As the Child Study Center moves beyond its first anniversary in newly renovated facilities, the program has been quite busy with a variety of projects. Further renovations have been completed in all areas of the program. Beautiful walls with decorative windows have been built in each room of the Infant, Toddler, and Early Learning programs. This addition has enhanced the physical environment as well as facilitated the building of relationships between the children and teaching staff. Improvements and renovations to the outdoor play areas are also underway, with completion scheduled for mid-spring.

    This year, the Child Study Center and the Little Buccaneers Student Childcare Center participated in the state of Tennessee’s Star Quality rated licensing system. This voluntary program is another part of the state’s comprehensive plan to provide more information to parents and improve the quality of childcare. Department of Human Services licensing counselors, using information in seven different areas, rated the early childhood programs. The seven areas were rated with one, two, or three stars and averaged to determine the overall Star Quality Rating. Both the Child Study Center and Little Bucs were awarded the highest Three-Star Quality Rating!

    Child Study Center Programs continue to enjoy the benefits of a number of state and federal grant projects. The Center was selected as an Infant-Toddler Model Site Program for the state of Tennessee last year. As one of nine Model Sites across the state, an administrator and six members of the Infant-Toddler teaching staff participated in four one-week training sessions. The training, from West Ed’s Program for Infant-Toddler Caregivers (PITC), focused on continuity of care or “looping,” primary care giving, and responsive care. The Child Study Center program is open to childcare providers from the region to visit and observe appropriate, quality childcare practices for children from birth through age 3.

      A grant from the Tennessee Department of Education entitled “Supportive Opportunities for All Children” (SOAC) is in its third year in the Child Study Center. This provides early childhood education for 3- and 4-year-old children who are educationally at-risk. Twenty children are served within the four preschool classrooms with “hands-on” experiences, creative problem-solving opportunities, and project work in a nurturing, literacy-rich environment.

      Both the Child Study Center and Little Bucs were awarded a U.S. Department of Education Grant entitled Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS). Since 1999, Little Bucs has been able to support low-income student parents by providing quality childcare  with a sliding fee scale for services, for their children while they attend academic classes or work on campus.

      The grant also provides Parent Education Training Sessions, a Family Resource Library, and brochures pertaining to the part-time student childcare services, to be distributed throughout campus. Awarded in 2001, the CCAMPIS grant for the Child Study Center provides a sliding fee for tuition for student parents. A Family Support Specialist has been added to the staff to work with families from both childcare programs. The vision for this team member is to continue the building of relationships between the teaching staff and families. If families request specific information or identify particular needs, the Family Support Specialist can address those requests and help determine how the program can assist.

      Associated with the ETSU College of Education, the early childhood programs provide a laboratory environment for over 300 students each year. Students from various university programs such as Pediatrics, Nursing, Communicative Disorders, Physical Therapy, Motor Development, Special Education, Early Childhood Education, and others complete class assignments, observations, field placements, or assessments with the children and families enrolled at the Child Study Center and Little Bucs. Occupational Therapy students from Milligan College in Johnson City are also invited to fulfill class requirements in the programs. The amount of time spent by students in the centers ranges from one hour to as many as 135 hours per semester, depending on academic requirements.

      The centers also employ students on a part-time basis to support the full-time teaching staff. Students are able to work as temporary university employees, Graduate Assistants, Academic Performance Scholars, or Federal Work Study employees. Little Bucs and the Child Study Center currently employ approximately 109 students. These students not only perform specific tasks in the classrooms related to care giving, they are also mentored by the teaching staff as to appropriate and effective ways of working with young children and their families.

      When visitors come into either of the early childhood programs, comments are often made about the energy, the excitement, and the sounds of children. As children grow, discover, and express themselves, the “noise” can be heard throughout the building. The programs have been described as places where “there is never a dull moment!” For the children and families served and for the teachers and students who spend their days here, what a wonderful learning adventure it is!