The Burrier Child Development Center opened during the 1975-76 EKU school term under the guidance of Ms. Willie Moss. The nursery program was created for three year old children and served as a professional development laboratory for Two Year Child Care and Four Year Child and Family Studies majors. The program was intended to be a complementary component of the nursery program for four year old children and kindergarten program for five year olds at Model Laboratory School. Originally, the program was designed to serve students as well as faculty and staff of the Eastern Kentucky University community. At that time, the program operated a morning program only. However, the demand for the program prompted the addition of a two-day afternoon program in 1984-85. In addition, the program was given permission to serve students, EKU faculty and staff, and families in the Madison County community.

The Center was accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, a division of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, during the 1987-88 school year; and it was reaccredited in 1990, 1993, 1996, and 2000. The center was evaluated on 150 criteria in the following areas: Interactions among staff and children, curriculum, staff and parent interactions, administration, staff qualifications, and development, staffing patterns, physical environment, health and safety, nutrition and food service, and program evaluation. The Center staff, students, and family participants in the program engage in a self-study process to determine the degree to which criterion is met. Then, program participants work together to implement plans for increasing the quality of criterion identified to be partially met or not met.

Also, the Center was licensed by the Kentucky Cabinet for Human Resources in 1987-88 to comply with Kentucky state minimal child care requirements. Annually, the Center is reviewed by a Kentucky Surveyor, Cabinet for Health Service, who observes the degree to which the regulations are met. The Center has maintained its licensure as a Type I facility each year since the initial license was acquired.

Changes in early childhood education brought about new opportunities for the Center. In the early 1990's, the Kentucky Department of Education began to implement programs for “at risk” four year old children in public schools. As part of this initiative the Burrier program was identified as a “Resource Classroom” providing a model for an appropriate early childhood environment.

Near the same time (1991-92), a new option in the Child and Family Studies major, Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education, was added and required a minor in Special Education. To help students prepare for work with more diverse populations of young children, the Center began to serve children eligible for the three year old Madison County public school program and continued to engage in this service for approximately three years.

In the fall of 1991 the Madison County classroom of the Child Development Center of the Bluegrass began to share space with the Burrier Child Development Center. The two programs began to initiate the practice of integration in which children were temporally, socially, and instructively sharing a meaningful amount of time in either setting (some Burrier children voluntarily participating in the Child Development Center of the Bluegrass classroom and some CDC of the Bluegrass children participating in the Burrier classroom) during independent choice and outdoor playtime. The contact with the CDC of the Bluegrass ended in summer of 2003.

During the academic year of 2006-2007, the Burrier Child Development Center became a Four STAR Rated center, one of only ten in the state, by the state of Kentucky’s Quality Rating System. This system uses a scale of 1 through 4 STARS to identify levels of quality.  All STAR levels surpass the minimum licensing requirements, that all programs must meet.  Early care and education programs work to meet standards associated with quality care that result in positive outcomes for young children. Programs are assessed in the following areas:  staff/child ratios, group size, curriculum, parent involvement, training/education of staff, regulatory compliance, and personnel practices. 

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Teachers trust young children to engage in learning because they are motivated by their natural curiosity about people, materials, places, and events that make up their immediate environment. In keeping with the tenets of Piaget's theory of intellectual development and Montessori's philosophy about the development and learning of young children, we believe that young children learn through their play with sensorial materials and sensorimotor experiences to construct their own conceptual framework of knowledge. Therefore, the teacher facilitates and supports children's learning opportunities by planning a classroom environment with designated centers equipped with many concrete and interactive materials such as unit blocks, sensorial materials, puzzles, real tools for woodworking, musical instruments, loose parts (leaves, rocks, shells, tubing, funnels, tape measure, egg cartons, boxes, etc,), puppets, flannel board stories, miniature objects, sound discrimination cylinders, pink tower, etc.

