Section 3:
Demonstration Schools (KDES and MSSD)
CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER
The Child Development Center is an accredited campus child care center,
started in 1984. CDC serves preschool and kindergarten children and their
families who work and study at Gallaudet, University alumni parents, the
deaf community and the general metropolitan area community. The Child
Development Center is a 12-month program which has a special 8-week summer
program that serves children up to age 10. The Center is accredited by
the National Academy of Accredited Programs, a division of the National
Association for the Education of Young Children.
A major component of CDC is the Child Development Center-Kendall Demonstration
Elementary School (CDC-KDES) Integrated Preschool Model which is designed
to supplement and complement the intensive and specialized programming
provided by KDES for deaf and hard of hearing children and their families.
This early child care program, based in the Kendall School building, employs
deaf and hearing teachers and staff and provides programming for children
on a part-time or full-time basis depending upon the individual needs
of the child and family. Since 1988, CDC has been serving deaf, hard of
hearing and hearing toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners in an integrated
child care program.
CDC works closely with Gallaudet undergraduate and graduate students
as a practicum and internship site. The students come from various instructional
departments on campus: Education, Family and Consumer Studies, Social
Work, Drama, Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, as well as from
the Gallaudet Career Center. CDC is also a volunteer and practicum site
for high school students from MSSD and other local high schools.
From 1994 through 1996, the CDC managed a three-year outreach grant
from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services. Project
Access ("Access for All: Collaboration for Comprehensive Child Care
for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and their Families") linked
programs and agencies serving deaf and hard of hearing children and their
families with child care programs in their communities. This project was
based on the highly successful CDC-KDES Integrated Preschool Model. Exemplary
Programs and Research (EPAR) conducted an evaluation of the project in
1998.
For more information about the Child Development Center contact:
Gail Solit, Coordinator of Early Childhood Programs
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
Gallaudet University
800 Florida Ave. NE
Washington, DC 20002
Gail.Solit@gallaudet.edu
Related Resources on the Internet
Reflections on the Reggio Emilia Approach
ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education
ERIC/EECE Electronic Discussion Groups
ECEOL-L: Early Childhood Education On-Line mailing list
ECENET-L: Early childhood education/young children (0-8)
ReadyWeb: Resources for Parents and Educators from ERIC
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