Child Development and Family Relations

OVERVIEW OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 120

Minimum Cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0

Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward major: A C or higher is required in CHF 200 and CHF 201. Students in the Early Childhood Education concentration are required to earn a B- or higher in CHF 200, CHF 201, CHF 203, CHF 321, CHF 322, CHF 329, CHF 331 or EHD 203, CHF 304 or EHD 400, CHF 424, EDT 400, EHD 101, EHD 202, EHD 204, EHD 301, ERL 317, ERL 319, and SED 302.

Other GPA requirements to graduate: Students in Early Childhood Education need a 2.75 GPA to apply for teacher candidacy.

Required Course(s) for fulfilling Capstone Experience: CHF 423 (Individual and Family Studies Concentration, Early Childhood Professional Concentration, and Research Concentration) or CHF 424 (Early Childhood Education Concentration)

Contact Information: Janice Bacon, 118 Merrill Hall, 581-3119, janiceb@maine.edu

Transfer Policy

Students at the University of Maine wishing to transfer to this major should have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 for Early Childhood Education concentration or a 2.5 cumulative GPA for all other concentrations. Students looking for Individual and Family Studies concentration not meeting these minimum GPAs should submit an application consisting of a resume, and an essay identifying their professional goals. A faculty committee will review applications. Application packets should be submitted to 118 Merrill Hall. All other students need to apply through the Admissions Office.

Requirements:

English:

Early Childhood Education concentration requires 1 ENG literature course Credits: 3

Communication:

 Choose one from the following list:

CMJ 102 - Fundamentals of Interpersonal Communication Credit: 3

CMJ 103 - Public Speaking Credit: 3

CMJ 106 - Storytelling Credit: 3

Math:

MAT 107 - Elementary Descriptive Geometry Credit: 3

and

MAT 108 - Elementary Numerical Mathematics From A Modern Perspective Credit: 3

are required for the Early Childhood Education concentration. The Research concentration requires

STS 232 - Principles of Statistical Inference Credit: 3

Psychology:

PSY 100 - General Psychology Credit: 3

Child Development and Family Relations Concentrations

CORE COURSES

CHF 200 - Family Interaction Credits: 3
CHF 201 - Introduction to Child Development Credits: 3
Field Experience (choice determined by your concentration:)
CHF 421 - Student Teaching in Early Childhood Credits: 12
or
CHF 422 - Field Placement in Early Childhood Education Credits: 3-6
or
CHF 496 - Field Experience in Human Development and Family Studies Credits: 1-6
(Students in this major must take 3-6 credits)

1. Individual and Family Studies Concentration

This concentration supports professional preparation to work with children and families in community settings.

Course Requirements: 21 credit hours chosen from the following possible elective CHF courses:

CHF 203 - Practicum in Early Childhood Programs Credits: 3
CHF 303 - Infant/Toddler Care and Development Credits: 3
CHF 311 - Creativity and the Young Child Credits: 3
CHF 321 - Curriculum and Methods for Teaching Young Children Science Credits: 3
CHF 322 - Curriculum and Methods for Teaching Social Studies Credits: 3
CHF 329 - Curriculum and Methods for Teaching Young Children Math Credits: 3
CHF 331 - Cognitive Development Credits: 3
CHF 351 - Human Sexuality Credits: 3
CHF 381 - Family Resource Management Credits: 3
CHF 385 - Personal and Family Finance Credits: 3
CHF 401 - Peer Education Credits: 3
CHF 404 - Selected Topics in Child Development and Family Life Credits: 3
CHF 406 - Introduction to Research Methods in Child Development and Family Relations Credits: 3
CHF 409 - Special Problems in Child Development and Family Life Credits: Ar
CHF 431 - Parenting Credits: 3
CHF 432 - Socialization of the Child Credits: 3
CHF 433 - Adolescence Credits: 3
CHF 434 - Adult Development and Aging Credits: 3
CHF 441 - Family Life Education Methods Credits: 3
CHF 442 - Helping Skills Credits: 3
CHF 450 - Early Childhood Special Education - Inclusion in the Early Childhood Classroom Credits: 3
CHF 451 - Family Relationships Credits: 3
CHF 452 - Violence in the Family Credits: 3
CHF 488 - Family Legal Issues Credits: 3
CHF 496 - Field Experience in Human Development and Family Studies Credits: 1-6

2. Early Childhood Education Concentration (Maine public school teaching certification)

This concentration allows students to apply for the state of Maine Endorsement 029: Early Elementary Teacher (public school grades K-3) and to be State eligible to apply for the Endorsement 081: Early Childhood Teacher. The Endorsement 081, on a Maine teacher certificate, allows the holder to teach students birth to school age 5. A 2.75 accumulative grade point average is required to apply for teacher candidacy.

