ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE (A.A.S.)
Start a rewarding career working with children through the Early Childhood Development program at Southwest.
More job opportunities, increase your salary, do what you love – whatever your reasons, we’re here to help!
Early childhood professionals promote young children’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development.
Successful completion of the Early Childhood Development program will qualify students for employment in a variety of situations where quality care and education of young children is the primary objective.
The program will expose students to the characteristics, basic skills, and knowledge necessary for early childhood development providers to deliver quality programming for young children.
Our Early Childhood Development program at Southwest is set up like a ladder. Once you start the Associate Degree program, your first 16 credit hours in Early Childhood Development meet the requirements for earning a Career Studies Certificate.
This Career Studies Certificate is equivalent to earning the CDA – Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™.
Southwest Virginia Community College has options to help you pay for a degree or certificate. A high percentage of students receive assistance through financial aid.
Learn about paying for college and current tuition-free programs here.
We currently have transfer relationships with the following four-year universities and their Early Childhood Education programs to help you transition into a bachelor’s degree if you choose to do so. Please get in touch with us for full details and more information.
James Madison University
George Mason University
Bluefield College
Contact Southwest Today!276-964-2555
All Locations: 2-Hour Delay on Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Monday, December 15: Campus closed until 5:00 PM. All daytime classes canceled. Campus will reopen at 5:00 PM for evening classes.
All Southwest locations are CLOSED on Friday, December 12, due to inclement weather.
All locations closing at 10:30 AM on Sun, Dec 14, due to inclement weather. Night classes are canceled.