Child Study

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S. Mary Ann Cashin, M.S., Chairperson
Susan Straut Collard, Ph.D., Associate Chairperson

The courses in Child Study are designed to prepare students to work with children in a variety of settings, including preschools, elementary schools, and special education facilities. The curriculum emphasizes a developmental approach toward children, with a strong grounding in the psychological foundations of child development and good educational practice. Various courses deal with children of all abilities and ages, from gifted children to those with severely delayed development, from newborns through childhood years. Emphasis is placed on practices that encourage inclusion of children with special needs and acknowledge the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity.

All students accepted into the department work toward a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Study, with a 30-credit area of concentration in a field other than Child Study. These students must maintain an average in their major of C (2.0) or higher. Transfer students are required to take at least 15 of the credits in Child Study at St. Joseph’s College. Each student in this program is required to purchase and complete an e-portfolio.

Students who wish to teach, and who meet the academic and professional requirements of the department (see Child Study Handbook), may elect to follow a certification plan. Successful completion of this more intensive program of study will qualify the student for initial certification in four areas: Early Childhood (birth-grade 2), Childhood (grades 1-6), Students with Disabilities: Early Childhood (birth-grade 2), and Students with Disabilities: Childhood (grades 1-6). These students must maintain an overall average and a major average of 2.8 or higher. The New York State Education Department requires that in order to obtain initial certification, a student must (a) have met the college’s requirements for the bachelor’s degree, which include a general education core, a content core, and a pedagogical core; (b) have passed the New York State Certification Examinations for each of the certificates; (c) have taken a Child Abuse workshop, Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) Workshop,  and a Prevention of School Violence workshop, and have completed a finger printing packet distributed by the State Education Department. At the time of graduation, there is a fee payable to the New York State Education Department for each initial certificate. St. Joseph’s College programs are accredited by the New York State Board of Regents.

Articulation with Suffolk County Community College: St. Joseph’s has an articulation agreement with Suffolk through which SCCC students who complete the A.A. degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences or the A.S. degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences: Education (Child Study) Emphasis may transfer to St. Joseph’s for the B.A. in Child Study, which leads to teacher certification for Early Childhood, Childhood, and Special Education. Consult either school for specific details.

Dillon Child Study Center at the Brooklyn Campus

The Dillon Child Study Center is the campus laboratory school for the department. The program, opened in 1934, is registered by the New York State Department of Education and licensed by the New York City Department of Health. In addition to services described elsewhere in this catalogue, the Center affords observation and practicum experiences for students in the Child Study Department, which makes a special commitment to the importance of the early childhood years. The Dillon Center exemplifies for them an educational facility that meets the needs of typically developing children as well as children with disabilities at the early childhood level of instruction.

Susan Shapiro, Ph.D., Educational Director.

Articulation with Queensborough Community College: St. Joseph’s has an articulation agreement with Queensborough through which QCC students who complete the A.A. degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences or the A.S. degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences (Mathematics and Science) may transfer to St. Joseph’s for the B.A. in Child Study, which leads to teacher certification for Early Childhood, Childhood, and Special Education. Consult either school for specific details.

Programs

• Child Study, B.A. (Brooklyn Campus)
• Child Study, B.A. (Long Island Campus)

Courses

• CS 101 - Child Psychology and Development I
• CS 102 - Child Psychology and Development II
• CS 121 - Psychology of the Exceptional Child
• CS 208 - Early Childhood: Curriculum, Methods & Materials
• CS 210 - Preschool Education Practicum
• CS 211 - Foundations of Childhood Education
• CS 301 - Literacy and Language in the Primary Grades
• CS 302 - Literacy and Language in the Intermediate Grades
• CS 308 - Education for Preschool and Kindergarten
• CS 309 - Mathematics and Science in the Elementary School
• CS 320 - Educational Assessment
• CS 321 - Psychoeducational Assessment
• CS 323 - Children With Learning Disabilities
• CS 324 - Special Education: Curriculum, Methods, and Materials I
• CS 325 - Special Education: Curriculum. Methods, and Materials II
• CS 352 - Classroom Management
• CS 400 - Research in Child Development and Childhood Education
• CS 413 - Supervised Student Teaching
• CS 414 - Supervised Student Teaching
• CS 423 - Special Education Student Teaching
• CS 424 - Special Education Student Teaching

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