Practicum

HDE Practicum

 

HDE Practicum Requirement:  All HDE majors must take one HDE practicum course prior to graduating.  Course options are HDE 140, 141, 142 or 143 and are offered in different academic quarters (fall, winter or spring). 
 

Fall 2025 HDE PRACTICUMS OFFERED:  HDE 140 and HDE 141

Updated 4/24/25:  Students who submit their F25 practicum request on 4/30/25 will be contacted within 2 weeks regarding their status in a F25 practicum (placed or wait-listed).   Later form submissions will only be contacted if openings become available. 

****Fall 2025 Google Form will open on Wednesday, 4/30/25 at 8am.  Emails were sent to the HDE listserv (to declared HDE majors) inviting eligible HDE students to submit their request once the form opens.  For wait-list purposes, this form will remain open indefinitely for declared HDE students to submit their practicum placement requests late. ****                 Submit request for F25 practicum placement here.                 

HDE 140 Practicum - "Field Study in Early Childhood" 

This is a variable 4-6 unit, in-person, letter graded course consisting of a 2 hour weekly discussion/lecture and a minimum of 7 hours of weekly on-campus in-person fieldwork with young children in the UC Davis Center for Children & Family Studies (CCFS) Early Childhood Lab School (ECLS) or in a transitional kindergarten classroom in Davis.   View the ECLS website for more details, including required background check, vaccines, safety precautions and location.  View and follow the ECLS on Instagram.  Prerequisite class is HDE 100A, which can be taken concurrently.  Must pass background check.  Attendance and participation is required in all discussions/lectures and scheduled lab/fieldwork shifts. 

HDE 140 has three section options:  All discussions and most fieldwork/labs are located at UC Davis.  For fieldwork located at CCFS's Early Childhood Lab School (ECLS), address is 238 1st St., Davis.  Fieldwork for TK is in a local Davis elementary school TBD.  Fieldwork times below represent 4 unit practicums; optional 5 and 6 unit practicums require approximately 3-4 additional fieldwork hours per week per additional unit.

    Section 001 Infant/Toddler:
    Disc/Lec:   R 1:10-3:00P @ CCFS, Eichhorn Family House
    Fieldwork Options @ ECLS: MW or TR (AM) 8:15A -11:45A 
    Section 002 Preschool (PK) and Transitional Kindergarten (TK): 
    Disc/Lec:   R 4:10-6:00P  @ TBD
    PK Fieldwork Options @ ECLS:  MW or TR (AM) 8:15A -11:45A or (PM) 12:30P - 4P                                       TK Fieldwork @ Off-Campus:  Students may express interest in TK on Google Form; TK schedule is currently TBD.
    Section 003 Preschool (PK):                                                                                                                             Disc/Lec:   R 1:10-3:00P @ CCFS, East House, Room 107
    PK Fieldwork Options @ ECLS:  MW or TR (AM) 8:15A -11:45A                                                                     

HDE 141 Practicum - "Field Study with Children and Adolescents" 

This is a *4-6 variable unit, in-person, letter graded course consisting of a 2 hour weekly discussion on R 4:10-6pm plus a *minimum of 60 quarterly hours of off-campus fieldwork with school-age children and/or adolescents in schools or other group settings.  Prerequisite class is HDE 100A, or 100B which can be taken concurrently.  Mandatory weekly discussion attendance, participation and completion of all field work hours required.

*HDE 141's 4.0 unit practicum requires 60 quarterly field work hours at a qualified off-campus field site. If desired, students can take the course for 5 units, which requires 90 hours of field work or for 6 units, which requires 120 hours.

How to Request Placement in a Fall 2025 Practicum    

    Details will be emailed to the HDE listserv on 4/21/25, posted online and in our weekly newsletters.  Only declared HDE majors are on the listserv and can request F25 practicum placement. 

  • Ensure eligibility: Must be declared HDE and in upper division standing by start of F25 quarter, completed prerequisite course (or be concurrently enrolled) and have an HDE-approved graduation plan in OASIS not older than 9/22/24.
  • Submit request on 4/30/25 at 8am via Google Form here.   The form will remain open indefinitely to fill open seats and/or for wait list purposes.
  • Placement status notifications are emailed to students from Rachael Crotty and Kelly Twibell within approximately 1-2  weeks after submitting Google Form request.
  • CRNs will be provided to placed students by Kelly Twibell for HDE 140 along with urgent on-boarding tasks, and by Rachael Crotty for HDE 141 after orientation and on-boarding tasks have been completed.  All students are encouraged to register for a placeholder course during their Pass 1 that they can drop later if placed in a practicum, or to keep if they are not placed in a practicum.
  • If not placed:  The next offered practicums will be in Winter 2026.  To request placement, students must submit a new Google Form before Pass 1 for W26 (during F25 quarter), which will be emailed to the HDE listserv prior to start of Pass 1.  Practicums are not offered in summer.
  • Questions? Call Rachael at 530-752-1321 and leave message if prompted to do so.