According to Loris Malaguzzi (Reggio approach to early childhood education), young children are "co-creators" of the classroom curriculum and are avid "investigators" who speculate as well as compose hypotheses about their observations of people, objects, and events. They are capable of expressing their ideas, questions, and hypotheses through various artistic media such as clay, drawings, paintings, collage work, shadow play, puppetry and dramatizations, construction projects, photography, and writing. We incorporate project work, adapted from the early childhood programs in Reggio Emilia, Italy, to provide opportunities for young children to investigate or explore their own questions, to implement problem solving, to evaluate their ideas and plans with other children, and to increase their modes of creative process as they express their mental pictures and ideas about how things work or how things occur. Adults in the environment provide guided instruction (scaffold) children's experiences with materials and interactions with others.

Perpetuating the view of Lev Vygotsky, we believe that young children's construction of knowledge is a socially-mediated process. We provide small group experiences, circle time, and project work as opportunities for young children to practice communication skills in conversing with others, negotiating, perspective-taking, problem-solving, using questions to provoke thinking, and expressing feelings as well as conveying ideas.

Recognizing the work of Howard Gardner who focuses on "multiple intelligences," we provide a variety of materials and experiences for young children to express individual learning style and to utilize different modalities of learning. We offer diverse avenues for individuals to express their native intelligence -- naturalistic, linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical,bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. We concur with Gardner's belief that "just as we have our own personali-ties, we each possess our own gifts or ways of solving problems within our worlds."

Utilizing Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, we believe the period of early childhood is a time for the child to develop a sense of trust, acquire a sense of independence, and demonstrate initiative. We create an atmosphere within the classroom that reflects caring for all children and acceptance of individual capabilities. We provide a sense of security and trust by defining and maintaining a predictable schedule of activities with daily routines for optimal health, psychological safety and physical safety. We support family members in their role as parents and in fulfillment of responsibilities to meet the needs of their young children.

Within the family are young children's first and most importantteachers. We believe that our center staff and family members work together to create a program that truly reflects the lives of our children, families, staff, and community. In order to operationalize our belief, we make every effort to be culturally responsive by affirming human differences and by respecting the rights of participants to make choices about their own lifestyle. We seek to recognize, appreciate, and respect the uniqueness of each child and, in doing so, ensure that the child's positive regard for self and others is observed.

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Within the family are young children’s first and most important teachers. We believe that our center staff and family members work together to create a program that truly reflects the lives of our children, families, staff, and community. In order to operationalize our belief, we make every effort to be culturally responsive by affirming human differences and by respecting the rights of participants to make choices about their own lifestyle. We seek to recognize, appreciate, and respect the uniqueness of each child and, in doing so, ensure that the child’s positive regard for self and others is observed.

We believe that the environment is an auxiliary teacher or as proponents of the Reggio approach to early education state "the third teacher." In preparing the classroom, the teacher and staff utilize a design that invites young children to become engaged in learning activities, to sustain focus or attention to activity, to demonstrate independence in decision making, and to initiate as well as maintain social interaction. They arrange the centers and accessories (culturally meaningful and reflective of children's background) with aesthetic appeal. Centers commonly available are block and construction, discovery, dramatic play, games and puzzles, books, computer, communication, art, sensory, food preparation and snack, music and movement, and large motor. Child-sized tables, chairs, shelves, water fountain, and bathroom facilities promote independent behaviors. Real materials and concrete objects help children form mental images necessary for cognitive development and participate in active learning. A well-organized environment with clearly defined learning centers, appropriately stocked with materials and tools for varying abilities, helps young children practice independence and self-control. Displays of children's paintings, pictures, dictated stories and messages, block constructions, and other creative project work reflect the value of a child-centered environment.

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Play is a need of every child. Children virtually overflow with all the prerequisites for play...a vast reservoir of energy and curiosity, exceedingly new experiences, ripe ideas, and a rich supply of imagination that pours forth freely as a constant stream of activity... play is an important childhood activity that helps children master all developmental needs (p. 261).

Maxim, G. (1989). The very young: Guiding children from infancy through the early years (3rd ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill.

We believe that play is essential for young children's healthy growth and development. Therefore, large blocks of time are defined to facilitate children's engagement in play. Many learning centers with plenteous materials and equipment are available to support children's initiative in the selection of play activity. Through these learning opportunities, children play to make sense of their world, develop social skills and interactional savvy, symbolize their thoughts and feelings, solve real problems with materials and people, develop language and literacy skills, and exercise motor skills, both small and large. Ultimately, play in the lives of young children enhances self-esteem and promotes competence. Play is young children's most powerful vehicle for positive growth, development, and learning!

