Early Childhood Development Center, a hidden jewel in Southeast Texas
7/13/2007
Nearly three decades after Lamar University’s Early Childhood Development Center opened its doors in February 1978, the center is still touching the lives of children, parents and teachers.
Efforts to open a child care center on the Lamar campus began in the fall of 1973 with a request for a day care center by the Beaumont Branch of the American Association of University Women. After several proposals to President John Gray and other executives and faculty members, the Baby Redbird Day School opened its doors in February 1978 with an enrollment of 30 children, a full staff and 25 student volunteers.
In the fall of 1986, the facility was renovated and reopened as part of the College of Education and Human Development. The new facility, called the Lamar University Early Childhood Development Center, had a mission to provide high-quality care for the children of university students, faculty and staff that still holds true today.
Since the center reopened in 1986, the program has grown substantially in services provided and now includes a preschool program for children 3 and 4 years of age in addition to quality child care services for children 18 months to 4 years.
The goal of the center is to provide an individualized, developmental program for each child they serve, but the parents who have experienced what the program has to offer say it has done much more than that for their children and for them.
Margaret Swope, a Beaumont native and now of Sour Lake, was appointed director of the Early Childhood Development Center in April of this year, but before she
was in charge, Swope was a parent at the center.
“All of my children have been through the program at Lamar, and I would not send them any other place in town,” Swope said. “I did not think twice about dropping my children off here because I always knew they were in the best of care.”
Swope’s older children, Natalie, Chapman, and Abigail, all went through the program at the center, and her youngest daughter, Catherine, will be in pre-kindergarten 2 in the fall.
“My children have all been well-prepared for kindergarten after they went through the child care and education programs,” Swope said. “Both programs are very strong.”
Swope said being a parent at the center has had a positive impact on her being director. As a parent, one of the most important things to her is the security of her children, which she found in procedures at the center.
Another aspect of the center that impressed Swope as both a parent and director is the intelligence and the dedication of the teachers and staff.
“The talent at the center is incredible. The teachers are creative, and they have a lot of pride,” Swope said. “A lot of these teachers have been here for many years, and that says a lot about the dedication and commitment they have to creating a positive environment for the children in this area and for the faculty and students of the university.”
Swope succeeded Dr. Frances Droddy, an Orange native and the director of the center for more than 25 years.
The new director received a bachelor’s degree in vocational home economics from Stephen F. Austin State University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Lamar. She has taught in the public school system for many years and has owned her own day care center.
According to its philosophy and curriculum, the Early Childhood Development Center is committed to the belief that children can reach their highest potential in a
nurturing atmosphere that fosters mutual respect and an appreciation for the uniqueness and capabilities of the individual.
Sherrie Branick, mother of 5-year-old Ellie Branick, who just completed both of the center’s pre-kindergarten programs, said the center’s appreciation for Ellie’s uniqueness has prepared her for kindergarten in ways she did not think possible.
“They individualize. I mean, they really care about an individual child’s needs,” Branick said. “They do not make children fit into a box, and they incorporate learning skills into all activities.”
Ellie Branick began attending the Early Childhood Development Center in November 2005 in pre-kindergarten 1. In Ellie’s two years at the center, Branick said, she learned the alphabet, numbers, simple addition and subtraction, the months of the year, the days of the week, science and much more.
As a Lamar alumna with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, Branick said she appreciates the emphasis the center puts on art.
“Never once did Ellie bring home an ordinary coloring sheet,” Branick said. “The art the kids do at the center is unique and creative.”
This fall, Ellie will attend kindergarten near her home in Port Neches, and Branick says she has no doubt Ellie is prepared.
Children enrolled at the center progress at their own pace as they are supported and encouraged to participate in activities the children select themselves or activities chosen by their teachers. Those activities include oral language expression, dramatic-play, stories, music, art, outdoor activities and field trips. This summer, the children participated in a western day where they rode ponies and dressed in western attire, including a vest they made themselves. Later this summer, they will be treated to a Hawaiian-style luau.
Deanne Tanner, mother of 5-year-old Morgan Tanner and resident of Nederland,
said the center’s activities have helped her daughter prepare for kindergarten and also taught her patience.
Morgan Tanner recently completed pre-kindergarten 2 at the center, and Tanner says not only has her maturity developed, but her attention span and skill level have grown as well.
“I walked in and thought I am in the best pre-kindergarten environment possible,” Tanner said. “I have no worries about Morgan going into kindergarten. We are so lucky to have this place in our area.”
Sherrie Branick shared this sentiment with Tanner.
“I think the Early Childhood Development Center is a hidden jewel on the Lamar campus,” Branick said.
Twenty years ago, key figures in the establishment of the center, including Frances Droddy, Virginia Anderson, Mark Cooper and Sarah Matheny, described the impact of the center:
“There is little question that the Early Childhood Development Center has made a profound impact on Lamar University as well as the Golden Triangle.”
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Enrollment for the fall semester at Lamar University’s Early Childhood Development Center is currently underway. For more information, including registration and fee information, call (409) 880-8212 or email msswope@my.lamar.edu.
