EDU 321 Urban Infant-Toddler Curriculum and Methods
This course focuses on infant and toddler development and how developmental knowledge informs the design, evaluation, and implementation of developmentally and culturally appropriate curriculum, materials, and learning environments in urban early childhood settings. Students analyze and evaluate language development in the first three years of life, including the benefits of multilingualism and multiliteracy, and examine how children¿s native languages can be used as instructional resources to support differentiated learning and early literacy development. Students design, apply, and evaluate curriculum and communication strategies that intentionally integrate the values, languages, and cultural practices of children¿s families into daily routines and learning experiences. The course also examines and evaluates effective communication practices with urban families and current issues in infant and toddler care. A required 20-hour practicum provides hands-on urban field experience in which students observe, assess, and evaluate the developmental levels, language use, and learning needs of a focus infant or toddler using child study techniques informed by course readings and class discussions.
Prerequisites
3 Undergraduate credits
Effective August 17, 2026 to present
Learning outcomes
General
- Analyze developmental learning patterns of infants and toddlers to inform culturally responsive practices.
- Design developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate learning experiences that support the holistic development of infants and toddlers across developmental domains.
- Apply knowledge of second language acquisition to support infants and toddlers whose first language is not English.
- Develop positive, respectful, and collaborative relationships with families of infants and toddlers to promote continuity of care, development, and learning.
- Evaluate informal and formal assessment strategies to individualize curriculum, caregiving routines, and teaching practices for infants and toddlers
- Interpret child study data to describe developmental levels and inform responsive instructional decision-making for infants and toddlers.
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