The Department of Education & Child Development offers students the opportunity to participate in a variety of clubs and organizations that promote academic and professional growth, and, more importantly, connect students to peers who want to have fun and build upon their passions.
Fifth Dimension
Fifth Dimension is a collection of outreach programs managed by a team of 16 Whittier College students. Those selected for the team lead programming and work directly with children, ages 6-12, in the following programs:
- Fifth Dimension computer-based after-school learning program
- Homework Help Program
- The Wizard’s Reading Program
Programs are carried out at the Boys & Girls Club of Whittier every week. In addition, the Fifth Dimension team plans and supervises educational field trips for Boys & Girls Club members including a Day on Campus event to help establish a college-going culture among participants, many of whom are low-income, first-generation, and/or students of color.
Jumpstart
Jumpstart at Whittier College is a part of a national early education organization that recruits and trains college students to serve preschool children in local, low-income schools. Jumpstart participants are required to work 6-12 hours a week in local Head Start preschools during fall and spring terms and are trained to read stories, sing songs, and play games that support school readiness.
Internship opportunities with Jumpstart are open to all students of any major. Benefits include an AmeriCorps Education Award and work-study wages (optional). Students who enroll in Jumpstart in the fall can also earn 2-4 units in CHDV 277: Working with Children in Diverse Communities.
Whittier College students interested in working with Jumpstart may apply by visiting the organization's website.
Organization Mondiale pour L’Education Presolaire (OMEP)
Members of OMEP Whittier College are activists who promote the health, rights, wellbeing, and education of the world’s children, especially those enduring poverty, war, abandonment, or natural disaster locally, nationally, and internationally.
For more information, contact omep@poets.whittier.edu.
Students for Education Reform (SFER)
Students for Education Reform is a club that meets to discuss current state and national education policies, explore possible solutions, and further understand the many issues facing the education reform movement.
To learn more about SFER, contact sfer@poets.whittier.edu.
