Early Childhood Development Center

young children on playground

The College of Charleston offers a unique experience for young children and college students at the N.E. Miles Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC). ECDC serves children two years old through kindergarten. Since the center’s founding under President Theodore Stern in 1974, our nationally accredited program has served as the demonstration program and laboratory school for the College as part of the School of Education (SOE).

At ECDC, we believe the purpose of early childhood education is to help children become life-long, enthusiastic, and self-directed learners and responsible citizens. Current research refers to the particular set of cognitive skills needed for this development as "executive functions." 

Discover more about ECDC

"I appreciate that the teachers at ECDC taught me to think critically at a younger age than I might have been taught at another preschool and kindergarten."

Holland Keller, CofC Class of 2023