McPhaul Center provides a path to academic success

As a group of Athens students prepared to head off to different colleges across the Southeast, they paused to reflect on how their education began on the University of Georgia’s campus. The students — who completed preschool at UGA’s Child Development Lab at the McPhaul Center — grew up in Athens and graduated this spring from Clarke Central High School.

“Going to McPhaul gave us a great sense of community,” said Adaline McCullick, who will enroll at Wofford College this fall. “We talked to each other when we were in school, and at our high school graduation parties, we took McPhaul kid photos.”

These students remained connected to UGA throughout their K-12 education in the Clarke County School District — visiting campus on field trips, taking classes through dual enrollment, and participating in the Young Dawgs internship program. And, one of the students has joined the UGA community as a member of the Class of 2028.

“I have such fond memories of my experience at McPhaul,” said Wilson Griffeth. “Going to UGA for preschool and now going to UGA for college — it really feels like home for me.”

The McPhaul Center has a distinguished history on UGA’s campus. Established in 1928, it was the first permanent nursery school at a Southern university and the fourth of its kind in the nation. Housed in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, the center is located on the university’s South Campus and serves children ages 8 weeks to 4 years old.

“We have the academic focus — the lesson plans, the assessments — it is part of what we do, and it is important. But more of our absolute desire is to help children develop problem-solving skills and become critical thinkers,” said Amy Kay Powell, a clinical associate professor and Child Development Lab’s director.

Powell has held the role of director for 18 years and has watched parents and children connect through their time on UGA’s campus.

“Often, our families’ first interaction with each other happens here, and those relationships continue throughout the years,” Powell said. “We hear about the friendships that formed and started here among the students, and so many of those relationships carry on today.”

The friendships formed at McPhaul continue to shape this cohort of Athens’ graduating seniors. In fact, one of the McPhaul alumni — Caroline Orbock — mentioned the longstanding friendships she formed in preschool during her salutatorian remarks to Clarke Central High School’s graduating class.

Orbock, who will pursue a degree in mathematics at Georgia Institute of Technology, said her favorite memories of McPhaul involve the school’s hands-on lessons. One time, she remembered, the class spent the morning drawing cars. Then, their teachers surprised them with car-shaped tents that they were allowed to nap in. Orbock continued to enjoy hands-on experiences at UGA throughout her time in school. She came to campus on field trips and in high school was selected for the Young Dawgs program, where she assisted with kinesology research related to basketball.

As these students continue to grow and learn in college, one of their former classmates — Griffeth — will find new ways to connect to the University of Georgia as a first-year student on campus.

“I’m looking forward to being an actual student at UGA, getting to live on campus, and tap into the amazing programs that I’ve heard about growing up here,” said Griffeth. “I really have a strong feeling of home here. It started at McPhaul and continues to this day.”

This article was written by Kristen Linthicum, Executive Strategic Account Manager with the UGA Division of Marketing and Communications.