Welcome to the University of Minnesota Child Development Laboratory School (CDLS)! At CDLS, we are driven to provide the highest quality early care and education to your child and family.
We pride ourselves on being a program that fosters each child’s creative spirit as well as their cognitive and intellectual development. We also pride ourselves on being a vibrant community of learners. In addition to our littlest learners, we also train enthusiastic early childhood education teaching candidates, who share their own excitement for learning with our children and families.
We hope that everyone who joins our program is nourished by our community’s creative energy and our deep care and concern for the well-being of all children.
Three program options, one early learning community
Our full-day program option is available to University of Minnesota students, staff, and faculty.
Our part-day program option is available to all families throughout the Twin Cities community.
Our Dakota language nest program is available to all families throughout the Twin Cities community.
What is a laboratory school?
A laboratory school is a University-affiliated program that offers teacher training, professional development, and opportunities for education research. CDLS is one of many lab schools throughout the United States that offers exceptional educational opportunities to young children and college students. Lab schools across the country use a variety of educational models, placing varying emphasis on research and training.
As a lab school, CDLS is a training site for future teachers studying early childhood education at the University of Minnesota. It also offers opportunities for faculty, staff, and students throughout the Twin Cities to conduct child development research or observe early education practices.
Our commitment to quality
We’re licensed by the Minnesota Department of Human Services and have earned a Four Star Parent Aware Rating, the highest possible rating. This rating demonstrates our commitment to providing quality early care and education. We’re also accredited by NAEYC, the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Our location
We are located in the Como Neighborhood of Minneapolis, close to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus.
Learn more
Interested in finding out more about our program? We’d love to hear from you. Fill out our brief form, and our team will get back to you.