The Western Oregon University Child Development Center (CDC) serves families with children ages 2 1/2 to 5 . We have been open since 1980, serving the student families of WOU students, staff and the surrounding community. We are located at the northwest corner of Monmouth Avenue and Stadium Drive, right behind Campus Public Safety. Our new home has larger classrooms, more student restrooms, a great lobby to welcome families and a huge, fenced backyard with grass and trees. Our goal is to partner with parents to prepare our young Wolf Pups for Kindergarten and beyond.
For more information regarding enrollment, please email CDC Director Tammy Gardner at gardnert@wou.edu
What makes learning at CDC special?
Our curriculum integrates creative play and project-based programing because play is child’s work. Children learn content through investigation and focused intentional teaching. Each day, teachers prepare an interesting and supportive environment with a variety of activity choices which advance children in their development. Studies have shown that learning through creative play does more than stimulate physical, social-emotional, intellectual and creative development. Play is also the primary means by which children explore the world, investigate its properties, and build an understanding about how the world works. Project-based learning is incorporated as a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore their questions about real-world problems and challenges. With this type of active and engaged learning, students are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they are studying.
Located on WOU’s campus, we have access to a wide range of resources and opportunities to enhance our curriculum: Science, technology, sports, outdoor adventures, Hammersly Library, music, arts and theater. Together with WOU’s faculty and staff, we are able to answer your child’s questions as they arise and explore their interests in depth. With our child development professionals at their sides, children are assured of getting the care and support they need, the creative learning experiences they enjoy, and the intellectually challenging opportunities they deserve. Where else in our community can children have access to all this knowledge at ages 2 1/2 through age 5?