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Creative, emergent, and collaborative are key words associated with the process of developing and experiencing curriculum in ourcenter. Creative reflects the inventive and imaginative nature of young children; it offers numerous avenues by which young children can express their ideas and investigate their questions. Creative signifies that the process of learning is open-ended, divergent (not everyone learns the same thing at the same time in one group, facts are not "transmitted" from an adult, the range of information is not confined to "academics," and the expression of achievement is not the "right answer"). Emergent focuses on the current interests and learning opportunities available from children, families, staff and community events. Emergent means that planning "what" happens in the classroom evolves from the life of the participants. It conveys flexibility and genuine interest in children's ability to think and contributes to relevant learning, eliminating trivia and cutesy stuff. Collaborative emphasizes that all participants (teachers, children and families) share responsibility in planning, organizing, and implementing meaningful opportunities for young children to learn. It suggests that ample time is required for reflection on children's exploration and expression of ideas or thoughts by children and teaching staff. Review and discussion of children's participation provides clues about the direction of involvement, the kinds of materials needed for symbolizing ideas, and the type of adult or peer support needed to extended participation. We work together to create interesting and worthwhile learning experiences with young children and their families.

Webbing is a process we use with staff and children to learn "what" participants currently know about topics, questions, or themes. It is helpful in providing opportunities for us to see the relationships or interconnectedness of our ideas and thoughts. Webbing promotes flexibility and originality in learning to think; it sets the stage for brainstorming and spontaneity. In addition, webbing is a way to record the development of concepts as well as progress in the avenues of expression we select to show how our ideas, plans, or thoughts go together. It is an expedient process for assessing the learning opportunities available to young children; and, to acquire a picture of how plans contribute to the development of the whole child. Examples of children's growth of knowledge via webbing.

Helm, J., Beneke, S., & Steinheimer, K. (1998). Using windows on learning. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Project Work is a significant aspect of programming with young children. All projects involve the process of investigation or exploration of questions, topics, or ideas (may include use of library, internet, field trips or resource people, and experimentation with materials as well as designs). It includes forms of symbolizing ideas through creative expression such as art techniques, creative movement and dramatic play, music, block building and construction. Project work acquaints children with many techniques for documentation of the questions or hypotheses and investigation from beginning to end (taking pictures, using the computer, video taping, audio recording, drawing, etc.). Project work is scheduled during independent choice time so children will have access to many materials located in the numerous learning centers and so they will have ample time to explore. Examples of questions or topics include--"Do grasshoppers hop or fly?" "How do fish float?" "How do you make the color orange?" "How does your elbow bend?" "Is nighttime a big shadow?" or "Feathers, wings and flight," "Bread, bread, bread," "Places we live," etc. Not all children work on the same project; children who have interest in similar topics or questions become involved in project work. Some children will participate in the learning centers exploring and creating with the materials available for them. Keep in mind that young children will gradually become familiar with project work. Over time they will develop the appropriate techniques for sustained involvement as well as various forms for expressing and symbolizing their ideas.

Documentation is the use of various techniques (photos, drawings, video and audio recordings, computer descriptions, etc.) to record children's participation with materials, events, and people during learning center time, indoor and outdoor, or during project work. Documentation boards will be created to show children's progress from the beginning of a project to the termination of their efforts to investigate, collect information, test their hypotheses, and symbolize their thoughts and ideas. Hopefully, documentation will tell a story about the developing stages of children's thinking, re/cognizing, reinventing, and problem solving during the investigation of a topic or interest. Importantly, documentation will provide a stimulus for children and adults to revisit experiences for clarification, further investigation from a different perspective, and examination of processes utilized to explore the topic or the question.

Culminating Events bring a point of closure to phases of project work. They offer a time to celebrate with family and community children's fascinating efforts to investigate a topic or interest and to symbolize their ideas creatively with concrete materials

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