Early Childhood Lab School

Learning is not a spectator sport, so let's play!

Located on the UC Davis campus at 238 1st Street, the Early Childhood Lab School (ECLS) provides high-quality care to children between the ages of 12 months and six years (until their enrollment in kindergarten). As a university lab school, our children’s program fulfills more varied functions than a typical early childhood center. We serve multiple constituencies: undergraduate and graduate students; researchers; enrolled children and families; and community observers, early childhood practitioners, and policymakers who draw on our expertise. To meet the diverse needs of all these individuals requires clarity of purpose, policy, and practice. While embracing our core philosophy of respect for the learning process, we continually evaluate whether and how we can better achieve our goals.

We employ a professional staff of people who are well educated in child development and early childhood education. They are mature, warm and nurturing, adept at applying their knowledge in the classroom, and respectful of each child as an individual. Each classroom’s professional staff includes a Child Development Demonstration Lecturer (CDDL)/Program Coordinator and Lead Teacher. All full-day classrooms also include Apprentice Teachers—individuals with bachelor’s degrees in child development, early childhood education, or a similar field. All classrooms are supplemented by undergraduate students enrolled in the Human Development practicum course HDE 140L: Laboratory in Early Childhood. They are upper division students who are putting into practice what they have learned about young children during the course of their studies. Each student is assigned a “care group” of children to observe and interact with closely. They are closely supervised and coached in their work, and always have a professional staff member present when they are interacting with children. 

The ECLS is a research laboratory for UC Davis faculty and students. All research conducted at the ECLS has been approved by the campus Human Subjects Review Committee. Naturalistic observation is conducted daily at the ECLS by staff, practicum students, and other university students enrolled in courses pertaining to child development. When research involves more than naturalistic observation, specific permission from parents/guardians is requested. While participation in specific research projects conducted at the ECLS is voluntary, enrollment in the lab school assumes an interest in active participation with research projects.

Our program is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and is a certified Nature Explore Classroom. 

License numbers: 570306437 and 570311412