Category: News

There are many studies that have been conducted over the past 60 or more years that have supported the benefits of children being engaged in regular outdoor play.  Julie Ernst, from UMD recently spoke at an Institute of Child Development Bag Lunch on her expanding research on nature-based programs for young children.  A recent study… Continue reading Research support for outdoor play

Hello families, thank you for your continued support and patience as we navigate the pandemic and our policies. The CDC recently updated its policies around pandemic safety- including testing, quarantine, and vaccinations. We are considering what these changes would look like in our community since we have individuals too young to be fully vaccinated yet.… Continue reading COVID: Fall 2022 Update

Sheila Williams Ridge, co-director of the Child Development Laboratory School, will present at The Minnesota Association for Environmental Education (MAEE) Guidelines for Excellence Workshop on April 30, 2022. The workshop invites environmental educators, administrators, or program developers, to learn about best practices in quality environmental education programs. The morning workshop will explore key characteristics of high-quality… Continue reading Williams Ridge to present at the Guidelines for Excellence Workshop

Sheila Williams Ridge, co-director of the Child Development Laboratory School, has recently published the Environmental Kinship Guide and launched a corresponding website. Environmental kinship is based on the understanding that everything in the natural world is interrelated and that humans are a part of this as cohabiters. In early childhood children can learn about, in, with and… Continue reading Sheila Williams Ridge published the Environmental Kinship Guide, an international project

The Week of the Young Child will be celebrated across the country from April 2-8, 2022.  If you are interested in being a part of the planning to celebrate this unique time in human development, please email us at CDLS@umn.edu to be on the planning committee.

CDLS will be celebrating Peace and Kindness Week from February 21st – 25th, 2022. During Peace and Kindness week classrooms at CDLS will focus their curriculum plans on peace and kindness. There will be a few activities for families to participate in during the week. We will also be collecting non-perishable food and monetary donations… Continue reading Peace and Kindness week

Winter curriculum needs include: Empty spray bottles (old cleanser bottles are great) Bottle caps (plastic or metal) Spools Sleds Child-sized shovels See the full school wish list

Parent Association Group At the CDLS parent meeting in November, parents from the CDLS community came together to discuss their hopes for the future of our school.  We asked parents what we can do to make your job as a parent easier? Many parents said they’d like supports navigating screen time limits, bedtime routines, and… Continue reading Parent Engagement

Full-day: We hope to increase enrollment numbers in the Full day program over the next few months.  Sibling priority families should reach out to Troy to see if any updates are available, on projected start dates.   If you will be leaving the program, please remember to fill out the departure form.  This helps the center… Continue reading Enrollment

We have probably weathered the coldest days of the winter and are looking forward to some warmer days ahead.  With the melting snow and shift to traditionally more rainy days, we have recommendations for spring gear. Here is our recommended list of outerwear for the days between 20-40 degrees or for rainy/sloppy days.  Cold &… Continue reading Gearing Up for Wet Weather in Spring