The Early Learning Center (ELC), which is part of the College of Human Services, Education, and Public Policy, will inhabit the former Girls Inc. building on Wyoming Road in Newark in June of 2004.  The center is being remodeled to accommodate 30 infants, 48 toddlers, and 84 preschoolers.  In addition, the center will be home to 75 school-aged children before and after school, as well as in the summers.

According to Karen L. Rucker, the Director of the ELC, there are four dimensions to the new center: “quality child care, research, family services training and education for the community, and undergraduate education and pre-service training.”

This multidisciplinary facility will include “22 classrooms, 2 therapy assessment rooms, a parent meeting and  resource room, a gym, offices, and observation and teaching areas where students and others can see children in action.” 

The development of this new Center is of primary importance to the Physical Therapy Department, as it will serve as the new clinical site for the department’s integrated pediatric clinical experience, as well as the site for the department’s pediatrics class taught by Dr. Cole Galloway.