Early Childhood Laboratory School

Mission and Purpose:

As a university laboratory school, we aim to lead through excellence and innovation as we train undergraduate and graduate students in child development theory, research and its applications, while implementing national and state standards for quality toddler, preschool and kindergarten programs.

We provide resources to parents and community members in child development and strategies for meeting the needs of special populations, including dual language learners. We welcome all university majors to observe, participate and learn in a nurturing, diverse educational environment.

Philosophy:

The Lab School believes in providing each individual child with appropriate tools, equipment and accommodations for enhancing their gross motor control, eye-hand coordination, speech/language development, socialization abilities, emotional development, and cognitive/intellectual skills. We believe in teaching children how to make choices and decisions, find solutions, share, respect, and interact with others harmoniously, and understand who they are as vibrant caring human beings and future contributors to society.

At the Lab School, young children are offered meaningful experiences to help them understand the World around them. Children explore and discover their environment through touch, sight, sound, work, and play. Their learning experiences include classroom centers of interest, outdoor expression, and freedom of creativity while also participating in planned field trips to enhance their ability to process new information.

Classroom Management & Guidance:

The Lab School promotes positive behavior management techniques to prevent challenging behaviors. We arrange the classrooms for active exploration and individual decision making opportunities. Clear age appropriate class rules and expectations are posted and reviewed daily. We use redirection, active listening, modeling and positive reinforcement to encourage positive behavior.

The staff is encouraged to give attention to and reward appropriate behavior. Inappropriate behavior is ignored. However, if the behavior cannot be ignored, the child is verbally reminded of the classroom rules and expectations. If the verbal appeals are unsuccessful, the child will be asked to move to a quiet area in the classroom away from the learning centers until he/she can behave appropriately. If the challenging behavior persists, a parent-teacher conference will be scheduled to determine strategies to improve age appropriate behaviors and consequences for inappropriate behaviors.

In an effort to solve problems in a productive manner, children are guided through a series of lessons providing techniques and language specified in the Interpersonal Cognitive Problem-Solving Program by Dr. Myrna B. Shure (ICPS) also known as: "I Can Problem Solve."

To learn more, please click here: A Reach toward Excellence