Reems Landreth
Ground broke on Friday Feb. 23 for The Carol Jenkins Barnett Center for Early Childhood Learning and Health at Florida Southern College.
The new center will hold classes for students with an Education major as well as classes for pediatric nursing. The Florida Southern Early Learning Lab will also be moved from Edge Hall to this new site.
The Center for Early Childhood Learning and Health will also house a diagnostics center where auditory and sensory screenings will occur.
“[This is] one of the few, if not the only school in the country studying this material at the undergraduate level,” Florida Southern President Dr. Anne Kerr said.
Dr. Linda Comer, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, said that students from both disciplines will work together in this new setting for the betterment of children.
“Our children matter,” Comer said.
Dr. Tracy Teder, Dean of the School of Education, announced that the Center will be open for classes in the Fall of 2019.
In conjunction with the construction process, there is a search underway for a Pediatrics Professor to lead in this new facet of campus.
Dr. Rob Tate, Barney Barnett, and Bishop Bob Fannin also spoke at the groundbreaking. A reception followed the ceremony.