CHF 203 - Practicum in Early Childhood Programs Credits: 3
CHF 303 - Infant/Toddler Care and Development Credits: 3
CHF 304 - Practicum in Early Childhood Education K-3 Credits: 3
CHF 321 - Curriculum and Methods for Teaching Young Children Science Credits: 3
CHF 322 - Curriculum and Methods for Teaching Social Studies Credits: 3
CHF 329 - Curriculum and Methods for Teaching Young Children Math Credits: 3
CHF 331 - Cognitive Development Credits: 3
or
EHD 203 - Educational Psychology Credits: 3
CHF 450 - Early Childhood Special Education - Inclusion in the Early Childhood Classroom Credits: 3
EDT 400 - Integrating Technology for Teaching and Learning Credits: 3
EHD 101 - The Art and Science of Teaching Credits: 3
EHD 202 - Education in a Multicultural Society Credits: 3
EHD 204 - Teaching and Assessing for Student Learning Credits: 3
EHD 301 - Classroom-based Prevention and Intervention: Supporting Positive Behavior and Academic Achievement Credits: 3
ERL 317 - Children’s Literature Credits: 3
ERL 319 - Teaching Reading and Language Arts in Preschool to Grade 3 Credits: 3
SED 302 - Adapting Instruction for Students with Disabilities Credits: 3
Social Studies (6 credits) : Social Studies = 2 courses from the areas of History (HTY), Anthropology (ANT), Geography (GEO), Economics (ECO), Political Science (POS) and/or Native American Studies (NAS)- NAS 101, 102, 201, 298, 401, 498. Students enrolled in the Honors College achieve the Social Studies Requirement by successfully completing two of the following courses: HON 111, HON 112, HON 211, HON 212

Additional Requirements:

Students must:
- Pass Praxis CORE
- Be admitted to Teacher Candidacy
- Pass Praxis II prior to the student teacher semester
- Provide proof of fingerprinting; and
- Have a background check authorization by the Maine Department of Education

3. Early Childhood Professional Concentration

This concentration prepares students to work in social service agencies supporting young children and their families, or as an early educator in childcare, Headstart, or private pre-K. This concentration does not lead to State teaching certification.

Course Requirements: a minimum of 27 credit hours in CHF courses including:
21 credit hours in the following seven required CHF courses:

CHF 203 - Practicum in Early Childhood Programs Credits: 3
CHF 303 - Infant/Toddler Care and Development Credits: 3
CHF 316 - Literacy and the Youngest Learner Credits: 3
CHF 321 - Curriculum and Methods for Teaching Young Children Science Credits: 3
CHF 322 - Curriculum and Methods for Teaching Social Studies Credits: 3
CHF 329 - Curriculum and Methods for Teaching Young Children Math Credits: 3
CHF 450 - Early Childhood Special Education - Inclusion in the Early Childhood Classroom Credits: 3
6 additional credit hours chosen from the following possible elective CHF courses:
CHF 311 - Creativity and the Young Child Credits: 3
CHF 331 - Cognitive Development Credits: 3
CHF 431 - Parenting Credits: 3
CHF 432 - Socialization of the Child Credits: 3
CHF 451 - Family Relationships Credits: 3
CHF 452 - Violence in the Family Credits: 3
CHF 488 - Family Legal Issues Credits: 3
Additional Requirement:

Students must
- complete the core course of CHF 422: Field Experience in Early Childhood Settings (3-6 cr) in a program/agency that supports young children birth to age 8.

4. Research Concentration

This concentration provides students with direct experiences in the conduct of applied research in human, family and relationship development. Students typically work closely with a faculty member on a research project of mutual interest, and are well positioned for future graduate study.

Course Requirements: a minimum of 24 credit hours in CHF or HUD courses including:
9 credit hours in the following three required courses: