About the Program

Butte College offers Child Development courses designed to develop skills used by parents, professionals, and others involved in the care, nurturing, and development of children. The program is complemented by an on-campus Child Development Center that serves as a laboratory for students in Early Childhood Education and other disciplines.

Students can focus on one or more of the following areas:

• Early Childhood Education: Includes training leading to certification of early childhood directors, teachers, aides, and child care workers.
• Child Development Transfer Program: Includes classes which transfer to a four-year university for students interested in pursuing a Bachelor's Degree, including those seeking a multiple subjects teaching credential.

About the Transfer Program

The Child Development major reflects the requirements for California State University, Chico. Comparable programs are also available at CSU, Fresno, Long Beach, Northridge, Pomona, Sacramento, and San Francisco. Students planning to transfer should contact a counselor for information on transfer requirements. The program is complemented by an on-campus Child Development Center that serves as a laboratory for students in Early Childhood Education and other areas.

Required Courses for the Transfer Major:

ADS 70, FN 2, CDF 14, CDF 40, CDF 63, PSY 41, DRAM 4, SOC 8.

Career Opportunities

Career opportunities in the early childhood education and child development fields are many and varied. Programs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children and their families continue to increase in number.

Potential careers include: early childhood teacher / administrator, day care provider, playground program specialist, social worker, consultant, play therapist / activity specialist or teacher for hospitalized children, elementary school teacher, designer of children's products, legislative analyst / aide, and human services lobbyist. Opportunities are dependent upon the amount of education acquired. The following information provides a guideline of jobs available given the educational level achieved.

High School Degree to Associate's Degree

Day care worker, teacher's aide, nurse's aide, recreational coach, camp counselor, bus driver, YMCA/Boy's and Girl's Club worker, group home worker, lifeguard and swim instructor, nanny, after school care program coordinator, counselor in schools/youth programs, speech/language aide.

Bachelor's Degree

Teacher, juvenile probation officer, group home supervisor, youth program coordinator, parent educator, county extension specialist, crisis nursery caregiver or administrator, child life specialist, legistlative researcher, lobbyist, women's shelter administrator, city or state outreach worker, consumer researcher, learning game designer, case manager for Child Protective Services, case manager for Developmental Disabilities, recreation specialist, parent interventionist, substance abuse/crisis counselor, preschool supervisor or administrator, preschool evaluator, physical/speech therapy assistant, legislative aide, toy designer, after-school program specialist, homeless shelter administrator, survey researcher, advertiser for children's products.

Graduate or Professional Degree

Marriage and family therapist, family court mediators, university/college professor, child psychologist, pediatric audiologist, physical or occupational therapist, family law attorney, pediatric specialists, researcher in child development, speech and language pathologist, optometrist, pediatric nurse.