Child Study and Development Center - United States

Program Image

Program

  • Type of Program: Full and Part Day Child Care, Full Day Kindergarten, Preschool
  • Age Served: 6 weeks to 6 years
  • Funding Sources: Parent Tuition; University of NH subsidy
  • Presenter: Michael Kalinowski (Associate Professor, Department of Family Studies)
  • Address: 308 Nesmith Hall
    Durham, New Hampshire, United States 03824
  • Telephone: (603) 862-2146
  • Fax: (603) 862-3271
  • Email: [email protected]

Program Purpose

The program has three overall objectives:

  • To provide a model for high quality care and education in a university setting.
  • To provide a location for teacher training, applied research on children and families, observation of classrooms for students and families, and
  • To provide training to others to improve the profession

Program Description

The Child Study and Development Center (CSDC), established in 1988, has been the largest child development laboratory (campus based early childhood program in New England) and serves over 165 children aged 6 weeks through 6 years and their families, in eight different programs. CSDC children come from faculty, staff, student and community families. Parents pay on a sliding fee scale based on total family income, as confirmed by annual Internal Revenue Service (federal tax) forms.

The facility was designed by CSDC staff and based on current research on development, learning styles, and child safety. Each room has observation booths. Four different bathroom designs were developed to demonstrate molestation reduction options to increase child safety. Video and audio technologies were incorporated into teaching as well as to meet management and child protection objectives. For example, sound (wave) machines and classical music are combined at nap time to quiet children reasonably quickly. Students and teachers are regularly videotaped to reflect upon teaching and management strategies.

The facility has served as a child development laboratory (CDL) for students in approximately 20 courses from 11 different departments on campus. Among the many research studies conducted by CSDC staff include the following: child care quality in the USA, institutional molestation in American child care facilities, reflective practices in teacher training, criteria for effective infant/toddler caregivers, and the effectiveness of four year olds in training computer anxious college students.

Requests for assistance have been received from over 300 other colleges and universities.

Most Unique Program Feature

Children in New Hampshire grow up in a somewhat rural environment, with limited exposure to those from other cultures. How do we teach children about a diverse world they will enter when there is very little variation around them? In order to sensitize children (and their families and undergraduate college students) to cultural differences, each room was named after a foreign country (Canada, Brazil, Japan, Kenya, France and Italy). Staff visited and observed in each country, and exchange programs (including visiting teachers) were developed with many in order to create sustained (if arbitrary) experiences around other cultures. Approximately 20-25% of activities were reflective of the foods, costumes, activities, art, music, routines, and interaction styles of the various cultures represented.

Edited by Michael Kalinowski