Karen Slattery Educational Research Center for Child Development
Mission
The Karen Slattery Educational Research Center for Child Development is a lab school
for children from birth to five years of age. It is affiliated with the College
of Education’s Family Early Childhood Education at Florida Atlantic
University. Located on FAU’s Boca Raton campus, the center’s mission is:
- To help young children grow intellectually, socially and emotionally in a learning
environment that nurtures and supports optimal development.
- To provide a lab school for teacher education students, with an educational philosophy
that is inclusive and intends to address the needs of all children whose development
represents a range of abilities and learning styles.
- To promote research in early childhood education, child development and related
disciplines.
- To serve as a fieldwork site for nursing, science and other FAU students and faculty.
- To provide a model of best practice in early childhood education for the wider educational
community.
The Karen Slattery Center, which serves approximately 100 children, is accredited
by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and follows
NAEYC Developmentally Appropriate practices, based on current research and theory
in child development and curriculum. Additionally, the Karen Slattery Center has
been awarded a 4 Star Rating in Palm Beach County’s Quality Improvement System.
The center’s staff works as a collaborative team, continuously revising and creating
an enriched “project approach” integrated curriculum. Classroom projects are designed
to enrich each group’s developmental levels and interests. Curriculum projects empower
children to become independent thinkers and creative problem solvers, and to learn
academic and social skills through investigation and discovery. The “project approach”
correlates with the latest research on brain development and early literacy learning.
Classroom projects meet children’s needs through group and individualized activities
and outdoor and indoor experiences, which stimulate investigation in the areas of
language and literature, music and movement, expressive arts, block building, dramatic
play, science, woodworking and cooking. The program incorporates the Florida Sunshine
Standards and is carefully structured to enhance children’s self-esteem and to develop
pre-reading and pre-mathematics skills.
As a lab school for the College of Education, the Karen Slattery Center is a demonstration
and fieldwork site for students enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree
programs. FAU faculty, students and teachers also conduct research at the center
to advance scholarship and innovation in early childhood education and related fields
of study. The Center provides diverse learning opportunities by maintaining an equal
balance of boys and girls from varying cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Priority
enrollment is given to FAU students, faculty, staff and Research Development Park
employees. Visit www.coe.fau.edu/erccd to register online or contact Lydia Bartram,
Director, at (561)297-0130 or by email lbartram@fau.edu.
