When the Child Study Center (CSC), the laboratory preschool in the psychology department at Wellesley College, opened its doors in 1913, it was one of the first laboratory preschools in the country dedicated to observing child development and fostering creativity and learning among children. Katharine Lee Bates, class of 1880, a poet-writer lauded for her work on social reform, and Katharine Coman, professor of economics and sociology at the College, were instrumental in the conception of the school. At a time when many children were working in factories following the Second Industrial Revolution, an educational sphere encompassing children was viewed as a progressive step toward expanding their rights.
Today, the CSC continues to offer play-based learning for children, grounded in contemporary developmental and educational principles, with the goal of providing a creative, intellectually stimulating environment. The CSC is run by the College’s psychology department to facilitate research on child development and psychology, and other departments, like education, partner with the CSC as part of their academic programs or for individual courses. The CSC offers a range of opportunities for Wellesley students: They can be paid employees, volunteers, and/or credit-earning practicum students. (Note that the CSC is separate from the Wellesley Community Children’s Center, the other early childhood facility on campus.)
Many Wellesley students first encounter the CSC by conducting observations in conjunction with psychology courses. Kaurvaki Bajpai ’27, a psychology and philosophy double major, first set foot in the CSC when she took PSYC 207: Developmental Psychology. She saw the children play and interact with each other from the observation booth, a seating area where Wellesley students and the children’s parents can watch them from behind a black screen. “It’s so rewarding to have an opportunity that not many other colleges have, where it’s not only the children having an amazing time and education, but students are also able to conduct studies and volunteer as teachers there,” she says.
Bajpai attributes much of the success of the CSC to its staff, saying that the mentorship she has received while working there is “one of the biggest reasons why I had such an amazing experience.” “Everyone who works there really makes the CSC what it is,” Bajpai says.
Like Bajpai, Elizabeth Kolln ’25 had her first exposure to the CSC through PSYC 207. “I mentioned the experience to one of my friends who was volunteering at the CSC at the time, and she encouraged me to reach out about volunteering the next semester,” Kolln says. She joined the Laboratory for Language and Cognitive Development, run by Jennie Pyers, professor of psychology, her sophomore year. Kolln, a psychology and German studies double major, says being a volunteer student teacher at the CSC was one of the most rewarding experiences of her time at Wellesley, and she taught at the CSC all four years, starting the spring of her first year. During her senior year, Kolln conducted research at the CSC for her honors thesis.
“It’s so rewarding to have an opportunity that not many other colleges have, where it’s not only the children having an amazing time and education, but students are also able to conduct studies and volunteer as teachers there.”
Kaurvaki Bajpai ’27
Kolln carries the lessons she learned at the CSC with her as a clinical research assistant in the Down Syndrome Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. While doing research for her thesis, she says, she constantly had to “pivot to accommodate for the children’s needs,” such as by providing more structure or short breaks. “This learned flexibility has been very beneficial for research settings I’ve been in post-grad,” she says. Kolln adds that she enjoys children’s lightheartedness: “Children can be silly in settings adults might consider serious. I never expected to be called ‘Mom’ as a joke during a research visit, but now, thanks to a 4-year-old who was feeling silly, I can say it has happened!”
Becky DelVecchio, interim faculty director of the CSC, emphasizes that students can link any major with work at the CSC. “A lot of times, students will come here and ask how they can integrate their work as, for example, an environmental science major at the CSC,” DelVecchio says. “Your job is to come as you are, and our job is to help you figure out how to integrate it, share it with the children, and live our motto of ministering unto.”
The CSC has been incorporating Wellesley’s motto, Non Ministrari sed Ministrare, by encouraging and empowering children to engage in service opportunities in connection with the College’s 150th anniversary. Emily Cooperman, interim lead teacher in the CSC’s middle classroom, recalls a recent study by students in PSYC 307R: Research Methods in Developmental Psychology, in which they measured the effectiveness of “superhero priming” —a method of exposing children to concepts and traits embodied by superheroes in media—in motivating children to aid each other in service. They found that referring to children as “kindness heroes” helps them “feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when they show empathy towards a classmate,” Cooperman explains. “Empowering young children to minister to others by advocating for kindness, organizing food drives, and helping teachers with tasks that benefit their classmates shows them that they can make a very real impact on the lives of people.”
Research that occurs at the CSC also has a very real impact. For example, Fiona Maurissette, assistant teaching professor in writing, is conducting archival research on fantasy and science fiction narratives for young children at the CSC alongside three former students from her AFR 212: Black Women Writers class. They read books by Black women to the children that “center[ed] the experiences of children of color, so that was them ministering unto us,” DelVecchio explains. Here, Maurissette and her students are going through each of the books in their curated library to see how they can include more books written by Black women that “center the fantastical lives” of children. “It’s not just the children being ministered unto, it’s also that Wellesley students have the opportunity to minister unto here, at the CSC,” DelVecchio says.
Rachel Seo ’25, a psychology and education studies double major, studied narrative comprehension among children for PSYC 307R. Seo examined whether children understand stories better when they hear them read aloud or when they read them independently. Other student researchers have focused on topics such as children’s persistence, nursery rhyme recognition, and understanding of emotion words.
“I’ve learned that we aren’t there to babysit, we’re there to teach,” Seo says. Because the CSC emphasizes guiding children in learning how to act independently, Seo notes that they are constantly building essential skills, such as “respecting boundaries, asking before taking materials, and communicating where they need help.” Her biggest takeaway from her research is realizing “just how creative and competent” children are. “They know, notice, and understand far more than we often assume,” Seo says.