Child & Family Services, B.S.
Child & Family Services Concentration (CFCF)
The central purpose of this online program is to prepare students who are interested in working in a child and family-focused environment. The graduates will have a broad knowledge base working with children and families. The concentration will provide graduates with entry-level competencies for child and family life.
This concentration is also a wonderful preparation for students desiring to study
in practice-focused masters level programs that center on children and families.
Development Pathways
The concentration requires a minimum of 63 hours in Child & Family Services courses. Students must complete 48 hours in the concentration core, and select Child Development or Family Development as their preferred pathway which requires an additional 15 hours. A grade of “C” or above must be earned in the courses required for this concentration.
The B.S. Child and Family Services: Child and Family Services concentration: Child Development pathway at Western Kentucky University is accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The current accreditation term runs from March 2022 through March 2029
All 15 curriculum hours must be from the same group.
- FACS 193 Curriculum Development for Young Children
- FACS 294 Assessment of Young Children
- FACS 299 Administration of Early Childhood Programs
- FACS 335 Infant/Toddler Development
- FACS 336 Preschool and Kindergarten Development
All 15 curriculum hours must be from the same group.
- FACS 310 Management of Family Resources
- FACS 410 Internship
- FACS 422 Adolescent Psychology
- GERO 100 Introduction to the Aging Experience
- PH 365 Human Sexuality
or - SOCL 359 Sexuality and Society
Our Vision is to graduate leaders and life-long learners to work with and advocate for children and their families.
Our Mission is to sustain a model of excellence, leadership, and empowerment for our students through courses, community interactions and engagement, and faculty-student-led research opportunities. This will be accomplished through reflection, application, and critical thinking in course work. We also challenge students to be continual learners by providing experiential learning with children and families in our communities. Thus, graduating students who embody the WKU spirit of leadership as they continue to advocate by working from a sound understanding of children, families, and communities.
Core Values
- Base all Child & Family Services curriculum on strong child development principles.
- Provide interactive courses which engage students in hands-on, experiential learning.
- Provide community engagement for students in which they both learn and lead.
- Provide reflective learning opportunities for students throughout the degree program.
- Challenge students to develop advocacy skills and require that students apply these skills for the betterment and advocacy of children and families.
- Ground all work in upstanding ethical values.
The field of Child & Family services is challenging, yet rewarding. Graduates of the Child & Family Services program at WKU will have a broad range of career opportunities from which to choose. Along with assistance from our experienced faculty, students of our program will be guided to employment areas that meet their interests and goals. Our field is continually growing, with the need for graduates from Child & Family Services programs continuing to rise!
For an infographic of careers in Child & Family Services, click here.
Other career opportunities with this concentration include, but are not limited to:
- Child and family programming within travel destinations, family recreation & resort
areas such as:
- Disney Parks
- Youth Staff on cruise ships like Royal Caribbean
- Other resorts
- Disney Parks
- Working with behavior related issues with children and their families
- Behavioral Programs
- Many of our graduates are BCBA's!
- What is a BCBA?
- Child Life Specialist
- Early Intervention Programs
- Example: First Steps
- Home Visiting Programs like:
- Child abuse prevention programs
- Adoption programs
- Community programs grants manager
- Family Resource Center in schools
- Family Services within the military
- Career areas within the department of Human Services (per state)
- Career areas within the Department of Child Services (per state)
- Preschool Teacher*
- Early Head Start
- Head Start
- Montessori Schools
- Other Early Childhood Education programs not requiring a teaching license (private sector that do not require the license)
- Agency Director/Manager
- Family Programming & Services
- Case Management positions within programs that provide service to children and families
- Extended Day Programs:
- Before and after school programming director
- After School Alliance information
- Crisis Nurseries
- YMCA -
- Child Advocacy
- Youth Counselor
- Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)
- Big Brothers / Big Sisters
- Extension Agent
- Family Service Worker
- Family Support Specialist
- Foster Care Specialist
- Social Service Worker
- Child Welfare
- Parenting Programs
- Parenting Coach
- Family Policy Consultant
- Child Care programs
- Adult day service programs
- Agencies serving children and adults with special needs
- Family violence prevention / services
- Homeless Shelter Advocate
- Other Social Services
- Plus so many more!
