Winter 2002 Feature

PMC’s Child Study Center Focuses on Growth

by Jean Prescott, Director

At Pine Manor College’s Ann Pappajohn Vassilliou Child Study Center, the daily focus has always been centered on growth. The emphasis on fostering the optimal development of the young children enrolled in the early childhood program shares top billing with supporting the growth of the Pine Manor students who spend time at the “lab” school learning about child development.

The Child Study Center’s vibrant atmosphere and positive energy are often a factor that prospective students who visit the campus comment on. Past PMC students frequently reflect on what they learned while spending time here and the role that the Child Study Center played in their future career decisions. Four PMC alumnae—Leah Kosasky, Rinear Thatcher, Gertrude Grandchamps, and Christine Edwards—are currently employed here as teachers and are in regular contact with numerous other graduates who are now working in the field. Just recently the Brookline Tab reported very positively about a child-oriented business started by one of our alumnae who had spent many hours at the Child Study Center. We called to say, “Hello,” and to request some brochures about her business for our parents. Her heartwarming response was, “You mean the CSC didn’t already do enough for me while I was there?” I guess that says it all!

As we discuss the topic of growth at the Child Study Center, it has been interesting to note that even though our students (both big and small) eventually move on to other adventures, fond memories of their experiences at the CSC linger on. We often hear from the parents of our past children who, since venturing forth to their next school experiences, have a new appreciation of the program quality that their child experienced while at the Child Study Center. Families often return to visit, and past children enjoy coming to school to “help” during school vacations. We have one family, the Shapiros, (Steven, Susan, Sara, and Ethan) who have personally taken over the planting and maintaining of our flower boxes three or four times a year even though their youngest child finished attending the CSC several years ago. Our most long-term “returnees” are Andrew and David Beams, sons of Mahala and Richard Beams, both of whom are Pine Manor faculty members. Andrew and David both attended the Child Study Center as young children and then have volunteered time helping in the classrooms during school vacations while in high school. Both have also been employees in our annual summer camp program.

This year the Child Study Center has initiated the process of working toward accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the national professional association for early childhood educators. Its accreditation process will provide us with an in-depth assessment of the quality of all aspects of our program, and this accreditation will give the center a nationally recognized stamp of excellence. Once achieved, accreditation must be renewed every two years. The CSC is currently in the “self-study” phase of this complex process. We expect to request a validation visit in the spring of 2002. Achievement of accreditation at that time will be an additional positive factor that will be supportive of PMC’s scheduled New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accreditation visit in the spring of 2003.