About Us
About Us
Vision
The USF Preschool for Creative Learning (PCL) exemplifies an inquiry approach to teaching and learning, innovating and improving early childhood education through teacher education, research, and community engagement.
Mission
The mission of the USF Preschool for Creative Learning is to provide a site to demonstrate, observe, study, and teach exemplary practices in early childhood education. The PCL accomplishes this mission by addressing three related goals:
- Serve children of USF students, faculty, staff, and community members by providing an environment that supports children’s intellectual growth, social/emotional, competence, and physical development. Faculty and staff at the PCL develop reciprocal relationships with families in order to make connections between the family’s knowledge and the professional knowledge of the field of early childhood education.
- Serve as a site for teacher education, interdisciplinary collaborations, and professional development by providing a context for implementing best practices in the field of early childhood education.
- Extend knowledge and cultivate early childhood practices by providing opportunities for students, teachers, and faculty to engage in research within an early learning context.
The PCL is committed to equity in early childhood education, and implements practices that build upon the diverse range of young children’s capabilities and characteristics and those of their families.