Child Development Sophomore Jacqueline Penick reads to the children in the Child Development Center and Lab School’s Preschool A class during group time on Oct. 25. Students are encouraged to do required observations and field work in the lab school. Photo by Carrie Cronk
Students learn by observing children
I spy with my little eye a student who seems a tad too tall and a bit too old for the preschool class at the Child Development Center and Lab School.
The center not only provides a nationally-accredited learning environment for infants and children — it also is a working lab for child development majors at OCCC.
The lab school offers child development majors an opportunity to observe and have hands-on experience working with children, said Child Development Professor Cecilia Pittman.
According to the OCCC course catalog, students enrolled in certain child development courses are required to spend time at the center.
Some classes require that students observe children and teachers, while other courses require students to have hands-on experience with the children, Pittman said.
“We have these students develop curriculum and activities, and implement the curriculum with the kids [at the center],” she said.
This field work can be done off-campus, but the campus lab school is preferred, she said.
“It is a high-quality center that follows developmentally-appropriate practices,” Pittman said.
The Child Development Center and Lab School is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Although the primary purpose of the lab school is to function as a lab for child development majors, the children always come first, said Lee Ann Nurdin, lab supervisor.
The program philosophy is to “provide an atmosphere for children which treats each child with respect and dignity,” according to the center’s brochure.
“Full-time teachers are required to hold a degree in early childhood,” as stated in the brochure.
Delilah Juares, 20, is enrolled in Introduction to Early Childhood Education.
Juares said she is required to spend 14 hours as an observer at the center.
Juares said she enjoys the child development program at OCCC.
“It’s awesome to see the children and how they interact with other children,” Juares said. “Also, observing has really opened my eyes to see things that I wouldn’t have noticed before.”
What has impressed Juares most is how the teachers let the children be independent.
Juares’ experience in the CDCLS has been a positive one.
“I have learned that there are many more appropriate ways to handle situations with children,” she said.
Juares said the lab school would be a factor in why she would recommend the child development programs at OCCC.
