Welcome  to the Northern Kentucky University’s Early Childhood Center!  

As a member of the National Coalition for Campus Children’s Centers, National Association for the Education of Young Children, Southern Early Childhood Association, and Kentucky Association for Early Childhood Education we know that early childhood programs located on college and university campuses typically operate at significantly higher levels of quality than their counterparts in the community.  There is a range of reasons that this is true.  First and foremost is the standard that has been set for excellence in service delivery and quality of early care and education for young children; our staff are employees of the university helping to ensure higher salaries and benefits; our student assistants are selected based on maturity, previous experience, and a commitment to learn and grow as future early childhood professionals; we have relationships with various academic departments which frequently energize our classroom practices; parents using our center have proven to be better advocates for their children and our program.  We have made a commitment to life-long learning, which stays at the forefront of all of our teaching practices.  With all of these things in mind, we are continuously developing new ideas to ‘raise the bar’ on early childhood education.

The NKU Early Childhood Center is a not-for-profit organization annually serving over 125 children two through 12 years of NKU students, faculty and staff as well as members of the community.  The ECC is located on the first floor of the Business Education Psychology Center (BEP).  We are licensed and regulated by the Kentucky Cabinet for Families and Children and accredited through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). 

In addition to providing high quality care and education, the Early Childhood Center is also available for observation, research, data collection, and completion of various course requirements. Because our space is small, we must limit the number of visitors present at any one time. Please stop by the Center to sign up for a specific time. All visitors must also sign in and out each time they come to the Center.

Parents who enroll their children in our program, most of whom are NKU students, do so understanding that part of our central mission is to serve as a training site and research facility. Parents can be confident that all observations will be handled in a professional manner, with strict adherence to confidentiality.

The NKU ECC is a self-supporting department within the university.  All of our expenses are paid from the child care tuition that parents pay.  We are continuously striving to develop new ways to raise funds through grants, private donations and the campus campaign.  If you want to help click here:

 I want to make a difference in the lives of young children! 

Parents’ and Children’s Rights

Kentucky state legislation requires that all parents and children served by an early childhood program, facility or home, have and be made aware of these basic rights:

Children’s Rights:

1. The right to be free from physical or mental abuse

2. The right not to be subjected to abusive language or abusive punishment

3. The right to be in the care of adults who shall meet their health, safety, and developmental needs

 Parents’/Guardians’ Rights

1. The right to have access to their children at all times the child is in care and access to the provider caring for their child during normal hours of operation and whenever the children are in the care of the provider

2. The right to be provided with child care regulatory standards, if applicable; where to direct questions about regulatory standards; and how to file a complaint

3. The right to file a complaint against a child care provider without any retribution against the parent, custodian, guardian or child

4. The right to review and discuss with the provider any state reports and deficiencies revealed by such reports.