Child and Family Studies
Certificate of Achievement Child & Family Studies and Education · Napa Valley College · 2026-2027 Catalog
This certificate is designed for individuals in career fields working with young children and families. It provides foundational knowledge about how children develop and learn; the role of the family in the child's care and education; how to communicate with empathy to develop nurturing relationships with children parents and co-workers as well as support the parent-child relationship. how to integrate concepts and components of developmentally appropriate practices into the daily curriculum to engage children at their level of understanding and ability. Develop skills to observe and record children’s behavior to be able to integrate the information gathered into daily curriculum that advocates gender, equity and diversity and meets biosocial, cognitive and psychosocial needs , know, pursue, and implement brain development research and theory in teaching.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Communicate with empathy to develop nurturing relationships with children parents and co-workers as well as support the parent-child relationship.
- Integrate concepts and components of developmentally appropriate practices into the daily curriculum to engage children at their level of understanding and ability.
- Observe and record children’s behavior to be able to integrate the information gathered into daily curriculum that advocates gender, equity and diversity and meets biosocial, cognitive and psychosocial needs.
- Know, pursue, and implement brain development research and theory in teaching.
Certificate Requirements
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses (35 units) | ||
| CDEV-C1000 | Child Growth and Development | 3 |
| CFS-121 | Health, Safety & Nutrition | 3 |
| CFS-122 | Principles & Practices of Teaching Young Children | 3 |
| CFS-124 | Observation & Assessment | 3 |
| CFS-135 | The Cognitive Development of Young Children | 3 |
| CFS-140 | The Child, Family and Community | 3 |
| CFS-145 | Language Development & Early Literacy | 3 |
| CFS-150 | Infant and Toddler Development | 3 |
| CFS-165 | Curriculum and Environments in Early Childhood Programs | 3 |
| CFS-184 | Teaching Children in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| CFS-223 | Student Teaching - Practicum | 5 |
| Required Electives (3 units) | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| CFS-130 | The Creative Process in Young Children | |
| CFS-151 | Care and Education for Infants and Toddlers | |
| CFS-155 | Sensitive Issues in Early Childhood | |
| CFS-180 | The Anthropology of Childhood | |
| CFS-185 | Trauma and Early Childhood Development | |
| CFS-190 | Children with Special Needs | |
| CFS-196 | Music and Movement in Early Childhood | |
| CFS-200 | Early Intervention Strategies | |
| CFS-225 | Fieldwork in Early Intervention | |
| CFS-250 | Adult Supervision and Mentoring in Early Care and Education | |
| CFS-270 | Admin & Supervision of Early Childhood Programs 1 | |
| CFS-271 | Supervision & Administration of Early Childhood Programs II | |
| EDUC-100 | Teaching as a Profession | |
| LGBT-120 | Introduction to LGBT Studies in the Family, Education and Community | |
| LGBT-121 | LGBT Communities, Family & Education in the 21st Century | |
| LGBT-122 | Transgender Identities and Issues | |
| LGBT-123 | AIDS in the LGBT Community and Beyond | |
| LGBT-199 | Independent Study In LGBT Education | |
| Total Units | 38 | |
- Meets General Education requirement. CFS-140 also satisfies the Multicultural/Gender Studies requirement.