CDL Named Best in Georgia
The Child Development Lab at the McPhaul Center has been named Program of the Year by the Georgia Association on Young Children, the state affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Southern Early Childhood Association.
The award winner, which recognizes the CDL as the premier program in the state, was selected from among several nominees by a committee of early childhood education professionals.
The CDL was nominated by Diane Bales, (Associate Professor, Child and Family Development) who noted that the lab provides a community-wide example of high-quality early care and education that uses developmentally appropriate practices as a guiding philosophy for all aspects of the early childhood curriculum and incorporates inclusion of children with special needs in all of its classrooms.
The CDL also plays an important role in educating early childhood professionals and contributing to early childhood research, Bales noted. Undergraduate students spend substantial time observing and implementing activities with children at the CDL to get a hands-on idea of typical child development and classroom experiences.
“Many UGA graduates go into the early childhood field with a deep understanding of high-quality early care and learning because they have experienced such high quality first-hand at the CDL,” Bales said.
During a reception for CDL staff, Dean Laura Jolly said, “This award is recognition of the excellent work you do and reflects why so many people want to send their children here.”
CDL Director Amy Kay said receiving the award help her staff in acknowledging the level of professionalism in early learning programs in general and, specifically, in place at the CDL.
“As a group, teachers are particularly self-sacrificial,” she said. “They spend every day focusing on the children and their successes, so it’s hard for them to give accolades to their own successes. But, this award provides the proof that our hard work to build a quality program has been recognized. It makes me incredibly proud to be a part of the Child Development Lab.”
The CDL dates back to 1927. It currently has 106 children, ages 8 weeks to 5 years old, enrolled.
