Committed to providing a high-quality, developmentally appropriate early childhood education, The Child Development and Learning Center is open to preschool children of students enrolled in the Graduate Center. The center provides a warm, nurturing environment that encourages each child’s natural curiosity and fosters a love of learning. Play and exploration are valued as two of the most important means by which learning takes place. The emphasis on all projects and activities is on the process of interacting with the materials and integration of knowledge rather than the acquisition of specific academic skills. The center also serves as a lab school for faculty and students doing research pertinent to preschool children.

The program is licensed by the New York City Department of Health to serve 27 children between two-and-a-half and six years old, and is staffed with certified early childhood educators. The daily hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The teaching staff helps parents to develop individualized schedules that meet the specific needs of each child and family. The center observes the Graduate Center calendar, but a June program is also available.

[Student Handbook 07-08; p. 32]