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Students gained a firsthand look at the extraordinary growth, learning, and emerging abilities of infants during the annual Baby Lab, an experiential learning event held Sept. 21 as part of Early Childhood Education (ECED) Instructor Joni Jacobson's Child Growth and Development course.

The event brought together infants, parents, students, alumni, and prospective students for a unique experiential learning opportunity. Approximately 40 ATCC students from the Early Childhood Education, Speech-Language Pathology Assistant, Nursing, Liberal Arts, and PSEO programs attended, along with 29 students from Fergus Falls High School.

Rather than learning solely through textbooks and lectures, students observed developmental milestones in real time as infants of different ages interacted with their parents in the classroom environment. The experience allowed students to connect course concepts to authentic child development observations.

What makes Baby Lab especially meaningful, however, is the continued involvement of ATCC alumni. Eight of the nine parents who brought their infants to campus this year are graduates of the college's Early Childhood Education program. As students, they participated in Baby Lab themselves. Now, years later, they’ve returned with their own children to help provide the same learning experience for a new generation of students.

Desiree McDonough, a 2014 graduate of ATCC’s ECED program, participated this year with her 10-month-old daughter, Elowyn, taking part in the program from a very different perspective. 

“From being a student learning about babies and development to coming back years later with a baby of my own—Baby Lab became more than a memory. It became a full-circle moment. I got to see a place that shaped part of my journey through the eyes of a mother,” McDonough shared.

Baby Lab also serves as a recruitment opportunity for prospective students. Students from Fergus Falls High School participated in the event, toured campus, and learned more about Early Childhood Education and other academic programs offered at ATCC. Early Childhood Education Instructor Rondi Wussow led campus tours and facilitated visits to ATCC's Head Start preschool classrooms, providing them with an even deeper look into the field.

Since launching Baby Lab in 2011, Joni Jacobson has hosted more than 20 events connecting students with real-world child development experiences. More than 150 infants and their families have participated over the years, helping make Baby Lab a tradition that continues to engage current students, welcome future students, and reconnect alumni with the program that once shaped their own educational journey.