The University of La Verne’s Undergraduate Child Development Program provides candidates with the confidence, education, knowledge, and skills needed to succeed. Continued education is essential in assuming leadership roles in curriculum planning, staff development, and administrative assignments.

The Child Development Major is designed for students planning careers in early childhood education in public or private schools, and/or social service agencies working with infants through age 8.  It focuses on studies of the growth and development of children in relation to the family, school, and community. Continued education is essential in assuming leadership roles in curriculum planning, staff development, and administrative assignments.

Open Educational Resources

The Child Development Program has adopted Open Educational Resources (OER), offering significant benefits for students. OER can greatly reduce costs, easing the financial burden of textbooks, which often hinders student success and can delay graduation for those taking fewer classes per term due to expenses. By lowering these costs, OER supports higher completion rates and overall success. Additionally, OER enables faculty to incorporate a wider range of views and perspectives in their materials, ensuring representation of people of color, women of color, and other diverse voices that are often missing from traditional textbooks.

Convenience and Flexibility

This program is available online, at the La Verne Campus, and in the Los Angeles Region.

La Verne’s Child Development Program is a leader in educating students in the dynamic integration of theory, research, and practice in early childhood education. Our Program Learning Outcomes align with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards. Faculty and students are committed to the following core concepts as the basis of excellence in the field of child development:

• Caring and responsive relationships are the foundation of healthy human development.
• Understanding developmentally , linguistically, and culturally-appropriate pedagogy.
• Applying reflective practice as a tool for lifelong learning.
• Culturally responsive interactions enrich and strengthen individuals, families, communities and society.
• Summarizing, examining, and applying research and theory to practice.

Benefits of La Verne’s Bachelor’s in Child Development

This program focuses on studies of the growth and development of children in relation to the family, school and community. The University of La Verne’s Child Development Major complements community college programs in Early Childhood Education.

• Ideal for candidates interested in teaching preschool through second grade, or working with infants and toddlers in other professional settings, such as community and social service agencies pertaining to children and families (e.g., adoption, child abuse prevention, licensing, foster care, parks and recreation, and developmental services)
• Associate’s Degree not required to enter our program
• Accelerated program (8-week terms)
• Small classes ensure personal attention
• Evening/Weekend classes delivered at various venues (agencies, community colleges, and La Verne regional campuses)
• Pre-planned course schedule through graduation
• Graduates are eligible for the Child Development Master Teacher Permit issued by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
• Graduates with a 3.0 GPA or better meet the initial admission criteria for La Verne’s Master of Science in Child Development Program
• Graduates with a 2.75 GPA or better meet initial admission criteria for La Verne’s Teaching Credential/Master of Education Program