NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Leah Jackson (jacksonl@nsula.edu)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

8/28/2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES -The Marie Shaw Dunn Child Development Center at Northwestern State University has received accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The center was commended for providing a high-quality program for young children and families.

"Programs seeking NAEYC accreditation are measured against national standards of quality that go well beyond state health and safety licensing requirements," said Dr. Patricia Pierson, head of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, which oversees the CDC. "The accreditation criteria address all aspects of an early childhood education program, including teacher qualifications and development, child-to-teacher ratios, curriculum, and health and safety."

CDC staff member Janna Maggio took the lead in preparing the extensive self-study and was assisted by staff members Marsha Bernard, Karen Winn, and CDC Director Cheryl McBride.

The Marie Shaw Dunn Child Development Center was established as the university's Nursery School in 1935, as the first university laboratory preschool in Louisiana and has a long and rich history. The teaching philosophy at the CDC is to help children develop basic skills, encourage a working understanding of concepts, and stimulate facility with language use and communication. The program combines exploration and discovery, opportunities for making choices, an atmosphere for order, and interaction with people and materials that support the growth of the child's positive self-image.

"The CDC is unique in Natchitoches because of the dual role it plays," Maggio said. "While providing a developmentally appropriate early childhood experience for preschoolers, it also has the responsibility of being the laboratory experience for university students. The center is always evolving by combining new and old techniques to provide all students with a high quality education. We are always searching for the best way to give every child a positive preschool experience."

The center's accreditation is valid through 2011. There are currently 45 three- and four-year-old students enrolled at the CDC. Staff members have a combined 47 years experience.

"This is an outstanding achievement for an exemplary program," Pierson said. "The CDC has always been a model program and now it has received the national recognition that it truly deserves. I am extremely proud of the CDC staff for this significant accomplishment and on behalf of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, I appreciate all their hard work to make this accreditation a reality."

Main Menu