Child and Family Development

About the program

This 63-credit hour program prepares students to:

• Exhibit knowledge of child development, including young children’s characteristics and needs, influences on development and learning.
• Demonstrate an understanding of diverse family and community characteristics by developing positive relationships with family and community members.
• Develop evidence of appropriate child assessments, including observation, documentation, anecdotal records and other assessment tools.
• Reflect on effective strategies for teaching, learning and connecting with children and families.
• Organize content knowledge to create meaningful, individualized and challenging curricula for each child.
• Appraise their role as an ethical, collaborative, knowledgeable, reflective and informed early childhood professional and advocate.

The Child and Family Development program is aligned with education standards for associate degree programs set forth by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). St. Louis Community College prepares students who work with young children from infancy through age eight.

The Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree is a Career and Technical Education (CTE) two-year program of study with coursework
in early childhood education, child development and family studies. Students have the opportunity to observe, study and receive
mentorship from educated professionals at the Child Development Laboratory Center of St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley. This nationally and locally accredited child care program serves as a lab setting for students to gain hands-on experiences with young children with diverse needs and abilities.

Opportunities in the Field

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of preschool teachers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations. Growth is expected due to a continued focus on the importance of early childhood education.

Graduates of the AAS Child and Family Development degree option pursue careers as early childhood teachers, parent educators, community service workers, youth development program workers, child and family advocates, licensing representatives, administrators, program planners, curriculum coordinators, and directors of early childhood settings. Having an AAS degree from St. Louis Community College also paves the way for students who are interested in furthering their education at four-year colleges and universities.

Salary Information

Salaries vary within the field; however, on average, the annual media wage is $28,990 for preschool teachers according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Cost of Attendance

For more information on cost of attendance visit MoSCORES.

Program Career and Salary Information

Pursuant to Missouri HB 1606 (2018), information regarding the number of credit hours, program length, employment rate, wage data, and graduates employed in careers related to their program of study at St. Louis Community College can be found at https://scorecard.mo.gov/. Search using School / Program “St. Louis Community College” and choose the degree or credential type of interest.

The following limitations to the data apply - Information provided is based on the most recent cohorts available. Typically, most recent cohorts for wage and completion data are six years prior to the current academic year. Time to complete a program of study varies depending on the number of credit hours students earn per semester.

Contact Us

Hours for all campuses: Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.