aspen’s AASECS degree program is completed online.
Yes, this program is designed for working adults, with flexible program start dates and online learning.
Yes, this program will prepare students to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Graduates from this program can apply to Aspen’s Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Studies program.
Applicants who hold valid and current CDA certification from the Child Development Associate National Credentialing Program are eligible to receive twelve credits in lieu of the following courses: ECE101, ECE102, ECE103, and ECE108.