PSU Magazine Summer 1987

t • • Left: Assistant teacher Nancy Govig's lesson on favorite foods introduces 2- and 3-year-olds at the Helen Gordon Center to the idea that written words have meaning. Middle: Kathleen Richman, one of 40-60 student workers at the center, spends a quiet reading time with Jay Pengelly. Right: One lasting friendship made at the center was that ofAdam Matschek and Tina Graven. each unit let children "follow their own interests and set their own pace," according to Browning. One room has human anatomical models, stetho– scopes and laboratory equipment donated by a doctor father. Another unit has a pizza factory in the corner. Every room looks like an artist's studio, with colorful creations being com– pleted almost continuously. For the structured times of the day, there are special rooms devoted to woodworking, music, language skill development and large-motor activities. And to let off steam and socialize in an unstructured way, children have plenty of opportunities to trot outside to two large walled-in playgrounds. A ll of this activity is guided by seven head teachers and three assistant teachers, each of whom has a college degree in a child– related field. They are assisted by a cadre of 40-60 student workers who are trained as aides right in the Helen Gordon classrooms, and without whom Browning believes the program would falter. "These students, who come from a surprising array of majors, enrich our program by their resources and individual styles," remarked Browning. Then there are the students and faculty from PSU as well as other colleges and universities who fulfill their early childhood education practicums or carry out their research at the Helen Gordon Center. "We feel we're an arm of the early childhood education program at PSU," said Browning, who added that many other departments, including speech and hearing, music, business and physical education, have engaged in research with the Helen Gordon children. "The research is usually well-designed and fun so the children don't know they are being studied," said Browning. "It's a real model setting," said PSU early childhood education professor Amy Driscoll, "where people learning how to teach and plan can go and see how things are done well. Then, when they go to a less ideal setting, they know what to look for." Driscoll was attracted to PSU in large part because of the Helen Gordon Center. This laboratory aspect of the center was largely undeveloped before Browning took over as director in 1979, according to Orcilia Forbes. Browning, who had directed a laboratory preschool at San Diego City College, was selected to help the PSU program fulfill that part of the center's mission. Named after Helen Gordon, who was well known in Oregon as a leader and advocate for child care issues and as the founder of the Child Care Coordinating Council, the PSU program has earned the respect of PSU MAGAZINE PAGE 9 preschool professionals around the state. "There's not much comparison," said Driscoll of the Helen Gordon Center's statewide status. Accreditation last fall just confirmed what many parents and teachers already knew about the Helen Gordon Center. "It's super to know that my kids are getting great care," said PSU faculty member Nancy Matschek, who has had two children in the program for the past five years. "It's like an exten– sion of home ... The staff is quite wonderful - warm and gentle - and my kids have made lifelong friends." Now, with a reputation to preserve and a service to continue offering as inexpensively as possible, the Helen Gordon Center has found that its bake sales and T-shirts cannot satisfy all its fund-raising needs. This spring, the center has launched a campaign for private support from the parents of Helen Gordon "alumni" and even– tually from foundations. As PSU Development Officer Karen Martini explains it, "Our goal is to enable Margaret to supply some of the needs of the center, to help her maintain a quality and safe environment, without having to increase the fees. " Fees, which at $ 150 a month for students and $298 for faculty, staff and community members are moderate to low, are the center's only source of income. But the program has the Continued on page 28