ADP is a unique undergraduate experience combining rigorous academic courses and hands-on experience working with infants and young children, all with an amazing cohort of peers who complete three “core” quarters of internship and coursework together.
Attend a 30-minute information session led by ADP students from past cohorts!
Week 2:
- T 1/17, 12:15pm, Pritzker 1521
- Th 1/19, 4pm, Pritzker 1521
- F 1/20, 1pm, Pritzker 1521
Week 3:
- M 1/23, 3pm, Pritzker 1521
- T 1/24, 5pm, Pritzker 2506
- W 1/25, 1:30pm, Pritzker 2506
Below, we offer an overview of the ADP minor created by our very own graduates, quick take on the ADP minor from our graduating seniors of 2020!
ADP’s informational video:
About the minor:
We believe that students learn best in community, and when there is an ongoing dialogue between scholarship and practice, learning and service, and among people of all ages and stages of expertise and development. By participating first-hand in childcare centers throughout the community (and now extending to pilot community-engaged internships with a range of non-profit agencies supporting children and families), ADP students gain a better understanding of the knowledge they learn inside their classroom at UCLA. They thus enhance their own education while providing a valuable service to children, families, and communities.
The ADP academic courses (Psychology 134 A, B & C) focus on concepts, issues, and research in applied developmental psychology and are related to the students’ on-going internship experience. Students engage in original research by observing a focal child at their internship site, and developing an in-depth case study of the child. In the second course of the ADP core sequence, they design and implement original curriculum with the children at their site. In the third quarter, students explore advanced topics in applied developmental psychology, with special attention to pressing issues affecting families and communities today, including the impact of COVID-19, systemic poverty, trauma and racism. Throughout the courses, students are challenged to develop their skills in critical thought and in both spoken and written communication. The unique structure of the minor engages students in an intensive, rewarding 3-quarter learning experience, all with a single cohort of fellow ADP students who complete the courses and internship together. There’s nothing like it!
You don’t have to take our word for it…here’s what Dennis Ho, ’13 (now a social worker in oncology at Children’s Hospital of Orange County), says about ADP:
“My experience in the ADP minor challenged my approach to academics, completely changed my perspective on child development, prepared me to work in early childhood, and gave me a community of like-minded individuals who also had a passion to work with children.”
More reflections from past ADP students:
“I loved how the minor tied right in with the internship and how, unlike most courses taken, it was material that could be applied hands-on right away. Also, how the skills and approaches we learned translate to a variety of fields, not just early childhood care and education. I find myself using it all the time in my current internship working with adolescents with autism.”
– Naomi Beltran, ADP Graduate & current PhD student in Clinical Psychology at UCLA
“The nature and structure of the class is unlike any other college course I took at UCLA– it is small and intimate, interactive, unpredictable, and fun.”
– Tayla Ash, ADP Graduate & current PhD student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
“Because [my classmates and I] were comfortable learning and working together, there was a sense of community, and this sense of community truly allowed the experience to be so much more than a program…It was instead a chapter in my life. (This sounds cheesy, but I mean it!)”
– Edwin Teh, ADP Graduate & current MA student in Teaching English as a Second Language at Cal Poly Pomona
“Applying for the ADP program was one of the best decisions I have made during my 4 years at UCLA. At such a large school like UCLA, it was truly a gift to be able to find a small community of students, professors, and supervisors who all shared the same passion for working with children. This program is so unique in that students not only learn in an academic setting, but also get to practice and apply what they learn about child development at UCLA-affiliated childcare centers. I personally found this style of learning the most effective and rewarding. Although I majored in History, it is the ADP minor that has influenced my career choice and has led me to pursue a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy. The ADP Program has allowed me to feel more confident in the work/childcare setting, and I am truly so grateful for the experience. This program has 100% influenced the way I think about childcare and parenting, and I know that the ADP philosophy will continue to play a huge role in my future.”
– Ashley Kim, ADP Graduate
Frequently Asked Questions about the Minor & Application Process