The College of Human Sciences and Education’s Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool is bringing cutting edge teaching methods to both children and University students.
The preschool was previously managed under Auxiliary Services before a committee headed by Vice President of Finance and Administration Dan Layzell voted to transfer the center’s management to CHSE in May.
CHSE celebrated the laboratory preschool’s official opening today with a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Both the building and the school’s curriculum have undergone significant changes since CHSE assumed management of the center in May.
Executive director Cynthia DiCarlo said the changes have been well received by parents and members of the school’s faculty. DiCarlo said CHSE decided to take over the center to provide University students a valuable opportunity to see classroom learning in action and apply learned skills in a laboratory environment.
“We initiated the process so that we could provide both high quality services for children attending the lab, and also enrich the educational experiences of our college students,” DiCarlo said.
The renovated preschool also includes a multipurpose space that’s been outfitted to host undergraduate and graduate courses, she said. The pre-school’s laboratory environment allows University students to test innovative teaching methods and apply their learning directly in a real-life classroom environment.
The revamped space and curriculum are based on the world renowned Reggio Emilia teaching method, DiCarlo said. The Reggio approach developed in Italy after World War II and focuses on relationship based teaching and pared down spaces that foster creativity and increased focus.
CHSE faculty studied the Reggio approach firsthand during a research trip to Italy several years ago. Another student and faculty group will be traveling to Italy in March to observe Reggio classrooms and will likely bring back new ideas to incorporate into the preschool’s curriculum, DiCarlo said.
The preschool building features a neutral, calming color palette free of pre-made signage and decorations. Instead, student art graces the walls in an effort to encourage students to take increased ownership of the classroom, she said.
Additional features include refurbished “bump out spaces” in the hallways that will function as shared learning spaces outside the official classrooms. The spaces will feature creative materials to encourage students to engage with one another and learn outside of the classroom, DiCarlo said.
In the Reggio approach, learning is a co-constructive process between the teacher and the class in which the students’ interests help guide the lesson plans, she said.
For example, if students are learning about gardening and are drawn to ladybugs or other creatures in the garden, the teacher will approach the lesson from a focus on insects. This method calls for teachers to be quick thinking and responsive to the students, she said.
The preschool can enroll students aged six weeks to 4 years old. The school has 175 students, 15 teachers and 16 teaching assistants.
Gov. John Bel Edwards, an outspoken champion of early childhood education, is scheduled to assist in the ribbon cutting. Gov. Edwards will also deliver an address to those present and take a tour of the facility.