The Albert A. Sheen Campus of the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) is now home to the University’s second Inclusive Childcare Laboratory and Diagnostic Center, bringing a research-based childcare program linked to early childhood to the island of St. Croix.
On March 23, 2022, University officials and invited guests attended a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the event, signaling the University’s vision to play a central role along the education continuum of Virgin Islanders, beginning at the earliest ages.
The new facility will enhance the educational experience of pre-service teachers pursuing a degree through the School of Education, who will be supervised by UVI professors as part of their studies. It will also help to meet the needs of the University’s students and employees who require childcare services to better manage the challenges of balancing parenthood and college life.
“UVI’s proven model for an early childhood center that meets the practical needs of many of our students while also providing enhanced opportunities for quality early childhood education for Virgin Islanders is a ‘win-win’ for UVI as well as the Virgin Islands community as a whole. I am deeply grateful to and proud of the work done by our School of Education faculty and administrators to bring this vision to reality,” said UVI President Dr. David Hall.
Mirroring the services provided at the Inclusive Childcare Lab and Diagnostic Center located on the Orville E. Kean Campus in St. Thomas, the new center will provide service in pre-service teacher development, childcare for UVI students, and early care and education. Managed by the School of Education with supervisory services from faculty and certified teachers, the center will provide services that are pedagogically sound and centered around innovative research-based best practices. Available diagnostic services will address developmental milestones through screening and assessment of reading, language/communication, social and emotional behavior, cognition, and physical development.
More information is available in a news release on the Media Section of the UVI Website-www.uvi.edu/ - and from this direct link.