Internship Opportunities

The child development major has three supervised internships. These occur in Child Development 282, 392, and 492.

Child Development 282 students (typically junior level) gain skills in applying knowledge of children's growth and development to appropriate experiences in the creative arts, play, math, science, literacy, and language. Planning, implementing, and evaluating curriculum activities are key components of the course. Students in the class work directly with children in an approved community program approximately four hours a week.

Child Development 392 students (senior-level) work in our campus Associated Students Children's Center/Child Development Laboratory or Innovative Preschool (off-site) gaining knowledge and skills in the following objectives:

1. To increase knowledge of child development in children ages 0-5 years.
2. To expand skills and knowledge of how child development programs are operated, organized, and managed to meet the developmentally appropriate needs of young children and their families.
3. To further enhance and refine observation skills in assessing children's development and the use of those skills to determine appropriate program practice and policy.
4. To develop behavior management skills to enhance children's growth.
5. To increase awareness, knowledge, and skills of professional relationships among adults who work with young children including communication skills, self-assessment, and reflection.

Child Development 492 is the advanced internship for senior majors. The majority of the internship sites are chosen by these students. In this class, students write individually determined internship learning objectives and select a community-based agency placement (PDF) that matches their career interest in children from birth through 18 years of age and/or their families. Students spend 7.5 hours a week in their internship placement for 12 weeks, for a total of 90 internship hours.