CYFS Application Process

Students are admitted to the Child, Youth, and Family Studies - Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS-CYFS) program through a holistic evaluation of their application. Admission is determined by reviewing several factors: coursework completed, grade point average (GPA), the application question responses, and prior experience.

Prior to the start of the CYFS program, students have:

• Earned a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA in college-level courses that will be used to meet the requirements of the CYFS degree.
  
  
• Completed the following 45 credits of prerequisites or have a plan to do so by the end of Summer Quarter 2025:
  • ENGL& 101 - English Composition (5 credits)
  • 15 credits of general education courses from any combination of the following categories: humanities, natural science, social science
  • 25 credits of proficiency courses from early childhood education, addiction studies, social and human services, or family support studies
• Earned a 2.0 or higher in ENGL& 101 and each of their proficiency courses. A grade of 1.0 or higher is required for all general education courses.
  
  
• Submitted valid, Edmonds College math placement prior to the start of Fall Quarter 2025. If a student has already completed a transferable, college-level math course, this requirement will be waived.

Note: If you are interested in the BAS-CYFS but unsure if you meet our eligibility requirements, please schedule an appointment with our CYFS Program Manager.

Each applicant is required to submit answers to our application questions as part of the admissions process. They will be included in the application form. Each response can be no longer than 500 words, so please plan for that limit. We encourage students to complete their answers prior to opening the application form so that you can plan, write, and edit your answers to best reflect yourself as an applicant.

Your application question answers provide an opportunity for us to see what your goals in the early childhood education or human services field are and your career plans related to child, youth, and family studies.

Your application questions will be evaluated on the content of your written answers. Make sure to:

• Answer each question prompt completely. Be sure to address each of them using details and examples from your experiences.
  
  
• Before you submit your application questions, review your work. Make sure your response is clear, concise, and representative of your goals, experiences, strengths, knowledge, and abilities.

The application question answers are used in our review process to evaluate the following criteria:

• Ability to organize thoughts related to the prompt.
  
  
• Ability to express yourself clearly in writing (Note: Our review of the application will not grade or score spelling, punctuation, or grammar. However, you should take care in preparing your responses and check for mistakes.)
  
  
• Ability to write professionally and concisely. 

If you need assistance or support with your application questions, you may visit Edmonds College's Writing Center at the Learning Support Center or use eTutoring for online writing assistance. Non-Edmonds College students may email Jeremiah Roland at jeremiah.roland@edmonds.edu for access to eTutoring.

The application questions appear below, including an introduction, as they do on the CYFS Fall 2025 application.

Introduction:

Your responses to the application questions provide an opportunity for us to see what your goals in the early childhood education or human services fields are and where you see yourself in the future of careers related to child, youth, and family studies.

The CYFS program is interdisciplinary with students coming from various backgrounds, including early childhood education, addiction studies, family support studies, and general human services. Students utilize and share this knowledge while learning about child, youth, and family studies through a social justice, equity, and inclusion lens.

This means students study system structures that cause and uphold inequality; engage with the needs and perspectives of various communities; and learn to provide inclusive services and/or education to the population(s) they will work with after graduation.

Question 1:

Describe how the content and focus of the CYFS program will support your future career goals.

Question 2:

Describe a time during your practicum, volunteer, or work experience where you had to be aware of social justice issues, equity, and inclusion while providing services or resolving a conflict. What factors influenced how you dealt with the situation? What action(s) did you take? What did you learn that has impacted how you approach your work in similar situations?

Question 3:

Reflect on your experiences working with children, youth, and families, providing examples of your role, challenges faced, and successful outcomes.

Applicants are not authorized to use artificial intelligence (AI) engines or software to complete any portion of their BAS application EXCEPT the use of AI-powered spelling and grammar checkers. Examples of spelling and grammar checkers include Grammarly and tools included with Microsoft Word and Google Docs. It is the expectation of the application review committee that applicants have written their question responses in their own words and without generative AI assistance. 

1. Meet with the program manager to determine program eligibility.
   • Appointment Link
2. (Skip to Step 3 if you are a current Edmonds Student) Apply to Edmonds College
   • If you are currently enrolled at a Washington State Community or Technical College, please access your state application and add Edmonds College. This will prompt our Enrollment Services Office to activate your current ctcLink ID number for Edmonds.
     
     
   • If you have never been enrolled at a Washington State Community or Technical College or were enrolled prior to ctcLink, you will apply to Edmonds College as a new student. When completing the application, make the listed selections in each of the following fields:
     • Program: Professional Technical
     • Degree or Certificate I am seeking: Undecided Professional Tech
3. Complete the Online BAS-CYFS Application Form.
   • This application will collect information in the following sections: demographics, academic history, unofficial transcript(s), and application questions.
     
     
   • If applicable, please be prepared to upload unofficial transcript(s) to the application. Files in pdf format are preferred.
4. Pay the $25.00 non-refundable application fee through CTCLink.
   
   
5. Explore funding for your degree. The earlier you apply for things like financial aid the better as processing timelines can be lengthy. You do not have to have an admissions decision to begin this process.
   • Federal Financial Aid
     • Edmonds College Financial Aid Services
   • Scholarships
     • Early Achievers Scholarship (Child Care Aware Washington). For students with an Early Childhood Education background working at an Early Achievers site.
     • Edmonds College Foundation Annual Scholarship
   • Tuition Waivers
     • Washington State and educational employees may be eligible for a tuition waiver, as outlined in RCW 28B.15.558 of the Washington State Legislature. If you hope to use the tuition waiver for the BAS-CYFS program, please reach out to cyfs@edmonds.edu for further discussion and details.
   • Worker Retraining Program
     
     
   • VA Educational Benefits