Universityof North Carolina Chapel Hill Child Development and Family Studies
http://soe.unc.edu/academics/cdfs/
Overview
The School of Education offers three undergraduate programs in teacher education: Child Development and Family Studies (Birth-Kindergarten), Elementary Education (Kindergarten-Grade 6), and Middle Grades Education (Grades 6-9). All are four-year programs with the junior and senior years spent in the School of Education. All programs prepare the student for licensure.
Admission to all three programs is competitive and based on an application process in March, typically in the sophomore year. For additional information about applying to one of the undergraduate teacher education programs, consult the Undergraduate Bulletinor admissionsfor the School of Education.
Child Development and Family Studies
(Birth through Kindergarten)
The Child Development and Family Studies (CDFS) program is grounded in the disciplines of child development, early childhood education and early childhood special education. The program's curriculum is based on an ecological perspective. Through the CDFS program, students will acquire knowledge and develop skills to work with children in a variety of settings. This interdisciplinary approach is preparatory to professional work with children (with and without disabilities) from birth to kindergarten and their families from diverse cultural, ethnic and/or socioeconomic backgrounds.
The Bachelor of Arts in Education (A.B.Ed.) degree in Child Development and Family Studies is a 121-semester-hour program that includes General College requirements, usually completed in the first-year and sophomore year. During the spring semester of the junior year, students are placed in an infant or toddler internship. During the fall semester of the senior year, students complete a preschool and kindergarten internship. In the spring semester of the senior year, students complete full-time student teaching in both the preschool and the kindergarten classroom. The internships enable students to participate in real-world field-based experiences with young children and their families. Within the CDFS curriculum, students will specialize by taking 12 hours in either the area of Community Resource Facilitation and Development or Infant/Child Development Service Provision.
Child Development and Family Studies students will meet competencies for a NC Birth through Kindergarten teaching licensure. However, North Carolina licensure for teachers and special services personnel is independent of degree requirements.