Read more about all HDE practicum courses below.

HDE Practicum

Human Development requires the completion of one 4 unit HDE practicum course. Each of the four offered practicums (HDE 140, 141, 142 and 143) cover different age groups from infancy to older adulthood and are offered throughout the regular academic year in fall, winter and spring (never offered in summer). All practicums require weekly participation in an on-campus classroom discussion and field work hours (aka internship) at an approved site.  Prior to the start of the quarter, all field site supervisors and placed students must devise a remote contingency plan in the event of a field site closure.  (If shelter-in-place orders are in effect, the courses and required field site participation will be altered according to department guidelines).

Enrolling in Practicum:

  • Have a recent and approved graduation plan in OASIS (within 1 year from the beginning of the requested practicum) – refer to “Important Notice” below for more details
  • Submit request for practicum placement via a Google Form at 8am the Wednesday prior to the start of Pass 1 appointments.  The link will be posted at the top of this website and *emailed to the HDE listserv at least one week prior to the start of Pass 1.
  • Register in Schedule Builder for a placeholder class that you can drop if placed in a practicum or keep if not placed.  Practicum CRNs are provided to placed students later, sometimes as late as the first week of instruction.
  • Placement notifications emailed approximately 1-2 weeks after Google Form submission.
    • HDE 140
      • Kelly Twibell emails placement offer for HDE 140 and provides CRN
      • Register with CRN ASAP
      • Complete (and pass) Live scan/background check ASAP, results must be received prior to start of the quarter so this must be done early.
      • Complete all other on-boarding tasks by strict deadline(s) or will be dropped.
    • HDE 141, HDE 142 and HDE 143
      • Rachael Crotty emails placement offer with instructions to register for an orientation
      • Attend mandatory orientation, and complete on-boarding tasks by deadline(s).
      • After orientation, students secure approved field site from provided list or find their own, complete background and health clearance, if required by field site.
      • Submit completed field site contract to Rachael Crotty by deadline in exchange for CRN.
      • Register in Schedule Builder with CRN by deadline (before first day of class)

*Detailed instructions and links will be emailed to the HDE listserv approximately 1-2 weeks and again one week prior to the start of Pass 1. Declared HDE current and rising juniors and seniors are eligible to request placement (refer to HDE 143 below for exception to being declared).

Practicum Courses:

 HDE Practicum Requirement:  All HDE majors must take one HDE practicum course prior to graduating.  Course options are HDE 140, 141, 142 or 143 and are offered in different academic quarters (fall, winter or spring). The pandemic-related flexibility for practicums ended with the 2022/23 academic year with students who graduated by summer 2023. 

Practicums offered in 2025/26:

  • HDE 140 “Field Study in Early Childhood" involves working with infants, toddlers and preschool children at CCFS/ECLS which is the UC Davis child development center located at 244 First St. (between A & B St.) and in transitional kindergarten classrooms in Davis. This practicum requires a minimum of 7 hours a week working with children at the center or in a transitional kindergarten class in a local school, and is offered all three quarters: fall, winter and spring.  HDE 140 is now offered as a variable 4-6 unit letter-graded course.  Each additional unit of credit requires additional 3-4 weekly fieldwork hours.

The HDE 140 practicum includes mandatory on-campus discussion/lecture and mandatory fieldwork.  The CRN to register for this course will be emailed to placed students who are expected to complete all on-boarding tasks by strict deadlines, well before the start of the quarter.

*To request HDE 140, follow the instructions in the emails sent to the HDE listserv prior to the start of Pass 1. After submitting your request via Google Forms, you’ll be notified of your placement status (placed or wait listed).  For placed students, CCFS staff will instruct you to submit additional required forms and to confirm your lab time slot. If you have particular questions about how the course is implemented, you may contact CCFS directly.   Note: This course will be offered in fall, winter and spring in 2025/2026.

 HDE 140 & 140L Course Structure Changes Over the Years:  

If you took and passed HDE 140 F25 or later or HDE 140L between W21-S25 or HDE 140 + 140L in F20 or earlier, then you satisfied your practicum requirement.

