Creating a first-of-its-kind preschool is one of four major efforts by The University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education to improve early education. The New E3 School is a result of the partnership between E3: Elevate Early Education and the Curry School’s Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (UVA CASTL).
The New E3 School, an innovative laboratory school aiming to prepare children between ages 1 and 5 for kindergarten opened its doors in 2015.
UVA CASTL’s Amanda Williford and Bridget Hamre, both research associate professors, lead the effort in developing the school’s curriculum and professional development approach.
A recent study led by Williford shows that 34 percent of Virginia children entering kindergarten lack key skills needed for success.
The New E3 School, the first of its kind, aims to change that. The curriculum builds from the latest science about how young children learn, with a focus on supporting teachers to interact with children in ways that help them become critical thinkers, problem-solvers and effective communicators early on in life.
“The New E3 School is designed to be a statewide model of best practices of early childhood education spanning from infancy to preschool,” Williford said.
Read more of the efforts by UVA to improve early education in the story published by UVA Today: A Legacy of Advocacy in Education: Four Key Efforts by The Curry School
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