Early Childhood and Family Studies (BS)

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Federal CIP: 19.0701 Human Development and Family Studies, General

Early Childhood and Family Studies is an interdisciplinary program that prepares graduates to work in a variety of non-public school settings that serve children and families. Through this program, students acquire the values, knowledge, skills and dispositions within a “Christian ethic of care” necessary to positively impact contemporary families in the areas of early childhood and family studies.

Learning Outcomes

Know and understand young children’s characteristics and needs and the multiple influences on development and learning.
Know and understand family and community characteristics and support them through respectful and reciprocal relationships.
Understand the goals, benefits and uses of assessment and practice responsible assessment.
Use content knowledge to build meaningful curriculum in all curriculum areas.
Uphold ethical standards and professional guidelines and engage in informed advocacy for young children, their families and the early childhood profession.

Early Childhood and Family Studies Requirements

Specified Core Curriculum

Students earning a bachelor’s degree must complete all Core Curriculum requirements. The following specific core curriculum course(s) is required.

EDUC 3423 Instructional Technology for Education Majors 3 credits or CPSC 1103 Introduction to Computers and Information Processing 3 credits
MATH 1053 Quantitative Reasoning 3 credits or STAT 3203 Statistics 3 credits
PSYC 2003 General Psychology 3 credits

Major Courses

Completion of EDRS 3073 and ECFS major courses requires a minimum grade of C.

ECFS 2743 The Study of Young Children 3 credits
ECFS 3743 Curriculum and Instruction in ECE 3 credits
ECFS 3843 Parent Education 3 credits
ECFS 4343 Organization and Administration of ECE Programs 3 credits
EDRS 3073 R2S Content Area Reading and Writing for ECE/ELE 3 credits
EDUC 3363 Behavior of the Preschool Child/Field Experience 3 credits
EDUC 3742 Methods of Teaching Creative Arts in General and Special Education 2 credits
ENGL 3043 Children’s Literature 3 credits
PSYC 3113 Adolescent Development 3 credits
SOSC 2103 Sex, Courtship, and Marriage 3 credits
SOSC 2513 Family Studies 3 credits
SOSC 3073 Management Issues in the Helping Professions 3 credits

Three (3) courses (9 credits) selected from the following:

PHED 3033 Physical Education, Health, and Recreation for the Adapted School Program 3 credits
PSYC 3133 Adulthood Development and Aging 3 credits
PHED 3173 Exercise for the Aging Population 3 credits
PHED 4063 Physical Education and Health for the Elementary School 3 credits
Elective 3 credits (PSYC 3713 Counseling, Theory and Practice recommended)

Professional Education Requirements

A grade of C or higher is required for EDRS 3073 and all ECFS professional education courses.

ECFS 4646 Child and Family Internship I 6 credits
ECFS 4656 Child and Family Internship II 6 credits
EDUC 1201 Cornerstone to Education 1 credit
EDUC 2113 Foundations of Education 3 credits
EDUC 2663 Effective Methods for Early Childhood Education/Field Experience 3 credits
EDUC 3183 Ethics in Education 3 credits
EDUC 3203 Introduction to the Exceptional Child 3 credits
PSYC 3103 Child Development 3 credits

Electives

In addition to core curriculum (40-44 credit hours) and major course requirements, students must complete elective coursework appropriate to their degree. A minimum of 120 credit hours is required for most bachelor’s degrees, including elective coursework. Students are strongly encouraged to work with their advisor to identify courses that complement their program area.

Summary


Core Curriculum Requirements	40-44 hrs.

Major Requirements	44 hrs.

Professional Education Requirements	28 hrs.

Electives	4-8 hrs.

	Total: 120 hrs.