CAREER STUDIES CERTIFICATE (C.S.C.)
Earn a Career Studies Certificate in Early Childhood Development with just 16 credit hours required.
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 and learning.
Successful completion of the Early Childhood Development program will qualify students for employment in a variety of situations where the care and maintenance 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.
Our Early Childhood Education program at Southwest is set up like a ladder. The 16 credit hours in the Early Childhood Education Career Studies Certificate Program can be applied toward meeting the requirement of earning an Associate Degree at Southwest.
Our 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.
Use your career studies certificate credit hours toward getting an associate degree from Southwest. Plus, we currently have transfer relationships with many four-year universities to help you transition into a bachelor’s degree if you choose to do so. Please contact us for full details and for more information.
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.