About Family and Child Studies
On behalf of the Family and Child Studies Program, welcome to our program website. We offer B.S. degrees in Human Development and Family Relations, Early Childhood Education and Development, and Early Childhood Multicultural Education Licensure, PreK to Grade 3. We also offer a minor in Family and Child Studies. At the graduate level we have M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Family and Child Studies. Our students, faculty members, and administrative staff come from diverse academic and personal backgrounds. We are committed to assisting our students to have excellent academic experiences and a supportive learning environment. The beautiful landscape of the Southwest also provides a myriad of opportunities to our students to enjoy.
For questions about the B.S. degrees in Family and Child Studies please contact Dr. Alexandra Davis (alexdavis@unm.edu). For questions about the graduate program, please contact Dr. Ryan J. Kelly (ryankelly@unm.edu).
Vision
Enhancing the lives of children and families through inter-related theory, research, and practice that address the diverse and complex nature of their futures
Mission
Our mission is to foster an interdisciplinary scholarly environment that enables early childhood professionals, family service providers, and researchers in the field of family and child study to
- cultivate and disseminate systematic information and grounded knowledge about the diverse nature of families in contemporary societies
- understand and critically respond to the dynamic complexities of human development across the lifespan
- foster leadership in addressing the multiple facets of early childhood development
Focus
The Family and Child Studies program (undergraduate through doctoral-level) focuses on understanding the complex influences, relationships, and ecologies of development across the lifespan. The program prepares students to promote the optimal well-being of families and individuals, recognizing that characteristics and needs of families change across the lifespan and within multiple and diverse contexts. Families provide children’s first learning environments, which impact children’s education and learning throughout their lives. The preparation of professionals in education is grounded in the deep understanding of families and children. Thus, the Family and Child Studies program makes a central contribution to preparation of professionals in the College of Education. The program provides an option for professionals to become licensed to teach Pre-K to Grade 3 in New Mexico, as well as an option to become nationally-certified family life educators.
Degrees, Certificates, and Licensure
Undergraduate Concentrations
- Human Development and Family Relations, B.S.
- Early Childhood Education and Development, B.S.
- Early Childhood Multicultural Education Licensure Pre-K to Grade 3, B.S.
Graduate Programs
Certifications and Licensure
- Certified Family Life Educator
- New Mexico Early Childhood: Pre-Kindergarten to 3rd Grade