Should students decide to get a teaching certificate at a later date, students can
utilize the Option 6 route.
This degree is also a wonderful preparation for students desiring to study in practice-focused masters level programs that center on children and families (e.g. Applied Behavior Analysis (BCBA Certification), Play Therapy, Social Work, Marriage & Family Counseling, and so on).
*Graduates of the Child & Family Services: Should you decide to get a teaching certificate at a later date, the Option 6 route is wonderful for graduates of Child & Family Services.
Advising is an important part of the educational process at WKU. Within the Child
and Family Services concentration, the faculty advise the students. The faculty are
invested in the students and want to guide them not only through what courses to take,
but also internship options, career opportunities, and other life experiences.
Advisors are assigned through the AHS office. Please call 270-745-4352 to be assigned
an advisor or contact one of the advisors listed above for assistance. Students studying
the Child and Family Services Concentration must be advised by a faculty advisor through
the Child and Family Services Concentration program on the main campus.
You must see your assigned advisor each semester prior to registering for classes (this is assuming you have declared your major, and have been assigned an advisor). Each student has an "Advising Hold" on their record until they meet with their advisor. After a student meets with his/her advisor, she will lift the hold on the students record, allowing the student to register for courses.
Remember, each advisor sees many students, therefore waiting until the last minute to schedule an appointment is not recommended, as there might be difficulty getting into the advising schedule.
Click the faculty members name to learn more about them!
- Students will develop a thorough understanding of child development, the multiple influences on child development, and the interdependence of development and will be able to apply developmental concepts to practical situations in and out of the classroom.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to build and strengthen family and community relationships.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to construct and implement meaningful, developmentally appropriate classrooms and curriculum.
- Students will demonstrate professional skills including: 1) written and verbal skills, 2) making connections between prior knowledge/experience and new learning, 3) identifying and using professional resources, 4) self-assessment and self-advocacy, and 5) mastering and applying foundations concepts from general education (adapted from NAEYC Supportive Skills).
Each of the Child Services classes at Western Kentucky University is designed to meet the outcomes listed above. As students progress though the coursework, the same conceptual framework outcomes are repeatedly reinforced at increasingly deeper levels. Each course is designed to build on a prior knowledge base and expand one’s ability to integrate and apply new information.
|
Academic Year |
Number of program completers |
% of program completers who were attending full-time (at the time of completion) |
% of program completers who were attending part-time[1] (at the time of completion) |
|
2019-2020 |
26 |
71% |
29% |
|
2020-2021 |
25 |
60% |
40% |
|
2021-2022 |
22 |
63.6% |
36.4% |
|
2022-2023 |
16 |
56.3% |
43.8% |
|
Academic year in which a Fall cohort of full-time candidates enrolled in the program (select three sequential years) |
Percentage of those candidates who completed the program within 150% of the published timeframe |
Percentage of those candidates who completed the program within 100%, 200% (twice) or 300% (three times) of the published timeframe |
|
Fall 2013 |
28.6% |
42.9% |
|
Fall 2014 |
54.5% |
54.5% |
|
Fall 2015 |
50% |
50.0% |
The fall-to-fall retention rate in the program for each of the three most recently completed academic years
|
Academic Year |
Retention Rate Among Full-Time Candidates |
|
|
% |
||
|
Fall 2020 |
Full Time |
55.6% |
|
Fall 2021 |
Full Time |
57.1% |
|
Fall 2018 |
Full Time |
40.0% |
"I didn’t just want to be an elementary school teacher that limited me to one job. Instead, I wanted to pick a major that had numerous career opportunities that involved working with children. After my first semester at WKU, I knew that Child Studies was definitely for me. The Child Studies program is not only an amazing program, but it has some of the best professors and mentors! You aren’t just a student when you are pursuing a Child Studies degree, but instead you are family. You go throughout the courses with people that become your friends. You have professors that not only care about you doing good in school, but also in life."
- 270-745-5128
- Academic Complex
1906 College Heights Blvd. #11037
Bowling Green, KY 42101
Some of the links on this page may require additional software to view.