HDE Practicum

Winter 2026 HDE PRACTICUMS OFFERED:  HDE 140, HDE 142 and HDE 143

Students who submit their W26 practicum request on 10/29/25 will be contacted within 2 weeks regarding their status in a W26 practicum (placed or wait-listed).   Students with later form submissions will only be contacted if openings become available.

• 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  @ Olson 205
      PK Fieldwork Options @ ECLS: MW or TR (AM) 8:15A-11:45A or (PM) 12:30P-4P; TK fieldwork TBD                                        

   Section 003 Preschool (PK)                                                                                                                                                            

      Disc/Lec:   R 1:10-3:00P @ CCFS, Eichhorn Family House
      PK Fieldwork Options @ ECLS:  MW or TR (AM) 8:15A -11:45A         

• HDE 142 Practicum - "Field Study with Emotionally Distressed Children and Adolescents"
• This is a *4-6 variable unit, in-person, letter graded course consisting of a 1.5 hour weekly discussion on Tuesdays 1:40-3pm in Wellman 5 plus a *minimum of 60 quarterly hours of **off-campus fieldwork with school-age children and/or adolescents in schools or other group settings to be arranged between you and field site supervisor.  Prerequisite class is HDE 130 which can be taken concurrently.  Mandatory weekly discussion attendance, participation and completion of all field work hours required.
  
  *HDE 142'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. **Field site options provided by internship coordinator at orientation or students may find their own after orientation.
• HDE 143 Practicum - "Field Studies of Elderly (Older Adults)"
• • This is a *4-6 variable unit, in-person, letter graded course consisting of a 2 hour weekly discussion on Thursdays 4:10-6pm in Hickey Gym 290 plus a *minimum of 60 quarterly hours of **off-campus fieldwork with older adults typically in senior living communities, senior health settings, or other senior group settings to be arranged between you and field site supervisor.  Prerequisite class is HDE 100C or HDE 160.  Mandatory weekly discussion attendance, participation and completion of all field work hours required.
    
    *HDE 143'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.
  • **Field site options provided by internship coordinator at orientation or students may find their own after orientation.
  •     

  Not an HDE Major?  HDE 143 is the only practicum that allows non-HDE declared majors to request placement, provided the student is completing the Aging and Adult Development minor AND they have taken the prerequisite class (HDE 100C or 160). Students who meet these requirements may submit their Google Form to request placement, but must also contact the HDE Internship Coordinator directly at (530) 752-1321.  Placement is not guaranteed as priority must be given to declared HDE students.  

• Request Placement in a Winter 2026 Practicum - Submit Google Form on 10/29/25 at 8am
• Ensure eligibility: Must be declared HDE and in upper division standing, successfully completed prerequisite course (or be concurrently enrolled) and have an HDE-approved graduation plan in OASIS not older than 01/05/25 (1 year prior to the start of the practicum course). 
  If you do not have a current graduation plan, you must schedule an appointment with an HDE advisor to create one. 
  Read practicum email sent to HDE listserv on 10/10/25 inviting eligible HDE students to submit their practicum request when the form opens on 10/29/25 at 8am.  
  Submit practicum request when it opens on 10/29/25 at 8am via theGoogle Form here.  The form will remain open indefinitely to fill vacancies and/or for wait list purposes, so students may still submit their request after this date.
   
• Placement Notifications and Next Steps
• Notifications of placement and next steps will be emailed to placed practicum students from Rachael Crotty and Kelly Twibell within approximately 1-2  weeks after submitting your Google Form request (or later if submitting Google Form later than 10/29/25).  
  If wait-listed, continue checking your emails regularly for placement emails from Kelly and Rachael, and follow instructions and deadlines. 
  Next steps for placed students include attending orientation for 141/142/143, completing all on-boarding tasks as communicated in placement notification email sent by Kelly (for 140) and by Rachael (for 141/142/143), and registering in Schedule Builder by the start of the quarter.  All tasks must be completed prior to the quarter.
  If not placed in a W26 practicum, the next offered practicums will be in Spring 2026.  To request placement in a spring practicum, students must submit a new Google Form before Pass 1 begins for spring (during winter quarter), which will be emailed to the HDE listserv prior to start of Pass 1.  Practicums are never offered in summer.
• CRNs Emailed to Placed Students
• CRNs will be emailed to placed students who received a placement notification email and who completed the appropriate steps to receive the CRN.  Until that time, students should register for a placeholder class during their Pass 1 appointment. 
  HDE 140: Kelly Twibell will email placed HDE 140 students the CRN to register in Schedule Builder and urgent on-boarding tasks by firm pre-quarter deadlines.  Kelly will drop students who do not meet these firm deadlines.
  HDE 142 & 143: Rachael Crotty will email CRN to placed HDE 142 and 143 students after orientation and after all on-boarding tasks are completed (last task is to submit field site contract to Rachael) at least one day prior to first class discussion.  
  
  We strongly recommend students register for a placeholder class during Pass 1 to take if not placed in that quarter's practicum.

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).