Human Development & Family Studies | Michigan State University

The MSU Child Development Laboratories (CDL) offers programming to children eighteen months to five years of age. We offer half-day academic year preschool as well as full-day, year-round preschool. The CDL is operated in East Lansing's Central School and Haslett's Wilkshire Early Childhood Center by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

The CDL is a partner with the family in the educational experience. Students, faculty members, and families all benefit from these shared activities, learning from one another and working together for the well-being of the children.

The CDL provides a learning environment for both preschool children and MSU students. University faculty, staff and students perform research at the CDL. Students learn about child development, strategies for supporting children's social interactions, and methods of developing interesting and appropriate learning activities. These students, under the guidance of departmental faculty members, become team members in planning and carrying out valuable and interesting educational experiences for children. In providing the highest quality programming for children and families, faculty members also create an exemplary learning experience for college students.

Elementary Education or Special Education Certified Teachers may complete their required number of hours for the Early Childhood Endorsement or ZA in the Child Development Laboratories.  The hours are completed in a condensed time frame in the latter part of the summer.  Please go to the Early Childhood Endorsement or ZA section of the website for a schedule of courses.

The MSU CDL serves children and families by providing a play-based curriculum influenced by such theorists as Vygotsky, Piaget, and Bronfenbrenner. We are able to provide a developmentally appropriate curriculum designed to promote development of the whole child. We do this by addressing development in six domains: aesthetic, affective, cognition, language/communication, physical, and social. Our programs provide a continuity of interaction across classrooms through the use of social guidance techniques. The CDL welcomes children and families representing many languages, countries of origin, income levels, family structures, and ability levels. We value families as experts on their own children and collaborate with families to develop individually appropriate goals for children within the context of the classroom community. Families will find outstanding support from our staff as they learn to be advocates for their children through our programs.

All Head Teachers in the Child Development Laboratories use the same curriculum as the basis for instruction in the classroom. The curriculum was developed here at Michigan State University, over a period of years, by teachers and faculty in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. It has achieved national recognition and is currently the model for several other early childhood programs across the state.

The curriculum is divided into six domains, which are:

• Aesthetics
• Affective
• Cognition
• Physical
• Social
• Language/Communication

Every week, teachers plan a variety of activities and experiences corresponding to all six domains. Although, we realize that no one facet of development can be isolated from the rest, we believe that purposeful planning for each domain results in a more comprehensive approach to instruction. Moreover, we can achieve consistency in application from classroom to classroom that contributes to the positive growth of children as they move through the program. Simultaneously, classroom individuality is maintained because each teacher brings his/her own special emphasis and understanding of development to its implementation. Thus, while we all share common goals, application of the curriculum is personalized and tailored to meet the needs of individual classes and children. Looked at individually, these six domains represent major facets of child development. Construction and pretend play are the processes by which these facets are integrated. Taken together, the entire array represents the "whole" child.