Published September 15, 2015
The Child Development Center (CDC) at the University of Louisiana at Monroe has earned
its sixth consecutive “Five-Star” rating from the Louisiana Quality Start School Readiness
Rating System.
This is the highest earnable rating in the state for Child Development and Early Learning
Centers.
“We are very proud of each of our staff members and the hard work that they put in
each and every day to maintain and exceed these high standards as we care and educate
our Jr. Warhawks who will be “big” Warhawks one day,” said Emily Williamson, director
of the ULM CDC.
ULM’s Child Development Center was the first center in Ouachita Parish to earn a Five
Star rating in 2008, and has maintained the rating since that time.
The Child Development Center continues to grow successfully thanks to the leadership
of Emily Williamson and her talented staff,” said Dr. Sandra Lemoine, dean of College
of Arts, Education, and Sciences. “The center is committed to providing the best educational
tools, state-of-the-art facilities, an award-winning outdoor classroom, and outstanding
faculty.”
The rating is based on the center’s completion of a Quality Start Portfolio, which
is audited by the state to evaluate administrative practices, staff qualifications,
and family and community involvement.
The center also completes self-assessments, child-staff ratios, and a center improvement
plan. Classrooms undergo unannounced assessments by state evaluators with the Early
Childhood Environmental Rating Scale and the Infant Toddler Environmental Rating Scale.
Dr. Dorothy Schween, director of the School of Education said, “The five stars represent
the incredible amount of creative and organizational effort that Emily Williamson
has put into the center. Her knowledge of child development is unsurpassed in the
state of Louisiana.”
The ULM CDC is a facility in a laboratory setting providing quality care and education
for young children. The center also provides practical experiences to prepare professionals
for various early childhood careers.
The five-star rating is one of many recognitions for the CDC. The outdoor classroom
at the facility has earned two awards from the Southern Early Childhood Association
(SECA) for its innovative outdoor learning environment built mostly from recycled
and natural materials.
