Semester Reflection of the EC-SEBRIS Certificate Program

Throughout the semester I have seen a tremendous growth in myself as a person and as a caregiver. Being part of the EC-SEBRIS program has given me the opportunity to integrate feedback from the classes and comments and suggestions that have been given to me from our reflective groups. One of the things that I have learned and have continued to develop skills in is how I have linked what I have learned in class and by putting it into practice at my site at the Chabad Hebrew Academy. I have shared a lot of information that I have learned with co-workers, friends, and family members by informing them of the positive changes when becoming aware of children’s social and emotional behaviors.

The classes that I took this fall semester allowed me to gain so much knowledge in the social emotional development of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers focusing on attachment, self-regulation, and developing theories that are applied in childcare. I also learned to use various behavioral assessments that suggest intervention and support showing me techniques on how to best provide the help and resources for children, parents and caregivers. One of the major things that I learned was, that when interacting with children I will continue to pay attention to their cues and remember that they are the ones who guide us. We as caregivers are there to make children feel protected, safe and secure, especially when they are independently exploring their environment. I believe that talking to children enriches their vocabulary as they hear and grasp new words, helping them build up vocabulary, as they get older and begin to talk.

I consider this program to be very helpful as I learned to self-reflect on who I am as a person and caregiver. I am very pleased to say I have enjoyed each class and how incredible of a journey it has been. I am eager for the spring semester to begin, to see what the program has for us EC-SEBRIS students; and for us to become aware and grow into advocators for early childhood.

-Stephanie Zapien

The EC-SEBRIS certificate program is an interdisciplinary program for early childhood professionals who want to improve skills for working with young children who demonstrate socio-emotional and behavioral concerns, and their parents. Certificate courses can be applied towards a Master of Science in Child Development.

The EC-SEBRIS program will accept applications for Fall 2015 admission from Oct. 1, 2014 to March 2, 2015. For more information on the EC-SEBRIS graduate certificate program, visit our website. Apply now to take the first step toward your a career that will change lives!

Some final thoughts from our graduating EC-SEBRIS students

Here's what our graduating EC-SEBRIS students are taking away from the EC-SEBRIS Graduate Certificate Program:

The EC-SEBRIS program has provided me with a new foundational understanding in early childhood education that has played a crucial and pivotal role when working with both children and families.

–Brook Armstrong

I feel the EC-SEBRIS program has given me in depth knowledge regarding attachment and assessment that will inform my direct practice work with children and families.

    –Alena Cansler

After completing the EC-SEBRIS Certificate Program, I've gained personal growth as well as an expanded lens on early childhood education. I learned many approaches in early intervention and also the importance of reflective practice. It has been beneficial at my workplace as well as at home because I have a preschool-aged daughter.

–Jessica Cardozo

I graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in Child Development.  Earning a degree has helped me advance in the child development field, and this has generated the interest in me to further my education and consider a career as a child development community college professor.  Having the experience of being in the EC-SEBRIS Certificate Program has been exceptionally beneficial not only for my professional growth, but also for my personal development. 

–Juan Miguel Diaz

The EC-SEBRIS program taught me the importance of children's social emotional development. I hope to one day start my own preschool based on the principles I have learned in this program.

–Jessica Frazier

What I gained from the EC-SEBRIS program was a theoretical framework for understanding child development through psychology, and how the first three years of life are critical in shaping who we become in adulthood.

–Serge Galy

I have gained so much knowledge from the program. I learned the effects of having meaningful relationships with families and children and I learned so much about the development and behaviors of children.  All the knowledge I have learned will definitely apply in my life and career!

–Eula Isabelo

The EC-SEBRIS program has been an excellent experience— one of knowledge and insight into the development of children that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

–Sylvia Jimenez

This program has given me the confidence to recognize and respond to behavioral challenges while using ethical and professional standards.

