Developing Child and Families

The Developing Child and Families (DCF) minor is ideal for any students interested in working with young children (0-8 years of age) and their families in community, health care, or educational settings.

Through interdisciplinary coursework, you’ll learn about all aspects of whole-child development (e.g., language, motor, cognitive) as well as family and social service systems. This minor prepares you as a future educator, clinician, or child-serving professional with foundational knowledge to provide high quality services and programs that are evidence-based, family-centered, and culturally responsive.

Program Options

Catalog: Developing Child and Families (minor)

Example Majors/Careers

  • Speech Language Pathology
  • Physical Therapy
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Education (early childhood, childhood, inclusive, etc.)
  • Social Work
  • Pediatric Medical Care (Doctor, Nurse, etc.)
  • Psychology
  • Community Youth Development
  • Creative Arts Therapies (Music, Art, Play)
  • Child Life Specialists
  • Child Care Provider/Administrator
  • Community Advocate
Mya Maloof

Student Spotlight: Mya Maloof ‘21, ‘23G

Undergrad: communication sciences and disorders major with a minor in developing child and families

Graduate program: speech-language pathology

Goal: Work with children in a school, outpatient/in-home care, or pediatric hospital.

"This minor helped me to develop and better my skills and knowledge about working with children. Learning to look at a patient with a whole-child perspective has changed the way I think about practicing in my field. I also loved the resources we acquired to best help families in these situations. It was amazing to be able to work interprofessionally and build relationships with my peers, professors, and many community members we had the chance to interact with."

Laurin Furlong

Student Spotlight: Laurin Furlong ‘22, ‘24G

Undergrad: health sciences and psychology, with a minor in developing child and families

Doctorate: physical therapy

"After seeing the flyer for a new minor all about children and their families I knew I had to join! This was the perfect step in reaching my goal of becoming a pediatric physical therapist! The minor was a wonderful addition to my coursework and I knew that it would help me better understand the realm of working with children and their families. I was able to look at health disparities for children, which was something that was very eye-opening and created a research interest of mine! The developing child and families minor showed me how much work there is to be done when having a career involving children and their families and how impactful that work can be."

Child Life Specialist Track

If you want to work with children and families experiencing stress and/or trauma relating to illness and injury, you can combine this minor with a major in social work and choose the child life specialist track to complete the academic requirements for Child Life Specialist certification.