The Edna A. Hill Child Development Center (Center) is part of the Department of Applied Behavioral Science (ABS) within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Center was established in 1943 and has a long and rich history of providing state-of-the-art teacher training in early intervention and education, innovative research, and service to children, families, and the community. Each year, approximately 70 children, ages three months through five years, are enrolled in full-day early education programs located in Haworth Hall and the Dole Human Development Center. In addition, the Center also operates an early intervention program for children with autism. Children with diverse abilities, developmental disabilities, at-risk for behavioral problems, language and cultural differences are included in each classroom. The Center operates according to the University class calendar and is open during the fall, spring and summer semesters.
A primary function of the Center is to provide an academic setting for the instruction of undergraduate and graduate students in the Department. Each semester, undergraduate students in the Early Childhood Education and Intervention program participate in supervised practicum experiences and work directly with the children. They act as classroom teachers under the supervision of Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs), two Program Coordinators (who are in charge of the day-to-day operation of the classrooms), and faculty members in the ABS Department. Students are observed and receive continuous instruction and feedback to foster their development of critical skills and competence as teachers and/or intervention therapists.
The Center also provides classroom settings where research on the development of best practices in early intervention and education is conducted by faculty and graduate students with undergraduate student assistants. Undergraduate students may also elect to complete a faculty supervised research practicum in the classrooms where they participate in ongoing projects designed to develop and evaluate the most effective procedures for teaching children appropriate skills and reducing inappropriate behavior.
In addition to teacher training and the development and evaluation of effective interventions and early educational practices, the Center offers childcare and educational placements not only for typically developing children but also for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who have developmental disabilities, who might be at-risk for delays, who exhibit behavior problems, or who may have had difficulties in other preschools. These children and their families receive the benefits of participating in enriched early intervention programs that utilize empirically sound and effective procedures and instructional techniques.
For more information, please visit the Center's website: http://www.cdc.ku.edu.
