ChildCare Education Institute® (CCEI), a distance learning professional development and certificate provider, offers CHD100: Music in Early Childhood as an online no-cost trial child care training course to new CCEI users during the month of February.

Children exposed to music at a young age are more likely to communicate with others and recognize the aesthetics in their own culture. Furthermore, music activities in the classroom can improve attention span and memory, while also expanding vocabulary. The goal of this course is to provide an understanding of the importance of music in the early childhood years and the ways in which it can become part of the curriculum and of children’s lives. Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to define the role of music in a child’s development, the role of both quality and variety in the selection of music for children, the impact of music on children’s moods and behaviors, the musical elements young children can and should experience, and list appropriate musical activities.

“Music is a great alternative teaching method for early child care providers,” says Maria C. Taylor, President and CEO of CCEI. “It’s important to incorporate the arts within our schools to promote a balanced and worthwhile curriculum besides traditional school subjects. This course provides key information on how valuable music can be in the early childhood setting”.

This beginner-level training course is available as a trial course to New Users with CCEI account creation in February. Current CCEI users with active, unlimited annual subscriptions can enroll in professional development courses at no additional cost when logged in to their CCEI account. Users without subscriptions can purchase child care training courses as block hours through CCEI online enrollment.