About Our Program
Our Centers
The Child Development Program is part of the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education at the College of Education & Human Development.
We have two locations:
- Lanette L. Suttles Child Development Center
- Capitol Hill Child Enrichment Center
The centers play important roles in research efforts at the university:
- Support teacher education programs
- Students of different disciplines learn about young children through observation
- Students learn about young children through interaction and research
- A model of “best practice” for Georgia’s early learning professionals at all levels
Goals of the Child Development Program
Based on current learning and child development theories:
- Young children learn through play.
- Supportive environments allow children to grow and develop.
- Such environments encourages them to try new things and express their natural curiosity.
- Through play with appropriate materials and equipment, they learn about their world.
- Social skills increase as children interact with each other and with teachers.
Our trained professional staff assess children’s needs:
- They plan quality programs to meet those needs.
- Our teachers make their classrooms exciting places. Children develop to their full potential there.
- When programs are safe and non-competitive children thrive and grow in self-confidence.
- Our program serves families from many cultures. We respect their customs and traditions. Their presence enriches the program.
Staff Information
Our executive director is Stacey French-Lee, Ph.D. She oversees major activities such as budget and facilities.
Our associate director, Phyllis Kimbro takes care of the day-to-day operations. This includes supervision of staff.
Our classrooms all have lead teachers, assistant lead teachers and assistants. They are responsible for planning the daily schedule of activities.
Our lead teachers are professionals. They have backgrounds in early childhood education, child development or related fields.
Our assistant lead teachers and assistants have a variety of educational backgrounds. They also have years of experience working with young children.
Support staff at each center include:
- business manager
- curriculum coordinator
- resource coordinator
- pre-kindergarten director
- administrative assistant
- cook
On occasion, various departments throughout the university also assign interns to our programs.