ED 551 Child Development and Learning 3 cr. Extends the early childhood teacher’s knowledge and understanding of child development theories and research. Focuses on the nature of understanding all aspects of the child’s development as a base for designing developmentally appropriate practices, environments, materials and curricula for the young child, including physical, language, cognitive and social/emotional development. Four critical areas of child development, attachments, temperament and information processing are emphasized, as well as understanding child development in the family and cultural context.