Centers for Early Childhood Education

Framingham State University has a long history of supporting high quality early childhood education for preparing students to teach. In the fall of 1962, Hemenway Hall, a new classroom building at Framingham State College, was opened. Under the direction of the Home Economics Department, a child development lab, known at that time as the “Children’s Workshop”, was designed and built in the new building. The classroom was spacious with an observation booth in the adjoining classroom for students to observe and learn about child development and teaching young children. 

With a change in state regulations, early childhood education was shifted from Home Economics to a teaching license with oversight by the Massachusetts Department of Education. With this change in 1971, the Child Development Lab was transferred to our Education Department and continues to operate under the auspices of the College of Education and Social and Behavioral Sciences. The Child Development Lab offers excellent education and care in a school-day, school-year program. In 2006, the Child Development Lab was renamed to honor the memory of Dr. Jeanne M. Canelli, Framingham State College alumna, Child Development Lab Director, and Associate Professor in the Education Department.

In July 2015, the Framingham State University Early Childhood Center opened at 2 Church Street under the management of the College of Education and formed the current Centers for Early Childhood Education. Together, both preschool classrooms collaborate with our early childhood education initial teacher license programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels to offer a pre-practicum site on-campus where University students who are interested in learning about and teaching young children gain valuable experience and course credit. Students majoring in the Child and Family Studies major in the Education Department, who also want to work with children and families, put into practice coursework in both preschool classrooms. 

In 2021, the Centers for Early Childhood Education joined the Framingham Public Schools Partnerships for Early Learners (PEL). Both preschool classrooms sites for the PEL program to close the education gap in the City of Framingham.  The children of FSU faculty, staff, and students, PEL participants, and from surrounding communities are enrolled in our programs.

Today, the Jeanne M. Canelli Child Development Lab and Early Childhood Center continue to provide excellent preschool experiences to meet the changing needs of the families from the Framingham State University community as well as the greater Metro West area. Never static, the two classrooms of the Centers for Early Childhood Education carry on the tradition for offering an innovative, child-centered and integrated curriculum to meet the needs of every child enrolled in its programs.

Our curriculum emphasizes learning as an interactive process. The classroom environment in the Child Development Lab and Early Childhood Center is prepared for children to learn from active exploration and interactions with their peers and classroom materials. Children are encouraged to question, explore, and discover while developing self-confidence and social skills to succeed in school and in life. Together, the teachers, preschool children, and University students work and learn from each other to create a community of learners to enjoy and collaborate in discovering the world and to instill the foundation for life-long learning.

The curriculum is based on developmentally appropriate principles and practices to provide for the physical, emotional, social, language, literacy, and cognitive development of all children through an integrated approach. Play is the primary vehicle for the children’s learning and, thus, the cornerstone of our programs. 

Each classroom uses a centers approach to its organization. The children may make decisions about which centers they would like to visit each day. Our centers include writing, art, math, science, blocks, puzzles and games, dramatic play, library, listening center, and music. Reading and writing materials for the children to use throughout the classroom are available in the centers. The teachers and University students work with individual children and small groups at the centers to guide and support learning, exploration, and discovery. Whole class activities, such as a morning meeting and circle time, are included in the daily schedule.

The content of the curriculum is based on selected themes to follow the children’s interests and needs. Themes, curriculum units, and special activities are planned with attention to a wide range of developmental interests and abilities. The curriculum is implemented in a manner that reflects family home values, experiences, language, and community perspectives to enhance each child’s understanding and appreciation of people from various ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The Centers for Early Childhood Education follows the Massachusetts Guidelines for Preschool Experiences, Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, and National Association for the Education of Young Children guidelines to develop the curriculum, themes, and activities.

The Centers for Early Childhood Education welcomes parent and family participation in our programs. Parents are invited to volunteer any time during the year. Participation may involve leading an activity in a learning center, reading a story, or serving as a room parent or on the Advisory Board.  Parents and staff plan special events throughout the year for all children and families to enjoy.  Some of the special events held in the past have been literacy nights for children and their families, movie nights, children’s art shows, STEM or tinkering nights, open houses to welcome the new school year, class performances, and special affairs to celebrate a particular curriculum theme. 

Parental input is encouraged at all times.  This may be done through discussions, written notes, or during meetings and conferences with the teachers.  Parent-teacher conferences are held three times per school year: before school begins, mid-year, and at the end of the school year. During the spring semester, parents are asked to complete a questionnaire as part of the CECE’s annual program evaluation.  Information from the questionnaire will be used to update the Centers for Early Childhood Education programs, policies, and procedures.