Why Earn a Certificate in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health?
Between 10-16% of young children experience mental health conditions, yet access to trained professionals remains limited. This certificate fills this gap by preparing students to take steps to meet the growing need for infant and early childhood mental health services. With an emphasis on developmental, cultural, relational, and systemic influences, this certificate will prepare you to support a wide range of families and make a meaningful early impact.
HDFS online course alternatives - open to all students
All HDFS undergraduate courses are also offered through CSU Online as 801 course sections. They are NOT listed on RamWeb. Browse our HDFS online courses and click on a course to register. CSU Online courses may have financial implications. Before registering, visit the CSU Office of Financial Aid website for additional information.
How do I declare the certificate?
Please complete the online minor/certificate declaration form to declare a minor or certificate in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. It may take 5-7 business days to process your request, so check your CSU email for an email from the Registrar’s Office asking you to approve the request to declare the certificate. You must approve the request for the declaration to be processed.
You should see the minor or certificate updated in Ramweb within a week of your approval.
If you have questions about a minor or certificate, please attend weekly drop-in advising hours to talk to an HDFS advisor, or email CHHS-HDFS_advising@mail.colostate.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can Early Childhood Education Majors earn this certificate?
The department allows a maximum of six credits to double-count across certificates, minors, and majors in the HDFS department. Thus, ECE Majors need to select a minimum of 6 credits from the elective list that are not required in the ECE Major. As of fall 2026, these are: HDFS 275, HDFS 317 (ECE Majors can count PSY 460 instead), and HDFS 404 (offered for the last time in summer 2026). More classes will be added effective fall 2027.