Child Development, minor

Child Development, minor

Program Overview

Do you want to help children reach their full potential? Are you fascinated by human development and relationships? If you desire to serve children and families, a minor in child development can add unique value to your career goals.

PLNU's Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Family Sciences trains you to develop a multicultural perspective, embrace the importance of serving others in diverse environments, and hone skills to meet the demands of life in an ever-changing society. Your courses in child development will explore the ways children grow and form relationships, and provide you with real-world circumstances to observe and analyze typical and atypical physical, social, and intellectual growth.

You will also have access to a unique on-campus learning resource within the Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC), a preschool laboratory in human relationships where children, parents, students, and teachers interact, play, work, and learn together.

Little Steps, Big Impact

Robin Seyfert: Handmade Hope
Alumnus of Point Loma (APL) Awardee: Sandra “Kainoa” Na’ihe
Articles (8)
Robin Seyfert: Handmade Hope Robin Seyfert applies her passion and knowledge to push towards a world without human trafficking. Discover
Alumnus of Point Loma (APL) Awardee: Sandra “Kainoa” Na’ihe Sandra “Kainoa” Na’ihe has devoted her life to serving children, including her own six children and three step-children, children of friends and family members, and the many children she has served through her work and church. The oldest of eight children (six sisters and one brother) Na’ihe has always loved children. Her passion for serving Discover
Is Adding a Minor to Your Degree Worth It? Learn more about college minors, how to add a minor to your degree, and how future employers see value in adding a college minor to your degree. Discover
Why a Career in Child Development is Important A child development degree can lead to jobs that change children’s lives. Learn the benefits of early childhood education (ECE) and healthy development. Discover
Alumnus of Point Loma (APL) Award Winner: Ashby Rauch Kidd Ashby Rauch Kidd’s (03) vision has taken her halfway across the world. In 2003, she founded Visible Grace (VG), a nonprofit organization that aims to get children in Kenya off the streets and promote their overall well-being by building homes and providing education. Through VG, Kidd’s ultimate goal is to raise up Christians who love Discover
Exploration: Cultivating Curiosity In PLNU’s Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC), there sits an unlabeled piece of play equipment. “It kind of looks like a jeep, or a car maybe,” said Susan Rogers, director of the ECLC. “Because it’s unnamed, it can be a number of things. That’s what’s amazing; it can be absolutely anything to the children.” It has Discover
Why Is Early Childhood Education Important? Discover
Bringing Back Play: What the Loss of Play Means for Our Children In her online Washington Post article “The Decline of Play in Preschoolers — and the Rise in Sensory Issues,” pediatric occupational therapist Angela Hanscom recalls her own experience with her oldest daughter’s early childhood years: “I remember wanting to desperately enrich her life in any way possible — to give her an edge before she Discover
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Course List

For information about the courses required for the Child Development, minor program, view the PLNU Catalog. 

Course Information

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Start Application

Are you ready to take the next step to begin your PLNU journey? Whether you’re a high school senior, college transfer student, or international student, find out what we’re looking for in our applicants and how you can apply.

Apply Now

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Student Support

For most students, the transition into college life is one full of adjustments. There is the excitement of newfound freedoms, but also some uncertainty as you begin to make choices and take responsibility for your own future. 

At PLNU, we’re committed to supporting you — academically, professionally, spiritually, personally — so that you may be successful both in your time as a student and beyond. That’s why we offer a holistic support system that focuses on your unique experiences, particular needs, and personal and professional goals — resulting from our deep concern for you, our student.

With a focus on authentic relationships and personalized attention, our goal is to help transform you so you can follow your calling in your own career and life.

Student Support

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Career Opportunities

Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Family Sciences alumni are sought after for their knowledge of the intangible aspects of their discipline that allow them to confidently evaluate, identify, and describe the relationships between individuals, families, communities, and the environments in which they function.

A minor in child development can help lead to the following careers:

  • Teacher
  • School Administrator
  • Social Service Agent
  • Childcare Consultant
  • Development Researcher
  • Community Service Agent
  • Family Support Specialist
  • Child Life Specialist
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Department Faculty

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Get Involved

A female ECLC student worker hands a small orange flower to a child in the playground

Early Childhood Learning Center

The Early Childhood Learning Center is a preschool and training lab for children, parents, students, and teachers to interact, play, work, and learn together.

PLNU students in cap and gown celebrate receiving their diplomas during commencement

Phi Upsilon Omicron

Phi Upsilon Omicron is the national honors society in family and consumer sciences for PLNU students in child development, dietetics, and nutrition and food.

A PLNU student helps a child search for easter eggs on alumni lawn

DS Action Easter Egg Hunt

Make a day of difference in the lives of children and their parents by volunteering at the DS Action Easter Egg Hunt held on PLNU's campus each year.