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The Don Brewer Early Learning & Professional Development Center is an innovative child care center located in Jacksonville’s urban core serving children six weeks to age five. The center is an autonomous arm of the Jacksonville Children's Commission and therefore a part of city government. The mission is to serve as part of the Jacksonville school readiness support infrastructure that brings researchers and practitioners together to tackle problems of child care practices.
The Florida Institute of Education and The Don Brewer Early Learning and Professional Development Center Collaborative Partnership (FIE-DBP) focuses its research efforts on significantly improving the readiness outcomes of children (birth-5) living in low-income neighborhoods. Partnership activities include developing, field-testing, and disseminating strategies and tools that can be used by school readiness practitioners to create and sustain a high-quality, child-focused, results-driven school readiness system. |
Curriculum-Focused Initiatives |
Early Learning Coalition of Duval’s (ELC) Infant and Toddler Curriculum Pilot
- Teachers of infants and toddlers are piloting ELC’s infant/toddler curriculum in three classrooms.
- The pilot at the Brewer Center will conclude August 2008.
Improving Children’s Health and Nutrition: Healthy Habits through Literacy
- The intervention, supported by grant funding from the UNF Foundation, is designed to improve children’s health and physical development.
- The intervention will extend and enhance Color Me Healthy curriculum designed by the North Carolina State Extension Project by adding literacy activities and physical and nutritional education activities.
- The intervention has a two-prong focus on classroom instruction and family education and uses concept mapping strategies.
- Curriculum pilots will occur spring and fall 2008.
- Dissemination of effective practices and instructional materials will take place in summer and fall 2009.
Improving Children’s Early Literacy Skills and Conceptual Development: Young Florida Naturalists
- The intervention and study, funded by the UNF Environmental Center, were designed by FIE researchers to increase young children’s background knowledge and concept development in science.
- Children planted and continue to maintain a fully functional butterfly garden.
- Learning experiences involve children learning about plants and their role in the environment.
- Instructional activities include advance organizers to guide children’s investigations, and hands-on activities such as determining the effects of sunlight on plant growth.
- Concept mapping was used to document the hierarchical relationships described by the children before, during, and after learning experiences were initiated.
- Teachers participated in professional learning sessions on the subjects of concept mapping and Understanding by Design (UbD). (Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.)
- On-site support for teachers was provided via classroom modeling, feedback, and team. meetings to strengthen understanding and the application of promising practices in classrooms.
- Instructional plans and family involvement materials developed will be disseminated to other child care centers in fall 2008.
Remember Me Rose Garden
- Rose gardening is an extension of the Young Florida Naturalists butterfly garden.
- Caring for roses fosters children’s healthy emotional and social development by providing opportunities for children to apply cooperation and sharing skills.
- The rose garden, supported by funding from the National Gardening Association, and surrounding area serve as an outdoor classroom and as a peaceful setting in an urban environment.
Container Vegetable Garden
- Container gardening, supported by grant funding from Home Depot, Inc, is an extension activity of the Young Florida Naturalists butterfly garden.
- The project provides children with opportunities to plant vegetable seeds and plants, maintain plants, and experience growing, cooking, and eating their own food.
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Leadership-Focused Initiatives |
Enhancing Leadership and Business Practices (ELBP) Professional Development Series for Child Care Directors
- The goal of this professional development series is to increase capacities of child care center directors’ to be learning leaders while running effective businesses.
- The series developed by FIE researchers, has a two-pronged focus that addresses the need to support child care directors as both instructional leaders and business managers.
- Training modules based on topics identified from an extensive review of research include:
- High-Quality Learning Environments
- Increasing Positive Interactions
- Choosing and Using High-Quality Learning Tools
- High-Quality Professional Development
- Choosing and Using Assessment Data and Their Results
- Learning to Lead
- Engaging Family Involvements
- Effective Business Practices
- The pilot program (Cohort 1) includes 56 hours of research-based training delivered over six months, the completion of a professional portfolio, and business plan; 13 child care center directors are participating as members of Cohort 1
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Family-Focused Initiatives |
The FIE staff works with the Brewer Center Parent Educator to design and implement innovative ways to encourage family involvement. For example, the Brewer Center has hosted two FIE-initiated family engagement programs, Literacy through Music and Literacy through Dance. In addition, Healthy Habits through Literacy includes a family education component. |
For additional information, please contact: |
Dr. Janice Hunter,
Research Fellow for Early Learning and Literacy, FIE
(904) 620-1191
j.hunter@unf.edu |
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Frances Gupton,
Executive Director,
Brewer Center
(904) 630-1268
fgupton@coj.net |
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