11/26/02

BIRMINGHAM EARLY LEARNING CENTER RENAMED

AUBURN -- The Birmingham Early Learning Center, which is managed by Auburn University, has been renamed the Elmer and Glenda Harris Early Learning Center of Birmingham in recognition of the couple's leadership in initial fund raising and ongoing support of the downtown school.

The renaming of the seven-year-old state-of-the-art childcare learning facility, which is owned by the city of Birmingham, was approved by the center's Board of Directors Harris, retired CEO of Alabama Power Company and an AU alumnus, led efforts to raise some $5 million from Birmingham business and professional organizations that enabled the school to open in 1995.

The $6.5 million school at 15th Street and Seventh Avenue North -- in the heart of Birminghamšs historic Civil Rights District -- enrolls about 200 children ages six weeks through five years. It is supported by the Birmingham Urban Revitalization Partnership, Inc., and operated by AU as a public-private partnership.

"Elmer Harris' leadership in raising funds and the ongoing support of Elmer and his wife Glenda have been crucial to the success of the Early Learning Center," said Perry Relfe, president of the ELC Board. "The school represents a significant addition to the educational opportunities offered in downtown Birmingham, and the support of the Harrises has been a continuing factor in its growth and acceptance."

The Learning Center -- the first project of the Birmingham Urban Revitalization Partnership, Inc. -- was designed to help revitalize economically distressed areas of Birmingham's urban core.

The Revitalization Partnership initiated a city-wide campaign to obtain corporate sponsorship to help launch the project. Corporate partners purchased child care spaces for their employees. Other partners provided scholarships for children of low-income families, outreach efforts, research, and parent education.

The Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Human Sciences at AU manages the Center. Its two directors, Byran Korth and Robbie Roberts, both hold Ph.D. degrees, and head a staff of 37 full-time teachers, 15 part-time staff members, and administrative and kitchen staff.

The Rev. John Porter, pastor emeritus of the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, is chairman of the board.

The Center is accredited by the prestigious National Association for the Education of Young Children, the nationšs largest organization of early childhood educators.

"We have a four-fold mission: to provide quality education and care for young children, support and conduct research, educate college and university students and work collaboratively with the community," says Korth, director of Children's Programs. "Early education and care are available for families working in the greater downtown area. We offer a developmentally appropriate curriculum designed to help children develop skills in emotional, social, creative, cognitive, and physical areas. In addition, we serve as a research facility where professionals from throughout the country come to study issues relating to child growth and development, family relations, early childhood education, and the family-work interface."

"We also have training and outreach missions," adds Roberts, director of Teacher Training and Outreach. "The Center provides observation, training, and internship opportunities for over 400 students from 20 to 25 colleges and universities each year."

Outreach activities include parenting and training for teachers and directors of other Birmingham metro centers. The center provides a mentor site for 25 metro area centers as part of a quality child care improvement program. The center furnishes apartments for students and researchers to use during internships and when conducting research. Also, each year the center hosts a teacher from Switzerland who helps bring a multi-culturally focus to the center.

Each of the center's 16 classrooms is equipped with developmentally appropriate child development learning materials designed to expose children to math, literacy, science, art and social skills in an interactive atmosphere that promotes fun while learning. The rooms are staffed with teachers holding a four-year degree in childhood development or early childhood education. Teacher assistants hold either an associate degree or child development associate credential. Color security cameras are located in each classroom and the inner courtyard playgrounds, and can be viewed by parents through a monitoring station located in the buildingšs lobby.

The center has become a model program showcasing what can be accomplished through the collaborative efforts of business, higher education, and government. Dozens of educators and interested individuals from 25 universities and agencies from the United States, Canada, France and Portugal toured the facility when it hosted a conference funded by the National Science Foundation on the Transition from Childhood to the Workforce.

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nov02:AU-childcenter