Develop Strong And Healthy Children and Families

Early Childhood Education Associate's degree—Child and Family Studies specialization

Children’s behavior and education needs vary dramatically and are impacted greatly by their family environments.  To help you create a positive and effective learning environment for all children, our Early Childhood Education Associate’s degree with a specialization in Child and Family Studies gives you the opportunity to develop the unique skill set you need to positively impact the entire family.

You will gain first-hand experience creating strategies and teaching techniques needed to support children with challenging behaviors in both the classroom and at home, provide parent education, and understand the mental development of children during early childhood.  

Become a role model and inspire children to learn

The skills and knowledge that you will gain in our unique Child and Family Studies specialization can not only help give you a competitive advantage in today’s job market, but can also help you advocate for healthier and stronger communities. In addition, our instructors, who are seasoned professionals—many holding a Master’s degree—are focused on providing you with the knowledge and skills you need for a successful career in education as an influential and positive role model in the lives of your students and their families.

Developed based on National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) best standards, our curriculum focuses on preparing you to apply for your Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. Upon graduation, we will even cover your CDA application fee. Plus, to ensure you have the hands-on experience you need for a smooth career transition, part of your coursework will include 540 hours of applied learning in an environment that coincides with your career goals.

Contact one of our dedicated program managers today at (888) 549-6755 or complete the contact request form on the right and learn more about our Early Childhood Education Associate’s degree with a specialization in Child and Family Studies.

Child and Family Studies Courses

Being able to understand how a family truly functions is a difficult task. Each individual, no matter how big or small, plays a vital role in the makeup of a family. Your courses at Rasmussen College will help prepare you to work with children in the classroom and interact with their family. To really understand a child, you should figure out what their parents’ teaching methods are like and how you can enrich your student’s learning experience through your findings.

Some key courses include:

Guiding Children’s Behavior
You will explore how to use guidance in the early childhood setting, with an emphasis on understanding why young children exhibit certain behaviors and how we can meet the child’s needs effectively and with support. You will learn how to provide positive guidance to young children with challenging behavior.

Family Resource Management
You will learn different strategies to help families manage resources through various problem-solving methods.

Child and Family Advocacy
You will explore and develop skills to advocate for children and families through legislation, social policy, and advocacy techniques. You will also investigate several current and controversial issues within the early childhood profession, and explore current research on early childhood education issues.

View courses - Early Childhood Education Associate’s degree – Child and Family Studies specialization

Early Education Career Outlook

Our early childhood education graduates are placed in childcare centers, school districts, non-profit organizations, privately owned preschools/centers, community education programs, private schools, and churches. Here’s a snapshot of the career:


Salary & growth statistics provided by the BLS ‡		 25th Percentile 50th Percentile 75th Percentile Projected Growth
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $19,280 $24,540 $32,240 22.50%

 

The Rasmussen College career placement services staff starts helping you even before you graduate – with your resume, cover letter, interviewing techniques and how to search for a great career. And it doesn’t end there – these services are available throughout your career.

‡"Occupational Employment Statistics Home Page." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor, 27 July 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.

"Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor, Dec. 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

BLS salary data may not reflect expected entry level earnings.

Seamless Credit Transfer Policies

Transferring your credits doesn’t need to be difficult. At Rasmussen College, our transfer policies are designed to maximize your credit transfer and minimize your time to graduation.

Check out some of our highlighted transfer policies below or visit our Transfer Policy for a full description of each policy.

  • Course-by-course evaluation of all courses with a grade of C or higher
  • General education credits and certain degree-specific courses may be considered for transfer regardless of completion date¹
  • Credit by examination, which gives you an opportunity to test out of courses where you can demonstrate specific knowledge. These tests are offered free of charge to Rasmussen College students.
  • Earn college credit through prior work, learning, and military experiences

Contact a program manager today at 888-549-6755 or complete the form on the right and one of our program managers will contact you to discuss transferring your college credit to Rasmussen College.

¹ Time limits are imposed on some programs and courses, specifically in the Schools of Technology & Design, Nursing, and Health Sciences.