Deciding on a major can leave some sucking their thumbs, but for students who have a passion for working with young children, the Family & Human Studies department offers degree programs that might help.
Family and Human Studies instructor Sally Schramm recognizes the stress of deciding on a major.
She says a degree focused on working with young children is a much needed and rewarding career path, but students often come in to the program thinking it is going to simply be fun and games.
“Working with young children is a profession and its something that we here take very seriously.” Schramm says.
Students start out with an intro to early childhood class (FHS2600) which gives them the opportunity to find out if they want to work with young children.
Students work directly with children once a week in the lab
The students learn how to professionally observe and care for young children, and end the semester by writing and teaching their own lesson plans alongside mentor teachers.
“Our building here really does become like a second home to our students,” Schramm says. “Many of our students spend time here working on our computers and talking with our teachers and hanging out and just debriefing about things that are going on in their own lives and their education here. It’s a very warm and inviting place to be, which I think students love.”
SLCC currently offers three degree choices for aspiring child care workers. Students can choose from a traditional Associate degree, Applied Associate degree or a certificate of completion in Family and Human Studies.