Child and Family Development Resource Center celebrates 20 years

“One of my very first (preschool) students at the CFDRC was one of my practicum students at Eastern this past spring,” said Lead Teacher Patty McCarthy, who’s taught at Eastern’s Child and Family Development Resource Center (CFDRC) since its opening 20 years ago. “Talk about coming full circle.” 

McCarthy's experience reflected the lasting impact of Eastern Connecticut State University's CFDRC, which for 20 years has served as a research facility for Eastern’s education, social work, and psychology programs while supporting children, families, and future educators in the Windham community.

On June 26, current and former CFDRC students and families joined Eastern faculty, staff, alumni, state and local officials, and community partners to celebrate the center's 20th anniversary. 

Opening the celebration, CFDRC Director Niloufar Rezai reflected on the center's mission and the relationships that have defined it over the past two decades. 

“For two decades, the CFDRC has been more than an early learning center,” she said. “It has been a place where children are seen as capable, curious, and full of potential ... where learning is built through connection, inquiry, and joy.” 

Rezai said the center's success is rooted in the people who have helped shape it over the years. 

“What truly defines the CFDRC is not just our mission; it's the people,” Rezai said. “It's the teachers who show up each day with intention, care, and deep respect for children's thinking, learning, and development. It's the families who entrust us with their most precious gifts. It's the children, past and present, whose laughter, questions, and discoveries have filled these very spaces.” 

She also emphasized the center's role in preparing future educators -- Eastern students studying education. 

“Each year, we help shape the next generation of educators ... Eastern students who learn not only the theory of early childhood education, but how to implement that theory; how to listen, how to observe, how to reflect, and how to teach in thoughtful, responsive, and respectful ways,” Rezai said. 

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Cheryl Wilson said the CFDRC plays a central role in Eastern’s academic mission by supporting student success while providing hands-on learning opportunities across disciplines.  

“At first glance, this might seem a little adjacent to the work of the University, but it really sits at the heart of what we do here at Eastern,” she said. “For 20 years, the CFDRC has supported students and parents, provided high-quality childcare, and served as a site for observation, research, and applied learning across disciplines.” 

Wilson added that the center strengthens both academic rigor and community connections. “Here, theory meets practice,” she said. “It provides rich opportunities for students in education, psychology, social work, and health-related fields, while also connecting the University to the Windham community.” 

McCarthy, who has taught at the CFDRC since it opened in 2006, has witnessed that impact firsthand. One of the center's first pre-k students recently returned as her practicum student while pursuing a degree in early childhood education at Eastern. She also recalled another former student who is now studying nursing, saying those moments remind her of the lasting impact the CFDRC has had on the children and families it has served over the past two decades. 

The celebration also highlighted the CFDRC's impact beyond Eastern's campus. Windham Mayor Tom DeVivo presented Rezai with the "key to the city" in recognition of the center's 20 years of serving children and families in the Windham community. 

“You know, this facility in 20 years has become such a part of our community,” DeVivo said. “The future that the young children have that come to this center is quite amazing.” 

The center was also recognized by the Connecticut General Assembly. State Representative Susan Johnson presented Rezai with an official citation honoring the CFDRC's two decades of providing high-quality early learning experiences, advancing early childhood education research and serving as a trusted resource for children and families throughout the region. 

During the ceremony, guests had the opportunity to tour the center's classrooms, meet the Eastern mascot, Willi the Warrior, and reconnect with one another. Interactive stations were set up throughout the building, inviting attendees to share their favorite CFDRC memories for a time capsule, take Polaroid photos, share where life had taken them since attending the center, and sign a commemorative guest photo frame. 

The celebration reflected not only the CFDRC's first 20 years, but also the generations of children, families, and future educators whose lives have been shaped within its classrooms.