Sept. 13, 1999 
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| The Early Childhood Laboratory at UK, or ECL, serves as a preschool program for Fayette County children, while it serves as a teacher training and research facility for UK students and educators. Each year, about 100 eligible children attend the ECL's preschool, infant/toddler and Early Start programs. While other universities across the state offer similar programs, UK has the only full-day infant/toddler lab. During July, a special lab based on the Reggio Approach offers children opportunities for learning and fun. |
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"He has just blossomed there," said Goring of Trey,
who is now 2 years old. "He's very verbal, he's counting
and he's sharp as a whip."
Trey, Goring said, is excited about attending
the "big kids'" preschool class this year. Keeping
him at the ECL is a family priority.
"I don't think we could have found a place
that could prepare him for school the way the ECL has,"
she said. "We're juggling schedules so he can attend the
half-day preschool this year."
The goal of the ECL, said director Jaesook L.
Gilbert, is to serve as a model program in the early childhood
community, an exemplary training site for future early childhood
teachers and a site for research in early education and care.
The ECL, staffed with master's degree level teachers, seeks to
attract a diverse student body, including children with special
needs. Fostering creativity, promoting active learning and nurturing
cognitive, emotional, physical and social development are key
missions of the lab.
The importance of early childhood development
recently has been underscored by findings of brain development
research, Gilbert noted.
"The research illustrates how quality care
is an essential component to the actual wiring of the human brain,"
she said. "The stimulation, instruction and care children
receive during the first three to five years have a great impact
on children's current and future development."
Recognizing the fundamental role of early childhood
education in creating the bright minds of tomorrow, Gov. Paul
Patton established this year the Office of Early Childhood Development
and selected UK professor and former ECL director Kim Townley
as its director.
Gilbert said the ECL not only provides that essential,
high-quality education with low child-to-teacher ratios, but
also gives UK students in interdisciplinary early childhood education,
sociology, psychology, education and other fields a chance to
learn good teaching practices, improve on them and conduct research.
"Our students need an opportunity to connect
the area they are studying with the real world. The program's
teachers serve as role models and mentors for them," she
said.
For more information about the ECL , contact
the ECL office at 257-7732 or e-mail addresses found at the ECL
Web site at www.uky.edu/~pmedwa0.
Radon is a naturally occurring odorless, colorless gas that
comes from the breakdown of uranium and radium, both of which
are commonly found in soil and rock.
Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that
can be inhaled and trapped in the lungs. Under certain conditions,
these radioactive particles may cause lung cancer. Not everyone
exposed to elevated radon concentrations will develop lung cancer,
and there is still uncertainty about the magnitude of the health
risks associated with radon exposure. Significant risk is associated
with high exposure levels over a long period of time.
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Radon usually enters a building through hollow block walls, cracks in foundation floors and walls, and openings around pipes, sumps or drains. Radon movement into a building is dependent upon several factors, including air pressure, wind, soil conditions and ventilation inside a building. Because of these and other factors, the radon concentration in a building may fluctuate over time. |
