INA, Ill. (Sept. 13, 2016) - 海角视频 students interested in child and family services have a fresh option to continue their education this fall. Thanks to an updated articulation agreement and new cohort at the RLC MarketPlace, graduates can now transfer into Southern Illinois University (SIU) Carbondale芒鈧劉s Bachelor of Science (BS) program with night classes in RLC芒鈧劉s district.
This evening, the RLC Board of Trustees approved the articulation agreement for students who complete an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE). They have the option to transfer seamlessly into SIU Carbondale芒鈧劉s BS program in Early Childhood Education Child and Family Specialization.
Tina Grounds, ECE Professor at RLC, explained the AAS degree is designed for students who don芒鈧劉t want to become certified teachers - rather, it芒鈧劉s for those who want to work in child care centers, Head Start programs, or after-school programs. However, those options expand for those with SIU Carbondale芒鈧劉s BS degree.
芒鈧揃achelor芒鈧劉s degree graduates will be able to work with children and families in a number of different settings, including child care facilities as administrators, as caseworkers in social service, or in hospitals as training specialists, just to name a few,芒鈧� said Grounds. 芒鈧揥e had students coming back to us [who already had the AAS degree] who were wanting to get their bachelor芒鈧劉s degree, and that got the conversation started.芒鈧�
RLC and SIU Carbondale had an existing articulation agreement for the ECE program, but due to changes in the curriculum at SIU, the new agreement was a realignment of required courses.
芒鈧揥e芒鈧劉ve had this agreement for eight years, because most of our students go to SIU, if they transfer on,芒鈧� said Grounds. 芒鈧揟he beauty of it is it芒鈧劉s truly a 2 + 2 agreement, which means our students do two years here and then two years at SIU. This is a great opportunity for the students, and that芒鈧劉s what it芒鈧劉s all about.芒鈧�
To meet the requirements of the agreement, students must earn a minimum of 60 credit hours at RLC with a GPA (grade point average) at or higher than a 2.0. Of these 60 credit hours, several specific courses must be completed and passed, including Child Development, Curriculum for Young Children, Child Study and Observation, and several others.
Transfer students will then be required to complete a minimum of 42 credit hours at the 300 and 400 level at SIU Carbondale to earn the degree.
Grounds also pointed out a new cohort option for RLC graduates to take advantage of, wherein students who work full- or part-time during the day can take classes at night. The cohort offers two eight-week, hybrid classes a semester in SIU Carbondale芒鈧劉s BS program on RLC芒鈧劉s MarketPlace campus in Mt. Vernon. The meet times for the courses are during the evenings, which gives students the chance to work during the day and study for their bachelor芒鈧劉s degree at night.
芒鈧揙ne amazing thing that happened through this process, through the articulation agreement, was a conversation about starting a cohort at the MarketPlace,芒鈧� said Grounds. 芒鈧揜ight now, we have 10 students enrolled in eight-week classes and three more are starting in the second eight weeks. They have everything right here at the MarketPlace. For them, they don芒鈧劉t have to go far to get what they want. It works perfectly for them.芒鈧�
There are approximately 649,300 jobs for child and family services, specifically social services, across the country. According to the U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, social workers will see an increase in job availability by approximately 12 percent, or 74,800 new jobs, by 2024.
Students can call now to schedule an advisement appointment to enroll in RLC芒鈧劉s ECE program this spring. To learn about registering for the RLC programs, visit the Academic Advisement Center in the Administration Building or call 618-437-5321, Ext. 1266. To learn more about the cohort, contact Tina Grounds at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1396 or grounds@rlc.edu.
To learn more about the agreement, contact ReAnne Palmer at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1223 or palmerr@rlc.edu.
