Jean Lyle Children's Center

HISTORY OF JEAN LYLE CHILDREN'S CENTER		The Jean Lyle Children's Center (JLCC) is an outgrowth of the Stella Louise Woods Children's Center/Lab School located on the Macalester College campus from 1948 to 1979. It was part of the Education Department and served the Macalester community.
Upon the decision made by Macalester College to no longer fund the lab school, these current directors decided they would continue its mission and open their own school. These three were Betty Hills, Rica Van and Maxine Simon. They located the site of St. Mary's Church and decided to name the school in honor of Jean Lyle who directed the Early Childhood Education Department at Macalester for 16 years. She had strengthened the lab school at Macalester, and based it on the British infant and preschool system of emergent curriculum. Although by 1981 they were independent of the college, Jean Lyle Children's Center continues to collaborate with Macalester by hosting student teachers and students from the departments of Education and Psychology interested in developing their observation skills or experience with young children.