Education Insider News Blog -

Perfect School Search

List of Free Online Child Care Courses and Classes

See our list of the top free online child care courses. Learn about what classes are available and what topics they cover to find the course that is right for you.

Take Free Courses. Earn Real College Credit.

Most free courses don't lead to college credit. Education-Portal.com's free courses do!

Here's how it works:

  1. 1. Watch free video lessons.
  2. 2. Pass an exam to earn real college credit.

Free Online Child Care Course Info

Learners don't have access to instructors in these non-credit courses on child care. Users also may need specific software applications in order to access some of the online learning tools.

Educational Psychology at Education Portal

This course looks at developmental psychology, behavioral theories, disabilities education and motivation in the classroom. Students can learn through short videos and accompanying transcripts. Users also can take quizzes to assess their understanding of class concepts. Although Education Portal's courses don't lead directly to college credits, learners may take the Introduction to Educational Psychology CLEP exam after checking with their school to be certain that credits are awarded for acceptable CLEP scores.

Child Health and Development at The Johns Hopkins University

PDF lecture slides and MP3 recordings are available for the majority of the 14 lectures in this course. Students can access writing assignments and readings from a free PDF version of the textbook; however, an e-mail address is required.

Exploring Children's Learning at The Open University

The instructional materials for this 20-hour, intermediate course include text with illustrations and links to readings. Learners will study 4 theories of child development: social learning, constructivism, behaviorism and social constructivism.

Minds of Our Own at Annenberg Learner

These 3 videos, each about an hour long, are part of the Private Universe Project and directed towards parents and teachers. They examine how children learn and look at prior assumptions about student learning that may need to be reevaluated. Although the videos can all be watched online for free, print guides and a DVD presentation of these videos require a fee.

Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids about Being Online at OnGuardOnline.gov

This federal government website provides tools for adults to help children remain safe while online. The video may be viewed online or downloaded in several formats. PowerPoint slides are available for group presentations. Users may also download and print other articles related to the topic.

The Parenting Center at Anne Arundel Community College

Parents and other caregivers may learn child care skills through these 8 videos that are 30-60 minutes in length. Topics include self-esteem in children, grandparenting and alternatives to spanking. Users may also locate additional links of interest through this site's general resources section.

Power of Positive Parenting at Utah State University

The Power of Positive Parenting course is based on Dr. Glenn Latham's book of the same name. The 27 lessons of this course are available in video, audio and text. Users encountering problematic links on this school's website may also access the video and audio clips for this course through The Internet Archive. Learners delve into topics such as proactive responses to behaviors, dealing with anger, alternatives to spanking, eliminating tantrums, toilet training and sibling rivalry.

Promoting Positive Development Among Youth at Tufts University

Students may want to complete a basic child development class before attempting this course. Notes from the 7 lectures are available in PDF or text format. Topics covered in this course include applied developmental science (ADS) theory and national/international perspectives on the participation of youth in civil society. Suggested readings are noted at the end of each text lecture.

The Role of Play in Children's Learning at The Open University

Learners will investigate the value of play and adults' roles in children's play in this intermediate course. Learning materials may be viewed online, printed or downloaded. Self-guided activities are included throughout the lessons.

The Whole Child: A Caregiver's Guide to the First 5 Years at Annenberg Learner

The 13 videos in this series are each about 30 minutes long and were filmed in preschools, child care centers and homes. Students can learn about children's development, along with developmental activities and methods for specific situations. The textbook and guides, along with the series DVD, may be bought through this website.

Earn Real Credit from Free Courses

While the free courses above don't award credit directly, you can earn credit by passing an exam and transferring credit to your college. There are two widely recognized and affordable options for exams that award credit.

Option #1: CLEP Exams

The College Board's 33 CLEP exams allow you to test out of your general education requirements. Credit is accepted at 2/3 of colleges and universities in the U.S.

Option #2: Excelsior College's Credit-by-Exam

Excelsior College offers over 40 exams that lead to transferable credit. You can also earn three full degrees by taking free online courses and earning your credit by exam.

Learn how Education Portal Academy will pay you to earn credit!

Do you like this post?
Yes No

Thanks for your feedback!

What didn't you like?

Get our best student money savers and free resources
Education Insider Sample
Subscribe to Education Insider
Our strict privacy policy keeps your email address 100% safe & secure.
Related Articles
  • Related
  • Recently Updated
  • Popular

19 Popular Schools

The schools in the listing below are not free but are popular choices among our users. Tuition and costs will vary across programs and locations. Be sure to always request tuition information before starting a program.