Department of Education & Child Development
Message from the Chair & Program Coordinator
Welcome to the Department of Education and Child Development! Our department works closely with students from diverse fields, from those majoring in child development to work with children and youth in a variety of fields to those majoring in math or history who want to teach. Our faculty is as diverse as our students but all are active scholars and emphasize teaching and service to the college and community. Collaboration between faculty and students is encouraged in our classes as well as in our work with children in the community.
Students in education and child development often work with children while they are attending Whittier College, and also as a career after they graduate. Our department offers several experiences working with children and youth for credit, work-study, and pay. For example, you may take Reading Tutors, Experiences in Education, or Working with Children in Diverse Communities courses through our department, each of which will give you credit for working in local schools, community programs, or our own laboratory school, Broadoaks Children’s School. Â Students also help faculty conduct research with children and publish journal articles in the field. Our hope is that these experiences help students translate developmental and educational theory to practical applications.
Our graduates work in teaching, school administration, counseling, speech and language pathology, occupational therapy, social work, clinical psychology, and a variety of other fields. Studying child development prepares youto work with children and families in different contexts. Studying education primarily prepares you to teach but also prepares you to work in a school context in other capacities. Our department has one of the highest rates of alumni who go directly to graduate school after graduation, and we are particularly proud of our alumni who continue to help children and families in their communities.
Kathleen S. Ralph
Department Chair
Anne M. Sebanc
Child Development Program Coordinator
