Unique Clinical Opportunities

UD professional education candidates can take advantage of three unique clinical sites as part of their graduated field experiences. UD has also implemented an innovative vertical model for teacher candidates' field experience that it is hoped will further enhance the clinical component of their preparation and further strengthen the ties between the University and our cooperating schools and districts.

Early Learning Center
The new Early Learning Center (ELC) is a unique university-based child-care facility with 22 classrooms--five for infants, six for toddlers, six for preschoolers, one kindergarten classroom and four for school-age children. The goals of the center are to provide the best services possible to children and their families through year-round, full-day early care and education, as well as family services and support programs, and to conduct research in prevention, intervention and education in early childhood development. The center’s mission is to offer year-round, full-day early care and education for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years, in spaces specifically designed for children, including a full-day kindergarten program, before and after school care and summer camp for children 5 to 12. Many professional education faculty and candidates from various disciplines (music, early childhood education, health and physical education, foreign languages, elementary education, and psychology) participate in research and on-site field experiences with the Center.

UD Laboratory Pre-School
A fixture on campus since 1934, the UD Laboratory Pre-School is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. It offers programs for children in four age groups, from 2 through 5, including kindergarten. Teacher training is, of course, a key component of the preschool. Early childhood development and education majors see firsthand how young children learn, develop and interact and discover how high-quality programs and teachers can help them grow. It also serves as a resource for teachers and other educators in the community, who frequently visit to observe its operations or to attend professional development programs offered by the staff.

The College School
The College School, located on main campus since 1988, offers children with learning differences unique opportunities to surmount academic, social or other problems they have experienced in their previous schools. With the high level of individual attention, made possible in large part by the involvement of UD professional education students, most College School pupils thrive. After an average of two or three years, the children normally move into a more mainstream educational environment.

The school benefits University students, too, with many of them involved each semester in some aspect of the program. Most are enrolled in education courses, which require practical experience in the classroom, and they spend time each week assisting College School teachers by working with individuals or small groups, teaching a lesson or tutoring. The College School is a valuable research site for faculty and students as well.

Milford Professional Development School
This partnership between the University and the Milford School District in southern Delaware provides a unique opportunity for candidates in the last two years of the UD’s Elementary Teacher Education major. Students are assigned to an elementary or middle school in the district for their field experiences, and UD professional education faculty teach courses on-site in Milford. Students are thus a part of every aspect of school life and have an unparalleled opportunity to connect theory and practice in an actual school setting. This extended clinical experience gives them the knowledge and experience to be confident professionals as they begin their first year of teaching.

The Vertical Field Experience Model
In an effort to enhance students' field experiences and to build better partnerships with schools, CHEP's School of Education has implemented a vertical model for field experience. Elementary Teacher Education majors are grouped in cohorts (10 students from each year -- freshman, sophomore, junior and senior) that are mentored and supervised by the same student teaching coordinator for all field experiences. Furthermore, each cohort is assigned to a cluster of four or five schools in two school districts for all field experiences. Student teaching coordinators, who are all UD faculty members, work closely with the teachers in those schools to insure the best possible field experiences for the teacher candidates and the best possible learning experiences for their pupils.