MEDIA CONTACT: Kristine M. McGrath 561-297-1168, kmcgrath@fau.edu

FAU To Expand Early Childhood Education

BOCA RATON, FL (July 27, 2004) - Florida Atlantic University's College of Education will launch a new Center for Early Childhood Education, Research and Community Partnerships in the Fall 2004. With the assistance of the Toppel Family Foundation and other partners, the Center will administer and coordinate various early childhood programs and initiatives, including the Karen Slattery Educational Research Center for Child Development and new degree programs at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels.

The Center will have several functions including: organize early childhood career and degree options for students; provide administrative oversight of the Karen Slattery Center's role in teaching, research and service; conduct research and development while pursuing external funding and develop curriculum and programmatic innovation.

To launch the Center, the College of Education has hired Dr. Yash Bhagwanji as center director. He will coordinate research initiatives, curriculum development and community involvement, and add overall quality of and options for early childhood professionals.

Bhagwanji, formally of the University of Louisville, comes to FAU with twenty-four years of academic and professional experience at the University of Kansas, University of Central Oklahoma-Edmond and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His work experience includes assignments at the University of Oklahoma, University of Illinois and University of Louisville, where he also served as the director of the Little Cardinals Early Childhood Development Program. Bhagwanji has demonstrated extensive work in special education by producing some 25 publications and lecturing internationally. He is also the recipient of almost $2 million in grant funding since receiving his Ph.D. in 1998. Bhagwanji has conducted research in parental involvement, program evaluation and teacher preparation.

For more information on the new Center for Early Childhood Education, Research and Community Partnership, contact Dr. Michael Brady at 561-297-3280 (until August 10) or Dr. Yash Bhagwanji at 561-297-3579 (after August 10).

- FAU -