Department website: https://academics.potomacstatecollege.edu/majors/two-year-programs/child-development-and-family-studies
Degree Offered
- Associate of Arts
Nature of the Program
The Child Development and Family Studies major (formerly titled Early Childhood Education) focuses on the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of children. This program will prepare students to plan programs and interact with young children in developmentally appropriate settings and to work with infants and toddlers in child care placements.
Career Opportunities
Positions may be found in a variety of settings including child care centers, Head Start, nursery schools, hospitals, and human service agencies. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree also work with parents in educational settings.
Faculty
Chair
- Cassandra Pritts - M.A. History (Duquesne University)
Year @ PSC (2011)
Associate professor
- Andrea Schafer - M.A. Elementary Education (West Virginia University)
Year @ PSC (2014)
Assistant professor
- Molly Alvaro - M.A. Counseling (Marshall University)
Year @ PSC (2020)
Admissions
Entering freshmen are admitted directly into the major.
Benchmark Expectations
A minimum grade of C- is required for all CDFS courses. All majors must meet with their advisor every semester. Students who do not meet these benchmarks may be removed from their major.
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum grade of C- is required for all CDFS courses. | ||
| GEF Requirements (2, 6, 7 and 8) | 13 | |
| ENGL 101 & ENGL 102 | Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research (GEF 1) | 6 |
| WVUE 191 | First Year Seminar | 1 |
| MATH 121 | Intro Concepts Of Mathematics (GEF 3) * | 3 |
| CDFS 110 | Families Across the Life Span (GEF 4) | 3 |
| CDFS 112 | Introduction to Family Processes and Dynamics | 3 |
| CDFS 210 | Introduction to Parenting | 3 |
| CDFS 211 | Infant Development | 3 |
| CDFS 212 | Development in Early and Middle Childhood | 3 |
| PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology (GEF 8) | 3 |
| SOC 101 | Introduction to Sociology (GEF 8) | 3 |
| COMM 104 | Fundamentals of Public Communication (GEF 5) | 3 |
| Elective | 13 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
- *
MATH 121 or higher MATH accepted.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CDFS 110 (GEF 4) | 3 | CDFS 112 | 3 |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| MATH 121 (GEF 3) | 3 | PSYC 101 (GEF 8) | 3 |
| WVUE 191 | 1 | Elective | 3 |
| SOC 101 (GEF 8) | 3 | GEF 6 | 3 |
| GEF 7 | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CDFS 211 | 3 | CDFS 210 | 3 |
| COMM 104 (GEF 5) | 3 | CDFS 212 | 3 |
| GEF 2 | 4 | GEF 8 | 3 |
| Elective | 5 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 2 | ||
| 15 | 14 | ||
| Total credit hours: 60 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Child Development and Family Studies
Upon successful completion of the A.A. degree, students in the Child Development and Family Studies major will be able to demonstrate:
- Knowledge of the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of young children in the family and preschool contexts.
- The ability to construct positive and enriched early childhood environments where the young have the opportunity to develop skills for lifelong learning.
- Knowledge of current best practices that prepare young children to be competent, independent learners.
- The ability to reflect on one’s knowledge and skills of teaching and interacting with young children.
- Knowledge of how young children learn in order to prepare educational activities in inclusive environments.