To serve as a research facility for faculty and graduate students. To provide a model day care facility for children from 3 months to 3 years. The laboratory is a small, hands-on teaching facility, where UA students can work directly with twenty children age three months to three years.
Students learn basic elements of observation, plan and conduct curriculum, and evaluate program.
Child development theory comes to life in a model setting. The children participate in a wide variety of indoor and outdoor experiences which foster the development of the whole child. Because recent research has shown the first three years of life to be crucial years for optimal brain development, the IDC plays and important role in training students who will work with children. The staff at the IDC is comprised of the director, two lead teachers, and four graduate assistants. The lead teachers, Carol Chase and Claudia Smith, are involved in teaching the laboratory portion of the infant and toddler development course, including evaluation of laboratory performance.