What a year it has been! Due to the global pandemic, and the subsequent safety of all, our college and the Children’s School were closed down and we received our instruction remotely through Zoom. Now that immunizations are happening, some of us are looking forward to returning to campus in the Fall, for others, the future is not so sure.
The Children’s School, which is connected to QCC’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) program, has been completely closed down through to this semester, “to ensure safety, we are not accepting children Spring 21” Josh Marin, a QCC spokesperson, stated last year to reporters. The closing has created uncertainty to children, parents, students and teachers. The Coordinator of the ECE Department, Greg E. Mullaney stated during our phone interview, that the recent anticipation of the Children’s School re-opening for the Fall 21 semester is “tentative due to recertification.”
The Children’s School was founded in 1972 with the purpose of supporting the ECE program of study at Quinsigamond Community College. For 49 years it has been serving our community with great success leading the way in the field of education. Mullaney mentioned that the School has “collaborated with Head Start, WPI and Young Mathematicians to conduct research.” QCC is a leader with an on-campus lab school. According to the T&G Sun Dec 28 2014, The Children’s School is the first pre-school in the state to receive a level 4 rating from QRIS (Mass Quality Rating and Improvement System).
The Children’s School provides an opportunity for “students to receive high quality support as they watch and learn from training teachers that set a model for them to follow” Mullaney told me, “where students are able to observe and learn in a more developed program than in a typical center.”
Benefits to Students
Theory into practice
• Students met their 150 practicum hours observing in the Children’s School one day a week
• In the Fall semester, they observe Developmentally Appropriate Practices
• In the Spring semester, they take on a more active role in the child-initiated program
ECE students through their practicum in the Children’s School acquire:
• Leadership Skills,
• Class Management
• Team Work
• Practice under a teacher in a quality setting
Benefits to the Children enrolled are
• An advanced curriculum including:
• Developmentally Appropriate Practice
• A Child Initiated Program
• Hands on learning
• Open-ended questions
• STEM - laying a foundation for scientific and mathematical thinking
• Inquiry-based problem solving
• Brain Building
• An inclusive program to accommodate the special needs and diversity of the children in our community
Benefits to the ECE program at QCC and the community
According to The Q, “The School sets a model for others to follow and so raise the standards of ECE for the whole field.” The parents have peace of mind = the children have the best learning environment = parents improve life = children receive a supportive start = strengthened community.
The Children’s School also benefits other fields of study as they observe and interact with the children in relation to their respective fields, such as:
• Nursing
• Psychology
• Occupational therapy
About the future of The Children’s School, Mullaney answered my questions with “the tract to re-open in September is tentative as the Children’s School is in process of being recertified” and making adjustments to meet new standards of safety. And so “we don’t know what the footprint will be like in the fall.”
As we move forward into the Fall 21 semester, it will be interesting to watch and see how this half century old Children’s School and the ECE Program here at QCC will continue to lead the way into the future of Early Childhood Education and continue benefiting our community in its innovative way.
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