One of the best nursery schools in the whole world!
Since 1980, Dr. Bobbie Warash has been the Director. The new state-of-the-art building in Krepps Park was opened in 2009. Throughout this rich history, Dr. Warash continues to be an advocate for preschool children and their families throughout the state. Melissa Workman is the Associate Director and Head Teacher. They are both in photos below.
Excerpts about their philosophy and engineered learning environments:
The Child Development Laboratory is arranged so that children have the opportunity to interact with objects, peers, and teachers. Children are encouraged to explore and share their ideas by talking to one another. Since children are active learners and construct knowledge from the activities they plan and carry out, traditional methods of instruction such as sitting at desks and completing worksheets are not used at the Lab. Instead, the children have a vast array of learning stations from which to choose.
Play is also an important component of The Lab School philosophy. Play is viewed as a vehicle for learning and creative thought. The Child Development Laboratory provides a child oriented environment for children to spontaneously explore through play. Children also have play plans to dictate and write their plans for more mature play.
Most of the day is child-directed, but the curriculum also includes teacher directed activities. The curriculum areas include reading, math, science, social studies, creative movement, art and messy play, computers, and specially designed projects. The program uses an integrated approach in teaching subject matter. Numerous projects are conducted that include the above curriculum areas. The activities planned are developmentally appropriate for preschool children and follow the guidelines set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
URL: https://nurseryschool.wvu.edu/
