About Us - CLC Mission
The CLC Mission…University, Children, Parents, and Families
As a member of the Shawnee State University community, the Children's Learning Center has been providing for the health, well-being, and education of preschool children from SSU and the surrounding community since it opened in 1999. Degreed teachers and full time university students in degree-track programs offer their dedication, innovation, and diverse programming to create a nurturing, safe, and inspirational environment for children so university students can focus on academic goals and parents in general can focus on life.
Shawnee State University refers to itself as Southern Ohio's "Dream Machine." As a contributing and valued member of this institution, our Center's mission is to help parents dream dreams for their (our) preschool children and launch them into lifelong learning. It may even be that they will return to their alma mater when they are ready for an equally rich higher education experience!
As a lab school and member of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) approved Department of Teacher Education, our staff embraces the department's mission of "preparing learner-centered inquiring professionals." This mission will be carried forth by degreed teachers and teaching assistants. The result is a rich experience in which learning occurs on two levels: university and preschool students are scaffolding their learning in an academically rich, professional learning community.
The Center benefits the university community in a number of ways:
Academic Support: The CLC is an important resource for SSU students enrolled in two-year and four-year early childhood programs. Pre-service teachers observe and interact with the children as part of their required coursework. The same is true for allied health and social science programs. Clinical work may consist of field placements, practicums, or internships in a specified area of study.
Community Resource: As a community resource, the CLC may be the only point of contact for many who otherwise would have no contact with Shawnee State University. In addition to SSU students, it is not uncommon to encounter students from Ohio University Chillicothe, OU Southern, Rio Grande, etc. Multiple agencies partner with and benefit from the services and research-based practices of the CLC including local school districts, joint vocational school training programs, and multi-county and tri-state agencies committed to young children.
As an early childhood provider, the CLC mission is a working family partnership. Recognizing parents as the most important teachers in their child's lives is central to helping children reach their optimal potential. In this partnership, parents are not only welcome to observe their children anytime; they are encouraged to be active volunteers at the CLC. Weekly newsletters describe special activities, projects, and field trips; parents receive daily notes home offering a running record of their child's progress; and through access to the web cam, children can be a part of their family's life from virtually anywhere.
Vision
As a model site for university students majoring in early childhood education, the CLC bases its practices on sound research and innovative program implementation according to NCATE and the National Association for the Education of Young Children accreditation standards.
The vision of impacting pre-service and practicing early childhood professionals is not confined to Shawnee State University. It is broad-based and encompasses future generations of teachers and children as we anticipate the far-reaching effects of the program.
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