WSU Child Development Program
Preschool in Vancouver, WA 98686
The mission of the Child Development Program (CDP) at Washington State University Vancouver is to provide a “best practices” model of early childhood education* in a university setting. Opened in 1998, the program is licensed by the Washington States Department of Early Learning (DEL) and will be undergoing re-accreditation by the National Academy for Early Childhood Programs (NAECP) during 2011-2012.
The CDP is a teaching/research/service unit of the Department of Human Development at WSU Vancouver. The teaching staff are committed to providing children and their families, students, and the community excellence in practice by supporting optimal development for children, through its curriculum, program design, professional development, and involvement/outreach to the greater Southwest Washington community and the university.
*Adult undergraduate students interested in a course of study in early childhood education (child development) should contact the Department of Human Development for further information and assistance.
- Child Ages:
- 2.5 years - 9 years
- Licenses & Accreditations:
- Washington State Department of Early Learning - NAECP Accredited
- Preschool:
- Yes
- Hours of Operation:
- Monday - Friday 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
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The CDP learning curriculum for both the Preschool and Kindergarten programs, has been designed to meet the developmental and intellectual needs of young children and provide support for their families. The activities and experiences developed by the teaching staff provide equal attention to all areas of a childs development (intellectual, emotional, physical, and social), reflect innovative practices and learning opportunities to build childrens minds and bodies, and build a foundation for more formal learning environments.
Both the Preschool and Kindergarten programs provide learning for children through an integrated, project-focused curricular (IPF) model. The CDPs (IPF Model) provides for experiences and activities that are both planned and emergent; they represent and reflect how childrens needs, interests, and abilities change during the years of early childhood. The childrens curriculum places emphasis on four areas of focused experiences for children:
- study of the natural sciences,
- literacy, language and symbol use,
- creative arts representation, and
- acquisition of social competence skills.
The CDP staff view children as individuals who grow and develop within the family and are committed to providing recognition and support to families through open communication and outreach initiatives. Sharing of information on each childs daily experiences, scheduling home and school visits, conducting bi-annual assessments of childrens development, holding annual parent conferences, family events, and linking families with resources in the community are some of the options provided to families enrolled at the CDP.
