Early Childhood Development
Advisory Board Minutes
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Members Present: Kathy Christy, Diane Davis, Mary Lou Datema, Carol Day, Debbie
Diefenderfer, Jo Fritts, Connie Harmon, Kathy Lorts, Phoebe Quinn, Dr. Peggy Reed,
Mary Stone, Kim Sutton,
Members Absent: Deanna Cornell, Amanda DeLong, Melissa Freres, Susan Forte,
Tracy Livingston, Emma Case, Kim Roam, Tracy Tannehill, Dean Troxell, Amanda
Walker, Jessica Walters, Chelsea Wright
The advisory meeting was brought to order at 5:05 on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 in the
Early Childhood Education Center. Jo Fritts chaired the meeting.
The minutes from the fall 2008 meeting were reviewed. Connie Harmon made a
correction that the name of the center is the Early Childhood Education Center not Early
Childcare. With this correction Debbie Diefenderfer moved to approve the minutes and
Mary Lou Datema seconded.
Item # 1 Accreditation Update
The accreditation is a slow process but a good one. The department is reevaluating the
curriculum and cleaning up the verbiage for the objectives and course abstract. NAEYC
recommends that there be one core assignment for each required course and the
department is working to have two for each class including the electives. The assignment
will have the same assessment as well. This will allow the extension sites to be consistent
with what is taught on the Springfield campus.
Item #2 College Assessment Update
The college will be reviewed by the Higher Learning Commission in 2011. Kathy
Perkins is helping all departments to be sure the course objectives are aligned with an
assignment. This will need to be done before the ECD department can finish their
NAEYC self study, which may mean the NAEYC accreditation, could be postponed until
2012.
Item# 3 Update on ECD 290
Beginning this fall, ECD 290, the Co-op /Intern, is no longer a required course and will
be an elective. This course has the flexibility of being a one to three hour course based
on the number of practicum site hours fulfilled. This course offers the potential of
allowing transfer students to transfer in course work.
Item # 4 New textbooks for Fall 09
Course name changes and new textbooks are listed for the following classes beginning
the fall of 2009.
ECD 225 Abuse and Neglect in Early Childhood will be a new required course that will
be offered beginning the fall. ECD 101 Introduction to Early Childhood will have a new
textbook, ECD 240 Creativity and the Young Child, used to be Music and Movement and
will have a new textbook, and ECD 280 Program Administration and Leadership has a
new textbook as well.
Item # IV New textbooks for spring 2010
OTC will begin managing their own bookstore. The bookstore may deny giving a course
a new textbook if the current one hasn’t been used for awhile. All of the following
courses will have new textbooks for spring.
ECD 150 Curriculum Development in Early Childhood used to be called Cognitive
Development
ECD 160 is Social Competence in Early Childhood, used to be called Social
Development
ECD 210 is Zero to Three: The Early Years used to be called Infants and Toddlers
ECD 215 is a new elective called Science and Math in Early Childhood
.
Item # VI New Advisory Committee Members
Discussion revolved around recommendations for new advisory board members.
There are 2 advisory board meetings a year, one in the fall and one in the spring and an
advisory board banquet in the fall. Once the names of candidates have been submitted
they will need to be approved by Dr. Higdon. New names and removal of old board
member names needs to be sent to Kathy Christy by May 15. Recommendations
included: Pete Letterman, a former student and SKILL winner, Rana Post a child Life
Specialist for Cox, Barb Gaskill, director for Prime Kids Learning Center, and Trina
Ackterman, with Cox Hospital. Current board members are going to contact these
individuals and submit the names. Carol will send out a reminder prior to May 15th.
Item # VII New Business
Dean Troxell is stepping down from his dean position to return to the classroom. The
2009-2010 school year will be his final year before retirement. The job position for a
new dean has been posted and his replacement will begin prior to the fall of 2009.
The college is encouraging that all departments offer courses on line. ECD 210 Zero to
Three the Early Years will be offered this spring as an online hybrid class. The other
class offered this spring online is ECD 205, Philosophy, Theory and History of Early
Childhood Education.
Connie Harmon announced the preschool graduation will be May 15th, 6:30 in Lincoln
Hall. This will be the biggest graduation class, approximately 25 to 30 children.
Connie also announced that the ECEC achieved the Missouri accreditation on their first
try this past October. The center will have to reapply for accreditation in 2011.
Kim Sutton announced that the department sent nine students to compete at the state
Skills competition in the technical written and skills contests. OTC’s Early Childhood
Department had a first place winner in the Skills portion for secondary and post
secondary. These winners won a two year scholarship for tuition to OTC and will go to
Nationals in June to compete. The post secondary student also placed first in the
technical written component.
Mary Stone asked what Connie and the board thought about Missouri’s AEYC’s
proposed pilot program, Directors Credentialing, for directors of Childhood Centers.
The credentialing would include a nine hour block of classes that include leadership,
business management, and supervision. Discussion centered on possible classes that
OTC could offer if this is implemented.
Item # VIII Tentative Date for Fall Meeting
Jo recommended that the fall meeting be held in September since the advisory banquet is
in October. Discussion was held as to the best time of day that fits the schedules of the
board members and everyone agreed that a lunch meeting worked best. An e-mail will be
sent in late August checking on a possible date for the fall meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 6:20.
Respectfully submitted
Carol day