PR2005 Feb 10
News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Wendy Jones 205-391-2310
Tuscaloosa - Shelton State Community College and the University of Alabama have reached an articulation agreement that will guarantee full transfer credit of up to 24 hours for students who earn an associate degree in child development.
“This agreement will provide a seamless transfer for our students in child development,” said Carolyn Edwards, an instructor in the program and Director of the Unity Center on Shelton State’s C.A. Fredd campus.
Dr. Carroll Tingle, assistant professor in Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Alabama, also worked to bring about the agreement.
“It’s been a three-year process to develop the agreement, but it will be so beneficial to so many students,” she stated.
Students at Shelton State who earn an associate degree in Child Development will be allowed to transfer 24 hours of their Childhood Development work toward a B.S. in Early Childhood Education with an Early Childhood Development concentration. Eighteen hours will be accepted from the community college as a minor in Family and Consumer Sciences at U.A.
The new agreement also provides for Head Start teachers who wish to complete a bachelor’s degree while maintaining their job and family responsibilities. The Child Development Practitioner Concentration offers a dynamic, high-quality professional development model to help improve the quality of education and care provided through Head Start programs in Alabama.
The federally funded Head Start program requires that all teachers hold at least an associate degree and receive 12 hours of professional development training each year. Additionally, 50% of the teachers at any site must have a B.S. degree.
“We expect that the reauthorization bill will phase in a requirement for 100% of the teachers to have bachelor’s degree over the next few years,” said Dr. Tingle.
One of the chief advantages of the B.S. programs covered by the agreement is that all the course work required can be completed through the University of Alabama’s Distance Learning program. U.A.’s distance learning programs offer a variety of class options including video tape instruction, video conferences, Weekend College and on-line courses.
“We are delighted that this new agreement is now in place,” said Shelton State Dean of Instruction Camille Cochrane. “The advantages for our students will be immeasurable.”
For additional information on Early Childhood Education programs at Shelton State Community College, contact Carolyn Edwards at cedwards@sheltonstate.edu.
For information on the programs at the University of Alabama, please contact Dr. Carroll Tingle at ctingle@ches.ua.edu.