With the closing of the Mary J. Wright University Laboratory School on June 30, Western Education officials are now working on a new opportunity to benefit children in the London community and to build on the legacy of the school’s legendary namesake.
“I am so thrilled the Faculty of Education has been given a mandate to carry forward the powerful vision of Mary J. Wright, a vision strongly embedded in the belief that early intervention services have the potential to make positive differences in the lives of vulnerable children and families,” said Vicki Schwean, dean of Western’s Faculty of Education.
Last week, Western announced it would be closing the Lab School after four decades.
Currently, there are 60 families with 65 children registered in the school’s half-day (parent/child, toddler, preschool and kindergarten) and full-day (kindergarten) programs. Western is working with families to identify alternative program options following the closure.
Human Resources staff members are providing support to the five full-time, as well as two contract, employees impacted by the closure.
Although change is never easy, Schwean said, the new initiative will carry the school’s original vision into the new era.
“Through a partnership with a community agency, researchers across Western will continue Mary’s legacy through early intervention implementation research designed to develop new practices, assess impacts, and, where benefits are found, engage in large-scale capacity-building through professional development and knowledge sharing,” Schwean continued.
“In addition, we envision our collaboration will nurture the next generation of early childhood professionals through the active involvement of university students in internships in the community setting.”
Western Psychology professor Mary J. Wright established the University Laboratory School at Western in 1973.
At a time when the value of preschool education was being questioned in the United States, because of the Head Start program, Wright pioneered the University of Western Ontario Preschool Project, which was directly aimed at children from low-income families. The purpose of the school was to conduct child research and teaching demonstrations for the Department of Psychology. The school was also used to try out experimental teaching methods.
Wright, “den mother to a generation of psychologists,” served as the school’s director until 1980, when she retired. In 1983, Wright published a book outlining the design and principles behind the lab school, as well as a summary of its research. In 2001, the innovative laboratory preschool was renamed the Mary J. Wright University Lab School in honour of her work and a $500,000 donation she made to Campaign Western.
“The Lab School and its staff have provided an exceptional learning experience for children over the last 42 years,” said Brian Timney, Social Science dean. “In recent years, however, educational psychology became less of a priority in the department and, therefore, the research that was central to Dr. Wright’s vision has become less of a focus at the Lab School for members of the department.
“It became clear that Western’s Faculty of Education was a better fit to continue Dr. Wright’s vision, and that this could best be accomplished by working directly with families and children in the community through an existing agency.”
Although details have yet to be finalized, the new community-based initiative, led by the Faculty of Education, will focus on developing prevention, promotion and treatment programs for children. The initiative will have a strong cross-disciplinary research focus in partnership with an existing London community agency.
“This (initiative) will help make a significant impact on community capacity for early childhood interventions by bringing evidence-based practices directly to the community,” Schwean said. “Researchers will also share their findings and work to educate professionals who deliver children’s services in other communities, nationally and internationally, in order to help children around the world achieve success.”
The new initiative is expected to launch in early 2016.
The Lab School closure has no impact on the two child-care centres operating on campus. The University Child Care Centre and UCC Flex Care are both managed by the YMCA of Western Ontario.