Lab School

www.brevardcc.edu/labschool is the home page.

The B.C.C. Lab School program, located on our campus (and several other churches in the county), is a dynamic by-product of the early days of the Space Program. In the 1960’s, the Space Program at Cape Canaveral mobilized a huge work force in the surrounding communities. This work force was made up of a large number of young families moving into Brevard County from all over the country. The job demands on the husbands to invest long hours at work put the entire responsibility of child raising on the wives. These young mothers, newly located in a strange community without extended family support or close friends, and with little support from absent husbands, were placed under great strain. The traditional extended family and community of long time friends were no longer available to support young families.

In 1967, one newcomer to the area, Barbara Young, recognized the problems these young families were facing when she searched the area for a facility to meet the needs of her own preschooler and found none available. Mrs. Young was equipped with a masters degree in social work, with a broad background in early childhood development and six children of her own. She founded a co-op preschool in 1967 with goals and premises that still hold today. At that time, parents assumed all costs. However, Mrs. Young and the other parents found that parents needed more information in order to deal effectively with children; parent education needed to accompany the schooling for the children. Brevard Community College, sensitive to the needs of the community it serves, embraced the concept and responded with the BCC Lab School Program.

In 1969, Mrs. Young and BCC endorsed the emphasis on parent education and the parallel program for child and parent was in place. Later expansion in 1976, brought toddlers and infants into the program. There are presently multiple lab school locations in Brevard County. Some 7,500 children and approximately 14,000 parents have gone through this Life Education Program.

B.C.C. Lab School gives parents an opportunity to participate with and observe their children in an extended “hands on” family atmosphere, the “laboratory” as the name implies. The program consists of developmental daytime play sessions for parent and child, and night theory sessions for the parents. Lab School is for the parents who desire a “special time: to share their genuine interest and enthusiasm with their child.

Goals:

Enable each child to become physically healthy, emotionally sound, mentally alert, and socially well adjusted.
Help the child mature at his/her own pace
Enable the child to control his/her own body through good coordination and muscular control
Build a positive self-image in each child
Help the child adjust to his/her environment
Help the child develop trust in caring adults, the teacher, and other children

Advantages for Parents:

Learn about yourself as a person
Take an active role in your child’s school experience
Have the benefit of learning with parents who have children near the same age
Have an opportunity to consult with trained and qualified persons concerning yourself and your child’s development.

There are Programs for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers.

For more information, call: 321-433-7668

*/Monday, November 06, 2006 © Florida Today/*

BY GAYLA SCHAEFER

FOR FLORIDA TODAY

Not so long ago, programs for young children were few and far between on the Space Coast. Barbara Young established the innovative Lab School program at Brevard Junior College (now *Brevard** **Community** **College*) 39 years ago to provide support and training for parents at a time when options were limited. “She discovered that there was little programming available for young children, and realized that parents needed support and guidance with raising their families,” said Robin Speck, co-director of the noncredit parent/child education program at the school. Program offerings have flourished, and Lab School is available at several locations. Many current students and Lab School “graduates” are full-time working parents.

The program differs from traditional preschools, in that the parents are the ones enrolled in a non-credit course in parenting, with classes once or twice a month in the evening. The “lab” portion of the course is the weekly classes with the children, during which parents attend all or a portion with their children, depending on age. Different programs are available for parents of infants through preschool. “Parents now have many options to choose from when selecting a preschool program for their child,” Speck said. “I encourage parents to look closely at their child’s daily routine, and schedule to make sure there is time for unstructured play, and time for interaction with mom and dad, too.” In addition to the multitude of preschool programs available across the county, there now are many options for structured sports, music, gymnastics, baby sign language and swimming classes, either built into the preschool or day care, or offered at other locations.

“It is important to make sure that children have daily opportunities for ‘free play,’ ” Speck said. “In play, children make choices, solve problems, converse and plan. During make-believe or pretend play, they practice physical, social and cognitive skills. When children are participating in free play, they are making choices about what type of play they will engage in. However, when children are participating in structured classes or the structured part of their preschool day, there are fewer opportunities to make choices.” The Lab School philosophy focuses on creating emotionally confident children. “Play is important for many reasons, but one of the huge benefits is that play allows children to work through the emotions that occur day in and day out,” Speck said. “When children take on different roles in play, it helps them to learn empathy and to learn the give-and-take of reciprocal communication. Free play is critical in promoting children’s development and learning.”

One technique encouraged at Lab School is “floor time.” “Floor time is a concept developed by renowned child psychiatrist and early childhood consultant Dr. Stanly Greenspan,” Speck said. “It is a philosophy and a technique in which parents interact with their child in a respectful, caring and supportive way allowing the child to take the lead, and the parent or caregiver to follow the child’s lead.” The parent expands on and extends the child’s play, while the child remains the “director” of the play theme, thus feeling a small sense of control over his or her activities for at least a small part of the day. “Many parents say, ‘I play with my child all the time,’ but floor time is a different type of interaction,” Speck said. “It provides an opportunity for the child to work through their emotions and to develop cognitive and social skills. Engaging in this type of play has the added benefit of improving bonding with your child, and your child will be more likely to want to cooperate with you if you have a stronger relationship. Floor time is a must in today’s society and children of all ages can benefit.” The floor-time practice is most beneficial when used daily for a minimum of 15 minutes. It can be implemented during mealtime, bath time for young children, bedtime, story time or outside playtime.

For today’s parents, who might be more used to scheduling activities and classes than romping in the backyard, the Lab School philosophy allows for a return to a seemingly more old-fashioned form of learning and bonding. “I truly believe that allowing my children some unstructured time to play and simply not be shuffled from one class to another is invaluable to let them develop their creativity and for me to really get to know them,” said Dawn Mays of Merritt Island, a former Lab School participant and mother of two toddlers.