new Early Childhood Laboratory
teaching facility to train the next generation of early
childhood professionals. UK College of Education
faculty, staff and students are eager to have a new
and innovative space for the children we serve that
will match the quality of this vital program.”
The ECL educates children from infant through
pre-school and provides the College of Education
students with an excellent opportunity to gain field
experience in early childhood teaching. It also
provides on-campus childcare for faculty and staff.
The ECL is also extending the reach of its stateof-the-art early childhood services by launching a
new partnership with Visually Impaired Preschool
Services (VIPS), who will share the space with the
ECL. VIPS is a nonprofit organization that provides
educational and therapeutic services to young
children of the Commonwealth who have visual
impairments.
The UK Board of Trustees approved the $3 million
capital project last year. It is being funded by a $1
million internal loan, private gifts and general funds.
The College of Education will repay the principal of
the loan over a period not to exceed 10 years. The
Office of the Executive Vice President for Finance
and Administration will pay the accrued interest on
the internal loan.
Established in 1928, the ECL is operated by the
UK College of Education’s Department of Early
Childhood, Special Education, and Rehabilitation
Counseling’s Interdisciplinary Early Childhood
Education Program. Each semester, about 1,100
students visit the ECL from a variety of programs
across campus. Additionally, students conduct
master’s theses and dissertations in the ECL. «
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