TEACHING LEARNING CENTER

Lakeland's Teaching Learning Center (TLC) exists to:

• Demonstrate and exemplify excellence in preschool/pre-kindergarten practices and to provide a high quality, developmentally appropriate educational setting for children 16 months to five-years of age
• Serve as a training facility and observational site for Lakeland Community College students preparing for careers in early childhood education, psychology, nursing, education, and other related fields
• Function as a laboratory for development of curriculum and teaching strategies for early childhood centers
• Provide an educational child care service of the highest quality to Lakeland Community College and community families

The TLC provides a quality program whose curriculum reflects the cognitive, emotional, physical, social, and creative development of the young child. The laboratory school provides children 16 months to five years with a developmentally appropriate educational experience, using a curriculum based on discovery, guided exploration and play.

The TLC believes that positive relationships with the families of the children enrolled are of utmost importance. Therefore, the second goal of the TLC teaching staff is to establish good rapport with parents by being supportive of families' goals and needs. Respect and support of families is critical to the TLC's philosophy of communication with young children.

We wish to inspire in young children the values, challenge and excitement for learning through teacher guidance and social interactions. Young children should have the opportunity to establish positive attitudes towards the learning process, teachers, and school through a variety of creative and meaningful school activities. Through information gathered from parents, observation, and interaction with the child, teachers plan curriculum that reflect the individual needs and interests of each child. The program and classroom environments are designed to meet the different learning styles and creative expressions of the children.

The TLC is a state-of-the-art demonstration laboratory school sponsored by the early childhood education associate degree program at the college. Student teachers work under the direct and careful supervision of classroom lead teachers and department supervisors in both the toddler and preschool rooms.