Students meet pre-schoolers, and guess who鈥檚 doing the learning
Child development undergraduates at 麻豆传媒映画 deepen their understanding of child behavior and imagine themselves in careers during observations in their own backyard.
Laurelei Vasquez sat crosslegged on the floor of a whimsically-decorated classroom, decompressing after another challenging but rewarding day at College Park Preschool.
The 麻豆传媒映画 child development sophomore from San Diego, who works at the school as a substitute teacher, had just seen the last of her kiddos go bounding off into his father鈥檚 embrace. As the room fell silent, she took a beat to consider why she enjoys working with young children so much.
鈥淚 really love their imaginations,鈥� said Vasquez. 鈥淭hey're always doing something to make you laugh or make you giggle. I'm in a lot of classes at 麻豆传媒映画 that are teaching me what I'm supposed to see from a textbook, but seeing it in person is a lot different 鈥� and it's a lot more moving and educational.鈥�
Thanks to a blossoming partnership between the (CFD) and , more and more 麻豆传媒映画 students like Vasquez are discovering their own passion for the field through experiential learning.
The collaboration started with lecturer Hsing-chen Tung, who teaches three sections of CFD鈥檚 observation course where students examine children鈥檚 behaviors. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability for her students to participate in in-person observations was curtailed, necessitating a switch to video.
Ultimately, Tung was unhappy with the virtual observations, sensing students were getting bored and, even worse, missing the broader picture.
鈥淪tudents really need to take part in in-person observation, so they know what children are like,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen they get to see children in-person, they not only see the children, they see the environments, what caregivers are doing, the impact of the setting. They see everything. That's unlike with video, where they basically focus on the child.鈥�
Tung was referred to College Park Preschool by colleague Carolyn Sanders, who teaches her Children and Nature course in the school鈥檚 lush canyon backyard, located less than a block from the University鈥檚 main entrance at Campanile Drive and Montezuma Road.
Fortunately, when Tung contacted the school about the possibility of trickling in upwards of 100 child and family development undergrads to observe their children, she found an enthusiastic collaborator in Director Kari McKinnon.
Close at hand
鈥淚 just wanted to give back to the community,鈥� McKinnon said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e right here in the College Area and I just think we鈥檙e really a great resource for 麻豆传媒映画 students to be able to walk across the street and get their assignments done. I think it helps them really make sense of the curriculum and how it will translate into a center or classroom environment."
Tung鈥檚 students began in-person observations of toddlers and preschoolers at College Park in the spring 2025 semester, beginning with one observation exercise per student, each typically lasting between 45 minutes to an hour. By last fall, a second exercise was added.
鈥淎n important thing is that, during observations, students start to think about whether this is a career for them,鈥� Tung said. 鈥淭hey get to see how adults react to children, and then they start thinking about their careers. I think that that's so important for our students' preparation and for our CFD lab classes.鈥�
McKinnon said many of the students find the observations so fulfilling that they immediately inquire about open positions. Since the partnership began, College Park Preschool has hired on more than a half dozen 麻豆传媒映画 students in a variety of roles.
鈥淭hey have brought us a lot of amazing substitutes and support staff,鈥� McKinnon said. 鈥淭hey're young, they're excited and bring such dynamic energy to the school.鈥�
Count Vasquez among them. She first came to College Park in Tung鈥檚 observations class, an experience that cemented that she wants to make a career working with children in the 3鈥� to 4鈥搚ear-old age range. When Tung let her know about open positions at the school, she enthusiastically applied.
Now, sitting beneath the colorful steamers of a preschool classroom, she鈥檚 glad she did.
鈥淓ver since our first observation, I knew I loved this place,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was so exciting to be here with the kids and the way they run it is very efficient and fun. I knew that this is ideally where I wanted to be.鈥�
College Park Preschool is enrolling now for students ages 2-5, with both part-time and full-time options. Learn more at .
