Information for Sites & Site Supervisors


An HDFS Intern visits with a Make a Wish family.

What is an HDFS Internship?

Internship prepares students for a professional career related to their major, therefore it is important that interns get “hands-on” experiences similar to the experiences of paid professionals at the site.


This is an applied educational experience; therefore, it should be carefully structured to provide the greatest educational benefit to the intern and the site.


The work at an approved site must involve duties relevant to the HDFS degree.

What types of work can an intern do at a site?

CLERICAL WORK

While interns can complete some duties of clerical or support staff, they should not only perform these types of duties

(no more than 5 hours per week).


STAFF RATIO/PAID STAFF

Also, interns should not be considered “substitutes'' to fill in for employees who are absent from work without planned, intentional pre-approval and compensation.

Interns should complete similar roles as the professionals but cannot be counted in ratio or left alone with children, clients, etc. unless approved as part of paid staff.

Interns who will be paid as staff must first speak with the HDFS faculty course instructor.


Please see the Site Guidelines, supervisors are required to sign, for additional information regarding examples of work of

the intern.

What is required of the intern?

  • Interns are always expected to exhibit professionalism during the internship experience. This professionalism should be

evident in their interactions with clients, co-workers, and supervisors.


  • Interns are expected to apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities in the performance of all duties, to behave ethically, and to follow all rules and policies of the site. Internship is a requirement for graduation.

What is the time and work commitment for the internship?

  • HDFS interns are required to work full-time (36-40 hours per week) at an approved site.


  • Fall and Spring semester interns must complete approximately 15 weeks of full-time work; summer interns complete approximately 10-12 weeks of full-time work.


COURSEWORK

  • Interns are also completing required coursework during the internship led by the faculty instructor and should be granted at least 4 hours each week for this coursework. These hours must still be documented on their weekly time sheets that the site supervisor signs.

What types of sites host HDFS student interns? How are sites approved?

Sites must be within the student's concentration (Child Development, Child Life, or Family Services). Examples of sites

include social service agencies, assisted living and nursing facilities, hospitals, early intervention programs, county

cooperative extension offices, NAEYC or Montessori accredited child care centers, Georgia Public PreK and other school programs, sexual assault and child advocacy centers, camps, other types of non-profit agencies, etc.


  • Each site must be approved by the HDFS Internship Committee based on the site application the student submits the semester prior to the internship.

  • Students must justify the fit of the site for their concentration and list the specific responsibilities of an HDFS intern at the site.

  • If multiple students apply to the same site, the site is responsible for selecting the intern and communicating that to the applicants.

  • Site supervisors must have at least 3 years of experience in the field and a 4 year degree.

What is required of the site?

  • For the internship to be successful, it must be a true collaboration between the site, the intern, and Georgia Southern University.

  • The internship is not meant to benefit only the intern. It is intended to benefit the site by providing a trained, educated intern who can assist the site in many ways.

  • We understand that certain time demands will be placed on the site, particularly on the site supervisor, to provide necessary supervision of the intern. Therefore, we strive to limit the demands placed on the site supervisor.

Each site supervisor must be willing to do the following:

Provide supervision

An on-site supervisor must be available to direct the intern’s activities.

  • This person is typically in a position of authority.

  • They must have a minimum of 3 years of experience in the field and a minimum of a 4-year degree.

  • The site supervisor does not need to interact daily with the intern but should be available to answer questions and check on the intern frequently.

  • The supervisor must ensure that the intern has daily duties/activities to ensure a 36-hour work week and 4 coursework hours.


Interns are expected to take initiative at the work site; however, interns should not be expected to find their own work. Supervisors should meet weekly with their interns for reflection and professional

growth.

Provide project support

  • Each intern is required to research, propose, and implement a capstone project that benefits the internship site and applies their HDFS content knowledge.

  • The supervisor should guide the intern to projects that the intern will be successful in using their skill set. Interns cannot complete projects unrelated to the degree (ex. Fundraising projects with no educational component) or that require only compiling previously completed resources (ex. Resource notebook).

  • Projects can include taking over as the lead teacher in a classroom for a limited time, planning and implementing a Family Life Education series for parents, or developing a support and activity program of grieving siblings.

Evaluate the intern

  • Each site supervisor will complete a mid-term and final evaluation of the intern’s performance.


  • These will be submitted as an online survey sent directly from the HDFS Course Instructor.


  • The mid-term evaluation, completed at the halfway point of the semester, should be shared with the intern. The site supervisor should set up a meeting specifically to review the intern’s strengths and areas of improvement. The intern will complete an identical self-evaluation.


  • The final evaluation is confidential and does not need to be shared with the intern (although the site supervisor should discuss the outcomes with the intern).


  • These evaluations help the HDFS Internship Course Instructor determine the intern’s level of success in the placement, are used for SACSCOC assessment reports, and for overall course and program improvement.



Communicate with the Internship Faculty Course Instructor as needed

  • Site supervisors are encouraged to contact the Internship Course Instructor on campus by phone, mail, or email with questions, comments, or concerns regarding the internship.


  • The site supervisor will receive an email with contact information from the Internship Course Instructor at the beginning of the internship semester.

Copy of HDFS Internship Site Introductory Guide 7.29.22.pdf

PDF of Internship Information