Center for Young Children (CYC)

Philosophy

The Center for Young Children is dedicated to providing an exemplary early childhood program and is committed to fostering each child's continued growth and development cognitively, physically, emotionally, and socially. Since children learn best through active involvement, the CYC provides an enriched, stimulating, and safe environment that encourages exploration and experimentation. Children are guided to ask questions, form hypotheses, solve problems, and express themselves creatively. Teachers at the CYC respect and understand each child's uniqueness.

Assurance of Excellence

The Center for Young Children has achieved national accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. This organization recognizes outstanding early childhood programs that meet and exceed national standards of quality.

The Center is licensed by the Office of Early Childhood within the Maryland State Department of Education. The kindergarten program is state-certified and complies with standards for such programs in public institutions.

Statement of Inclusion

At the Center for Young Children, we are committed to the inclusion of all children and their families in our high-quality early childhood environment. We believe that inclusion is a right, and therefore we foster social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development in a safe and supportive community. Our general and special education teachers provide curriculum and experiences that actively engage children to emphasize individual growth. We value partnerships with families and outside service providers so that, through a team approach, we ensure that each child meets their full potential. We welcome a diverse community for the benefit of all children at the CYC.

Professional Development

In keeping with the CYC's mission, undergraduate students in UMD's early childhood/ early childhood special education dual-degree program are placed at the school for various practicum experiences. Their ongoing presence acknowledges the CYC's strong teacher training component.

Additionally, CYC faculty participate in many off-campus professional development activities. The CYC also hosts institutes and workshops for both its own faculty and other area professionals.

Assessment

The CYC uses the Work Sampling System developed by Samuel Meisels. The components are performance assessment, developmental guidelines and checklists, portfolio collection, and summary reports. The Work Sampling System is based on seven learning domains: Personal and Social, Language and Literacy, Mathematical Thinking, Scientific Thinking, Social Studies, and The Arts. These learning domains align with the Maryland State Learning Standards.

• The structure of the CYC curriculum accommodates the performance assessment aspect of Work Sampling. Our teachers are experts at collecting anecdotal records during children’s work time, meeting time, and everyday activities such as outdoor play and mealtime. These assessment notes identify children's strengths and weaknesses and inform teachers of group trends. Therefore, this assessment data informs instruction for the individual and the group.
   
• An important aspect of performance assessment is done with digital photography that captures children’s learning, interests, and abilities. Teachers collect hundreds of images for each child, organized by learning domain. This documentation then becomes part of a comprehensive digital portfolio that addresses the development of the whole child.
   
• Families are provided summary reports and digital portfolios that demonstrate children’s growth and development. These reports are organized by learning domain and include specific examples of children’s growth, as shown through the anecdotal and digital documentation collected.

History

The Center for Young Children traces its origins to the University of Maryland Kindergarten established in 1948 by Edna Belle McNaughton. In 1965, an expanded nursery-kindergarten program moved to the new College of Education building. The Center followed the academic University calendar, training student teachers and conducting research to understand how children learn and develop. In September 1993, the University opened a new facility located near Elkton Hall to continue and expand the mission of the Center.

2008 marked the Center for Young Children's 60th anniversary. To commemorate this event, Director Dr. Favretto and Assistant Director Anne Daniel researched the history and commissioned four large panels for display at the Center. Follow this link to view the History Panels (14 MB).