Effective Fall 2025, HDE 140L is now "HDE 140 Field Study of Early Childhood." It will be a variable 4.0-6.0 unit course with the same lecture/discussion and fieldwork components, except students may increase their fieldwork hours and register for up to 6.0 units.  HDE 140 will require placed students to pay a $65 course material fee and complete (and pass) a background check prior to the start of the quarter. 

Effective Winter 2021 through Spring 2025, this 4.0 unit practicum is known as “HDE 140L: Laboratory in Early Childhood,"  which includes discussion and fieldwork, and is a 4.0 unit letter graded course. 

Effective prior to Winter 2021, this practicum was offered as two courses taken concurrently, HDE 140 (lecture/discussion) + HDE 140L (variable unit fieldwork labs), but it changed in Winter 2021.   

  •     HDE 141 "Field Study with Children & Adolescents" involves working with children in TK-12th grades, and usually involves working in a school setting as a teacher’s assistant. This practicum has a mandatory weekly on-campus classroom discussion in addition to required off-campus field work (aka internship), and is usually offered twice per year (in fall and spring).  HDE 141 is a letter-graded, variable unit (4.0-6.0) course.

              *To request HDE 141, see below.  Note: This course will be offered in F25 and S26 in 2025/2026.

  •    HDE 142 "Field Study with Emotionally Distressed Children & Adolescents" involves working with emotionally distressed youth, typically in a 1st -12th grade setting. HDE 142 consists of a mandatory weekly on-campus classroom discussion as well as required off-campus field site (aka internship). Field sites typically are in 1st –12th grade classrooms or in programs working with at-risk youth,  and is usually offered once per year (in winter). This practicum  is a letter-graded variable unit (4.0-6.0) course.  

              *To request HDE 142, see below. Note: This course will be offered in W26 in 2025/2026.

  •     HDE 143 "Field Studies of the Elderly" involves working with older adults.  HDE 143 consists of a mandatory weekly on-campus classroom discussion as well as required off-campus fieldwork (aka internship). Field sites typically are in senior living communities or in senior health settings, and is usually offered once per year (in winter).  This practicum is a letter-graded variable unit (4.0-6.0) course.      

An exception to being declared in the HDE major may be available for only HDE 143 if space allows. If you are completing the Aging and Adult Development minor AND you’ve taken the prerequisite class(es), you may submit a request for this practicum by contacting the HDE Internship Coordinator directly. Placement is not guaranteed as priority must be given to declared HDE students.

        *To request HDE 143, see below.  Note: This course will be offered in W26 in 2025/2026


*To request HDE 141, HDE 142 or HDE 143, follow the instructions in the emails sent to the HDE listserv prior to the start of Pass 1 appointments. They will also be included in weekly newsletters leading up to Pass 1 and beyond.  After submitting your request via the Google Form, you’ll be notified of your placement status (placed or wait listed).  

Students who are placed in a practicum must meet for a mandatory orientation where you’ll receive additional instructions and resources for finding and securing an appropriate field site. To receive the CRN and to finalize your registration in the practicum, you must secure a field site and submit the class contract to the Internship Coordinator no later than the first day of class. Many sites require a background check and health clearances prior to starting. Additional information, including lists of pre-arranged field site options, will be provided during the mandatory orientation, or you may call, email or drop-in to remote Ask an Advisor on Thursday mornings to speak with the Internship Coordinator.

If you missed the initial request process, the Google Form will remain open indefinitely for wait list purposes.


Important Notice:

Ensure that your approved HDE graduation plan is current in OASIS before the Google Forms opens.  If you do not have an approved graduation plan or if yours is outdated, draft a new plan in OASIS, schedule an advising appointment with one of our HDE academic advisors ASAP and then submit your Google Form request.  You will not be placed if you do not have a current, approved HDE graduation plan or a scheduled appointment in OASIS.


Schedule Appointment to Complete Graduation Plan:

If you need to create an updated graduation plan with an HDE staff advisor, visit http://appointments.ucdavis.edu/ to self-schedule, drop-in remotely to Thursday morning Ask an Advisor or call (530) 752-1805 for assistance.
 

Questions?

Contact the internship coordinator, Rachael Crotty, by calling (530) 752-1321,  dropping-in remotely to Thursday morning Ask an Advisor or emailing rscrotty@ucdavis.edu (emails will receive a delayed reply due to the large volume regularly received).