2019 ECC Annual Report

2019 Message From the Executive Director

ECC Executive Director Karen Rattenborg highlights some of the exciting work and achievements from a year filled with celebrations.

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Serving Children and Families

In existence as a laboratory school since 1929, the Colorado State University Early Childhood Center is housed within the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and is fully integrated into the wider CSU and Fort Collins communities. The threefold mission of the ECC is to (1 ) prepare University students for careers in the field of early childhood; (2) offer a developmentally appropriate, Reggio Emilia-inspired learning environment for young children; and (3) serve as a campus resource for research and discovery into child and family development and early childhood education. As a Reggio Emilia-inspired school, the ECC provides an emergent approach to educating children that is play-based and child-directed. This approach strives to develop a learning community committed to the co-construction of knowledge in the context of collaboration among parents, children, and teachers.

ECC preschoolers at the annual singalong

2019 Highlights

Donors fund new educational and well-being spaces for children and veterans

The Freeberg Family Library and Parent Resource Center at the ECC was sponsored by a gift from the Don & Lorraine Freeberg Foundation. Dan (B.S., agricultural business, ’71) and Nancy (B.S., home economics education, ’72) Freeberg and their daughter Amanda Donovan, visited CSU this fall for a celebration of their giving.

Donors cut the ribbon at the new ECC Library

Interior architecture and design students reimagine spaces for the ECC

When the ECC received a donation to renovate one of its spaces into a library and parent resource center, it turned to a group of CSU students in a third-year interior architecture and design studio course. The partnership gave the students valuable experience working on an actual, real-world project for a CSU partner, and the ECC received valuable design services.

Interior Architecture and Design students in the new library space

ECC and Washington School celebrate historic milestones

The ECC made history in 2013 when it moved into the Poudre School District’s former Washington School. In 2019, the ECC celebrated its 90th anniversary, as well as the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Washington School building. What we now know as the ECC was launched as a summer preschool program in 1929 by the Department of Home Economics.

Black and white photo of a preschool child on a slide

ECC's Teaching Mission

The ECC’s Teaching mission is to prepare university students for careers in the field of early childhood. In total, 121 CSU students were active at the ECC.

Human Development and Family Studies

HDFS Practicum Students: 11
HDFS Interns: 17

Total: 28

Food Science and Human Nutrition

FSHN Students: 28

Center for Educator Preparation

EDUC 425 Practicum Students: 5
EDUC 340 Literacy Fieldwork Students: 24

Total: 29

Occupational Therapy

OT Graduate Interns: 8

Music, Theatre, and Dance

Music Therapy Practicum Students: 2

Design and Merchandising

Interior Architecture and Design Students: 26

Creative Arts

ECC’s Research Mission

The ECC’s research mission is to provide opportunities for research related to children, families, and early childhood education.

Nutrition Research in the ECC

In 2019, Savanah Elliott, a nutrition and food science major who also served as the College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council president, won best in show for her research on parental behaviors and motivations behind packing lunch for preschool aged children. Cheatham worked in the Health Behaviors Lab, helping a master’s student with this research, which was conducted at the CSU Early Childhood Center. Elliott has since taken over the research and is currently preparing to write a research paper on her findings.

SAvanah Elliott in front of her research poster

Occupational Therapy and ECC Collaboration

CSU’s Department of Occupational Therapy and the ECC have an interdisciplinary collaborative research and practice partnership. This partnership explores how occupational therapists support children in a play-based early childhood education center and strives to better understand parent perceptions around occupational therapy involvement at the center. This research is being expanded by Lisa Fyffe to focus on exploring kindergarten transition for children who have graduated from the ECC. Karen Rattenborg is currently serving on Lisa Fyffe’s doctoral committee.

A child jumps on a playmat outdoors at the ECC

ECC's Service Mission

The ECC’s service mission is to offer a developmentally appropriate, Reggio Emilia-inspired learning environment for young children.

152 Children from 129 Families
49 Infants and Toddlers
103 Preschoolers

78 were children of CSU faculty/staff
20 were children of CSU students
54 were children of community members

ECC Grants

The ECC receives grants from multiple sources to provide financial support to families with children enrolled at the ECC. These funds serve to make access to child care services more affordable for families and to increase the retention and graduation rates of CSU student parents.

CCAMPIS

The ECC supports student parents through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) provides financial support for campus-based childcare services to income-eligible CSU student parents.

• In 2019, 16 children from 16 families received CCAMPIS funds.

Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation

Parents with children enrolled at the ECC benefit from the generous support of the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation.

• In 2019, 20 children from 20 families received Temple Hoyne Buell funds.

Colorado Preschool Program

This grant provides slots at the ECC for Poudre School District children participating in the Colorado Preschool Program (CPP). CPP is a state-funded early childhood education program run by the Colorado Department of Education.

• In 2019, 6 children from 6 families received CPP Funds.

Private Support

The ECC has three CSU Foundation accounts that private donors can contribute to to help us provide outstanding, high-quality care to children: Early Childhood Center, ECC Serving Diverse Populations, and Marie Macy Director’s Legacy.

In 2019, the ECC received $107,692 in donations from 69 donors. These funds were for the purpose of promoting access for diverse populations, expanding our program offerings, and allowing us to continue our commitment to enhancing our outdoor play environment. Thank you to our many donors – we appreciate you!

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Learning and Growing

A child gives a thumbs up at the ECC singalong — Colorado State University's Early Childhood Center sings to President Joyce McConnell and to faculty, staff and parents. December 11, 2019

A student reads with children in the new library space — Interior Architecture and Design students have a chance to see their redesign of the Early Childhood Center's Freeberg Family Library and Parent Resource Center. October 25, 2019

Children play with an image projected on the wall

Early Childhood Center 2019 ECC Annual Report A Year of Celebration