Lucy Brock Child Development Lab

Lucy Brock Child Development Lab is a program in Appalachian State University’s Reich College of Education’s Dean’s Office. Lucy Brock is housed in the Office of Partnerships & Innovation. The Director of Lucy Brock works with the Assistant Director and the teachers to implement curriculum, policies, and procedures. The Director reports to the Assistant Dean of Partnerships & Innovation. Each teacher holds a baccalaureate degree in Child Development, Early Childhood Education, or a related field. Many teachers also hold a Birth through Kindergarten North Carolina Teaching License. All lead teachers have NC Child Care Lead Teacher Credentials.

The Child Development faculty in the Department of Child Development, Literacy, and Special Education determine the curriculum for the degree programs in Child Development. Lucy Brock serves as a mentorship site for numerous App State students, as well as a co-curricular experience of the Department of Child Development, Literacy, and Special Education. The Director helps to ensure that App State students can gain appropriate professional modeling, experiences, and feedback during their time in the classrooms. The Director works with the Assistant Director to ensure the lab is compliant with the recommended best practices and with the curriculum in the degree programs. 

The administrators and early childhood educators work together to develop an emergent curriculum consistent with the Reggio Emilia model. A description of the Reggio Emilia model is provided below under “Reggio Emilia Influence”.

Additionally, the Director and Assistant Director supervise the implementation of research, ensuring that research does not interfere with our primary mission and is reviewed through the appropriate channels. This coordination ensures that Lucy Brock is an effective lab for App State students and an ideal experience for the children enrolled.

Policies and procedures are determined by a committee of the Director, the Assistant Director, University faculty, staff, and the Assistant Dean. The facilities are open to children of faculty, staff, students, and the community.

One of the goals of the lab is to promote research that may contribute to the knowledge base of child development professionals. The documentation of techniques described above is viewed as a type of “action research” conducted by teachers and students. In the event of any proposed research project involving more specific participation of individual children, families would be provided information about the project and asked to decide whether to give permission for a child to participate. Such proposals, also, would be reviewed in advance by the university’s Institutional Review Board.

If you are an Appalachian State University faculty or staff member looking to engage Lucy Brock educators in your University courses, or would like to participate in research at the Lucy Brock Child Development Lab, please complete the Faculty Requests for Lucy Brock CDL Form