–Vivyana Jordan

I have greatly appreciated the time and effort each professor took with me during my time in this program. The individuals I have had the privilege of getting to know taught me a lot about different interventions, making and implementing plans to help me while working with children in the classroom. I have learned a great deal from the hands on experience that I received while working at my site. My future plan is to work in a preschool setting and eventually open up my own preschool in Texas.

–Brittany Martinez

From the EC-SEBRIS program, I learned to build better relationships with families and to understand and value every child. I also learned to help children with challenging behaviors and to create a regulation plans.

 –Maria Martinez

The EC-SEBRIS program has taught me the importance of socio-emotional development in early childhood, and ways in which to support children with behavioral challenges. This program has given me the necessary skills and abilities to work closely with families in order to support their child’s development.

 –Luciana Pacheco-McEvoy

In just a short year in this program, not only have I gained confidence to become a better educator, but also tremendous knowledge for early childhood intervention and how important it is for community development.

 –Linda Yang

During my experiences in the EC-SEBRIS  program, I have gained so much knowledge from topics like secure attachment, where we gained an understating of the primary regulatory sites in the brain associated with emotional regulation and the role of the early parent-child relationship in the brain development.

–Luis Sanchez

The most important skill I take from the EC-SEBRIS program is the ability to regulate myself, and to stay regulated when presented with extremely difficult behaviors in children (and, let’s be honest, sometimes their parents). I decided not to apply for the master’s program this year, so that I may take some time to explore the field and see where I feel I can make the biggest impact.

 –Megan Sullivan

The EC-SEBRIS Program has taught me so much. I am blessed to have met colleagues, mentors, and teachers that have fueled my passion for the field. Thank You. My school year was much more challenging because my eyes and heart were opened to things I would not have normally seen. However, I am confident that I touched more young lives than I would have normally touched without.   

–Cherryl Vivar

Congratulations to all of our EC-SEBRIS graduates! And good luck in your future careers!

Master's Student Mashaael Alwashmi Explains Why SDSU Is First Choice

My name is Mashaael Alwashmi and I am from capital city Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I graduated from Princess Nora University, which has the largest female campus in the world. My undergraduate major was Home Economics that includes subjects about home, family, and children. I decided to join the (KASP) King Abdullah Scholarship Program that offers full funds for distinguished students because I graduated from PNU with honors.

I chose San Diego State University in particular for many reasons. First, my brother, uncle, and cousin were in San Diego seeking their education, and they highly recommended San Diego as a nice city for studying and for families. Second, SDSU was one of my first choices because they ranked high, especially the College of Education. Also, the Child and Family Development department has the most suitable master’s program that is an actual extension to my undergraduate major. In fact, the Ministry of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia added the program to their list for recommended and approved programs all over the world on: http://ru.mohe.gov.sa/default.aspx

I started planning to apply when I was in the American Language Institute (ALI) at SDSU by learning about the application requirements and completing them one by one. During the language-learning period I was able to earn an English level sufficiency certificate, qualify my undergraduate degree certificate, take the GRE exam, and write the required essays. After sending the required documents, I was extremely happy to hear from the department as per the scheduled timeline they had provided telling me that I was accepted in the Fall 2013.

I have loved the program so much. During the first semester, I had the pleasure of working with many people with different backgrounds. I especially loved the courses CFD 634, CFD 660, CFD 590 as well as ED 690. Additionally, the program was flexible to the extent that I was able to take some undergraduate classes that I really enjoyed and learned from. This gave me a whole new perspective in this filed and made me interested more and more about children's problems and developmental challenges. I look forward to the courses I will take this year that will assist me in writing my thesis on children’s school readiness in Saudi Arabia. I cannot wait to apply the knowledge I have gained from this master’s program in my country.

My goal is to enhance the invaluable experience of working with children during my studying in SDSU. I want to work with the SDSU Children’s Center and learn the successful ways that they follow, and apply them to my future children’s center in Saudi Arabia. Also. I will back to work at PNU as a lecturer, so I get the opportunity to transfer the great information and knowledge from the CFD master’s program to the Early Childhood Department at PNU.