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Psychology major Lauren Breecker ’05 (Newtown Square, Pa.) has always loved kids, and now is getting to work with them throughout the spring semester.
She is logging over 100 hours, nine hours each week in a preschool classroom at Lehigh Valley Child Care Center (LVCC) where she works hand-in-hand with the head teacher to monitor interaction between children and assists teachers with everyday tasks.
The internship is part of an experientially based course, Advanced Applied Psychology, in which students apply their knowledge of psychology to a nonacademic field setting. Each field placement reflects the interests of the student, who keeps a journal of related activities.
Breecker’s involvement in the classroom includes planning activities, storytelling, and instructing gross motor activities. She also helps with playtime and other outside activities.
“This internship provides distinctive learning experiences because Lauren is totally immersed in the world of the child care center in every way,” says Ann McGillicuddy -DeLisi, Metzger Professor of Psychology and Breecker’s academic adviser for the internship.
“I hope to blend my love of children and psychology together in some sort of profession after graduate school, and this is a perfect position to start me off on this journey,” Breecker says.
“I think it is wonderful that the option of Advanced Applied is open to psychology students. It is the perfect set-up for the ultimate academic experience,” she adds. “Not only do I get to spend 100 hours as an intern, but Professor McGillicuddy-DeLisi has both group and individual meetings for the students in this class. The way she has set up this course is ideal for us to receive the most thorough educational experience.”
Breecker’s role in the classroom is to interact with the children and help structure activities in a manner consistent with the program’s focus, says DeLisi.
Debra Lechman is head teacher of the preschool class and Breecker’s supervisor at LVCC.
“To the children, she is ‘Miss Lauren,’ another caring teacher to interact with,” Lechman says. “To the staff, she is an appreciated extra set of eyes and hands.”
Breecker wants to learn about the capabilities of children during their early years, as well as sound educational approaches and strategies for interacting with preschool children. Through the internship, she hopes to foster positive attitudes in the children.
“The most enjoyable responsibility for me is definitely being a friend to the kids at the center,” she says. “I get to play and sing while still being a responsible authority figure. What else could you want?”
The internship is not all fun and games, however. Breecker says that she is learning about working well with co-workers and being responsible on the job. She has set goals for herself, such as acquiring the skills required by child-care providers, learning effective strategies of listening to children and having children listen to her, and applying knowledge of psychology to her duties at LVCC.
Lechman says that Breecker is polite, friendly, and enthusiastic in the classroom. She uses positive language when talking to the children and is another outlet for one-on-one student attention. “Her happiness with being amongst children is always evident yet professional,” she notes.
“Lauren really loves working with children and shows good insight into why they behave the way they do, and what they need from adults to learn, love learning, and enjoy each other through play and other types of social interactions,” McGillicuddy-DeLisi adds.
The professor says that her class is designed to allow students to create their own integration of academics and fieldwork.
“One of Lafayette College’s strengths is its ability to meet the educational goals of students who have individual needs and desires as far as their personal educational goals, and internship opportunities are an example of this strength,” she says.
Breecker is a member of the National Honor Society and was named to the Dean’s List last semester. She is the risk manager and a member of the Standards Committee of the Pi Beta Phi sorority, which she has served as philanthropy chair. Through Lafayette’s Landis Community Outreach Center, she participates in Girl’s Talk, a program at the Boys and Girls Club of Easton that allows underprivileged children to do arts and crafts, and is co-chair of the Orientation Team.
Upon graduation, Breecker wants to attend graduate school to further her study of psychology. She hopes to attend a school in Boston.
“A specific profession is up in the air, although I’m sure I want to pursue something that involves children and psychology, perhaps a school psychologist or counselor.”
She is a graduate of Great Valley High School.