Early Childhood & Family Policy Graduate Certificate

Divided into four units, this course is designed to provide a foundational knowledge of the fundamentals of policy creation, design, and development, with an emphasis on those policies that impact ECEC. The course focuses on how policy is constructed and who and what influences that construction. Especially important, the course addresses the critical roles that communication, advocacy, and ethics play as policy evolves. More specifically, the course will address: (i) the multiple venues and processes for creating public policies; (ii) different types of public ECEC funding; (iii) federal, state, and local policy roles; (iv) considerations of ethics and leadership from public policy and ECEC perspectives; and (v) the development of policy advocacy communications skills. Throughout the course, you will recognize that the policy cycle depends on a network of complex interactions among people within government (i.e., elected officials and bureaucrats) and multiple outside influencers (e.g., advocates, foundations, think tanks, and voters).