March is very special at Penn State Worthington Scranton. "We've designated the entire month of March to highlight our Human Development Family Studies (HDFS) major," said Sandra Feather, assistant director of Admissions at Penn State Worthington Scranton.
Two pivotal events will mark HDFS month at Penn State Worthington Scranton. On Wednesday evening, March 21, HDFS Awareness Night will take place in the Study Learning Center Cafeteria Conference Center at 6:00 p.m. The general public is invited to attend a panel discussion, and meet faculty, students and graduates of the program. Anyone interested can register on-line at http://www.ws.psu.edu/ or call 963-2500.
In addition, on Friday, March 30th at Noon, guest lecturer Harriet Darling, Ph.D., HDFS instructor from Penn State York, will discuss her experiences in both the practical side of human development and as a professional educator in this exploding field.
Human Development and Family Studies is a multidisciplinary Penn State program that examines individuals and families across the life span. The program prepares students for professional, managerial and scientific roles in health and human service professions in both public and non-profit agencies.
Dr. Brenda Seery, program coordinator at Penn State Worthington Scranton noted that today's HDFS students at Penn State Worthington Scranton obtain a broad background in human development that includes psychology, social and cultural considerations, and even economics. "Through course work, internship programs and research projects, said Dr. Seery, "our students get first-hand experiences in counseling, human assessment, planning, evaluation and research."
On March 30th, Dr. Harriet Darling will offer remarks at a Noon lecture. Dr. Darling, is an instructor in Human Development and Family Relations at Penn State York. She has been a professional educator since her 1972 graduation from South Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Family Relations, focusing on Early Childhood Education. She earned her Master of Science in Child Development and Family Relations at SDSU in 1975, then finished her Ph.D. program in Human Development from the University of Maryland in 1983.
She has had 20 years of experience in working with toddlers and preschoolers in groups, and 32 years of experience in working with the adults who work with children. She continues to believe that the best way to serve children is to make sure that adults who work with them know and engage in appropriate practices, and that adults have what they need in order to do what is best in their practice.
Harriet co-chairs the Professional Development Committee of Focus on Our Future, York County's childcare initiative, and serves on the initiative's Community Planning Committee. She also serves the York Area Association for the Education of Young Children as a board member. She is a certified trainer for PA Pathways. Currently she is teaching in the Human Development and Family Studies Department at Penn State York, where she is actively involved in providing courses in early childhood care and education as well as human and family development. She is coordinator of the Project T.E.A.C.H. program at Penn State York. Her present research includes investigating how to facilitate early childhood care and education providers' use of information from child assessments to guide their classroom practice.
Anyone wishing further information on Penn State Worthington Scranton's Human Development and Family Studies Month, or to register for their Human Development and Family Studies Information Night should visit http://www.ws.psu.edu/, or call 963-2500.