About the Center

Our program dates back to 1940 when the then Home Economics Department of Virginia Tech, opened the first childhood development center for young children here on campus.  A budget of $643.00 for outfitting the Lab School and $2,000 for a full time director was secured.  Tuition for full-time enrollment of a child was $25 per term.

The Child Development Lab School, in the Department of Human Development, moved to Wallace Hall in the winter of 1968, occupying part of the lower level where the school is located today.  The Lab School celebrated its 60th birthday in 2001. 

In January 2005 the part-time, university calendar Lab School was transformed into the current full-time, full-year Child Development Center for Learning and Research.

Mission

The mission of the CDLCR is to provide model programs and leadership for the local, state and national early childhood communities within the teaching, research and service missions of the university.

Philosophy

The philosophy of the CDCLR holds that knowledge and understanding are constructed through social interactions.  Classrooms are inherently social places where teachers and children negotiate the curriculum together.  Our aim is to offer a developmentally appropriate environment where children are given opportunities to make choices, pursue their own questions and concerns, connect what is known and unknown and be successful as they explore and discover through play, informal learning activities and projects.