Child Development
The child development concentration is an excellent option for students interested in studying and providing developmentally-appropriate practice in their work with children. The goal of this concentration is to provide students with a study of children’s development from conception through emerging young adulthood, with an emphasis on early childhood.
Students in the child development concentration experience a curriculum uniquely crafted to prepare them for working with children and families in a variety of settings. Courses in this concentration include:
- Infant and Toddler Development
- Adolescent Development
- Children and Families with Special Needs
- Children’s Literature
Beyond classroom instruction, students in the child development concentration gain over 50 hours of skills-based practice at the Piper Center for Family Studies and Child Development, our NAEYC-accredited lab environment for developmentally-appropriate best practices. In addition, all Child and Family Studies students complete a 150-hour practicum in a field setting suited to the student’s professional goals.
Students who successfully complete the child development concentration degree plan will be able to:
- Identify typical development across developmental domains,
- Consider the implications of atypical development in children and families, and
- Apply developmental best-practices in early childhood settings.
Graduates from this concentration are prepared for roles in early childhood, nonprofit, ministry, healthcare, and many other organizational settings.