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The housing crisis in 2008, along with the global economic recession that followed, haven’t been kind to state universities. Decreased enrollment nationwide has forced universities to reconsider some of their academic programs. The University of Maine system has been similarly affected, with the Orono campus in particular featuring some of the largest changes.

 

Former UMaine President Robert Kennedy created a working group in 2011 with the aim of cutting enough programs to save roughly $12.5 million between 2011 and 2014. As a result, 16 majors have faced elimination. Most of these have come from within the college of liberal arts. The latest of these programs to face elimination is the Child Study Center, which is a part of the Psychology Department on campus.

 

Kevin Duplissie has been Director and Head Teacher of the Child Study Center since 2003. Duplissie has taught psychology at UMaine for 27 years and is devoted to making sure that the Child Study Center will stay a part of the university.

 

“The University, as in any entity nowadays, has to look at what money is available and how to spend that money,” Duplissie said. “I’m concerned that the university may think that we are solely a preschool. We’re not. We’re an academic center. My goals within the next few months is to explain that to the university.”

 

Located on Sebago Road near the Maine Bound Adventure Center, the Child Study Center is a preschool that offers a curriculum of activities to children with a focus on early childhood development. The school consists of a classroom area with a patio and backyard where the kids can interact and participate in activities based on developing each child’s skills in reading, writing and mathematics. However, this requires a tuition payment from parents, which is a major deterrent considering the number of free preschools available.

 

Aside from the benefits that the children receive from this specialized education, UMaine students from a number of different majors also receive the benefit of witnessing and being a part of educating the children. Although Duplissie is in charge of the curriculum, the actual teaching activities are conducted by students. It is this firsthand experience that allows students to develop skills they would not otherwise learn in a classroom.

 

“I have up to 44 preschool children that come through [the Child Study Center] per week to get an actual preschool experience,” Duplissie said. “My college students get a chance to see how children develop and the stages they go through.

 

“It would be like going through and taking an automotive class without actually fixing a vehicle. Looking at a book doesn’t tell you what you need; you need to get your hands dirty and fix a vehicle,” Duplissie said.

 

In 2010, the university decided that the amount of money allocated to the Child Study Center would be decreased over a five year period with the hopes that the Child Study Center could become a self-sustaining business. Now in its 75th year of operation, the Child Study Center has been struggling to stay afloat.

 

“The parent association along with the staff has raised $90,000 to help supplement [the Child Study Center] but it’s very difficult with today’s economy,” Duplissie said. “Our tuition for the children has diminished but our involvement with students has almost doubled. We need to increase and maintain an enrollment of 22 children per day. I’m writing grants to do workshops for parents and teachers all over the state to make sure this program is going to be here for another 75 years.

 

“In all honesty, I’m very aware of the budget,” Duplissie said. “Because of my commitment to the program, I’ll offer to take a salary cut to help save the funds and resources to the program.”

 

Ronnie Lapierre is a fourth-year student studying psychology with a concentration in developmental psychology. She has worked under Duplissie as part of the work study program for a year and believes that working at the Child Study Center has given her an advantage going into the job market in her career field.

 

“I just got offered a position as a behavioral help professional,” Lapierre said. “Without any of the knowledge and experience I’ve gained here I probably wouldn’t have gotten it.”

 

Although most of the students involved in the program come from the fields of education and psychology, there are students from very different majors go to the school to learn how to teach children about their subjects. In October of 2013, Marine science students taught the kids about safety at the beach as well as aquatic life.

 

“These students are learning about marine science but they wanted to be able to teach that to others, and they needed an avenue to practice these skills,” Duplissie said.

 

Within the next few months, Duplissie will make his case to the university and hopes that he will be able to persuade them that the Child Study Center is a program worth funding.

This entry was posted
on Sunday, January 19th, 2014, 9:22 pm.
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