Child & Family Services, B.S.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Child & Family Services Concentration is completely online. Our online classes fill very quickly. Some of the Child & Family Services courses are offered in a face to face format.
The 'General Education' / Colonnade requirements for WKU *may not be* offered online. Some are, some are not. We are uncertain as to the availability of online Gen-Ed's/Colonnade courses. Many are offered during the Fall and Spring semesters. Be sure to check the schedule for the Winter Term and Summer Terms as well. This is a popular time for online Gen-Ed's and Colonnade courses.
A wonderful additional opportunity to take courses online is during the Winter and Summer terms. We also offer many classes through WKU On-Demand.

The career opportunities in Child & Family Services are amazing! Please speak with your advisor about the many opportunities you will have or click here for an abbreviated list of career opportunities.

Yes - you can teach with this degree. You cannot teach in public schools. As with any employment position, some businesses/companies may have specific degree requirements.

*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.

Have questions? Contact us!

Child & Family Services

Can I teach with a degree in Child & Family Services?

Yes - you can teach with this degree. You cannot teach in public schools. As with any employment position, some businesses/companies may have specific degree requirements. You can do many things with this degree! Talk with your advisor about the many opportunities you will have with the Child & Family Services degree or click here for an abbreviated list of career opportunities.

*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

How many credit hours make up the Child & Family Services program?

The concentrations result in a Bachelor of Science degree. This four year degree requires 120 hours of course credit in general education or Colonnade requirements, courses in the major (63 credit hours).
(Please note - of the 120 hours needed to graduate, 42 of those must be at the 300 level or above!)

I am a current student at WKU. I think I want to change my major, to Child & Family Services, but I don't know for sure! What should I do?

Contact Us- We are happy to help! We can review your current WKU transcripts, help you determine where your passion is, and if Child & Family Services is the best fit for you! Faculty in the Child & Family Services program also advise students. We bring forth a wealth of knowledge, and will be able to help you find your home at WKU!

I am interested in declaring Child & Family Services as my major. Can you describe this process?

For current students, in order to declare a major in Child & Family Services, follow these steps:

Sign in to TOPNET
Click 'Change Major" option
Under 'Field of Study' Major 1 drop down menu, select "Child & Family Services (5011)."
Once you are have completed this form, click submit, and then print or save the form. The form is not electronic, and must be either physically submitted to the AHS office in paper form, or emailed to deirdre.lawless@wku.edu
After submitting the form to the AHS office, you will be assigned an advisor. If you have not heard from Deirdre Lawless in a week or so, follow up with a call (270-745-4352), or an additional email to Mrs. Lawless.

As a new student at Western, is there a program that can help me get oriented to WKU?

If you are a student who is transferring to WKU or if you are a new student attending WKU, we highly recommend you attend an Topper Orientation Program (TOP) session. Even if you are going to take classes *online,* we recommend you attend a TOP session to become familiar with all that WKU has to offer. Your advisor is available to help you with your major area of concentration. The TOP folks will help you become familiar with WKU, setting up your email, obtaining your student ID, student ID number, etc. For information on how to register for a TOP session please click: TOP

Links to Professional Organizations Related to Child and Family Services

Letters of Recommendation Requests from Current WKU Students

When requesting letters of recommendation from CFS, B.S. faculty, please adhere to the following guidelines. We are tremendously happy that you have contacted one of us to write a letter of recommendation for you! We want to celebrate our students and help them succeed in securing a scholarship, a new career opportunity, or entry into graduate school. Please follow the information on this page in order to help us write a strong letter of recommendation for you.

A student should send a well-crafted email to a faculty member requesting the letter of recommendation. These components should be included in that request:

Students should remind the faculty member who they are. Faculty teach hundreds of students! Provide an example of a memorable interaction with the faculty member, list the classes (include semester and year) that were taken with that faculty member, paper or project topics that were submitted in a class with the faculty member. Help the faculty to remember who you are, so they may write a strong letter of recommendation for you. Without this information, the letter of recommendation may not be sufficient to help you reach your goals of entry into a graduate program, acceptance of an employment position, a scholarship, etc.

Students should include the time-frame of the request of the letter of recommendation. Some faculty require, at minimum, a two-week turn around to complete and submit the letters of recommendation. Other faculty require, at minimum, thirty days. Faculty have pressing deadlines that prevent us from writing letters, so asking for the letter early, and providing at least 30 days to complete the letter is paramount.

Always provide this information / components when requesting the letter of recommendation:

- What is the letter of recommendation for?
  - If it is for an employment position, provide the details of that position.
    - Additionally, provide your specific qualifications for the position. This should include any employment, volunteer, or educational experiences that directly apply.
    - What are your career goals?
    - Why are you applying to the specific position? Where do you want this position to take you in your career?
  - If the letter is for graduate school, provide details of that graduate program.
    - What are your career goals?
    - What are your goals for the graduate program?
    - What are your goals upon graduating from the program?
    - Provide other information that would benefit the faculty member in writing a letter of recommendation for you.
- To whom should the letter be addressed? Include a name and complete mailing address.
- Many graduate programs require a student to write a goal or personal statement with their application. Provide this writing statement to the faculty member.
  - If a writing statement is not required, write a personal statement with your goals for the graduate program, and provide to the faculty member.
- A detailed and up-to-date resume.
- Provide a list of accomplishments, characteristics, and other items that you would like highlighted in the letter of recommendation.

Other information about letters of recommendation can be found here.

Finally, students must complete this letter of permission, and email to the faculty member. Until this form has been completed, a faculty member cannot write a letter of recommendation.

Crisis Nursery Respite Child Care List

The purpose of this national list of crisis nurseries is to assist families who need crisis respite care. Below are the names and websites of crisis nurseries across the nation. Blank states currently have no informaiton, but if you are aware of a crisis nursery in your area, please notify our program with the name and website address.

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona