Niederman Scholarship Established for Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center

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The Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center opened in August and accommodates 140 from infancy through preschool.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center at the University of Arkansas is approaching its one-year anniversary since opening in August, and Zara Niederman and Gina Vickery-Niederman want to start the second year by awarding tuition assistance to U of A graduate students for the upcoming fall and spring semesters.

Gina Vickery-Niederman is a U of A doctoral student in environmental dynamics, and with her husband, Zara, through 3VOLVE Housing Inc., the Niedermans have established the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center 3VOLVE Scholarship Challenge: Quality Childcare for U of A Students.

“As a graduate student and parent, I find it hard to fully describe the value of quality, on-campus child care,” said Vickery-Niederman. “The benefits take place on many levels: child development and career development, as well as supporting stronger families and communities. This experience has moved us to contribute what we can to bring this type of support to a more diverse range of families.”

The need-based scholarships will benefit U of A graduate students with encouragement for others to provide fee assistance as well. The purpose is to increase access to quality, on-campus childcare; and to raise awareness of the need for affordable childcare. An anonymous donor supported the scholarship through a matching grant, which doubles the impact of the Niederman gift.

“Our family has been a part of the on-campus childcare community for five years now,” said Zara Niederman. “We have experienced firsthand the peace of mind that quality childcare brings to those balancing graduate studies, careers and young children.”  

“We are grateful that the Niedermans and 3VOLVE Housing chose to be leaders in supporting the university’s graduate student community,” said Doug Walsh, executive director for business and operations of the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center. “They know the hurdles parents must overcome to complete their degrees, and ensure their children are in a nurturing environment and receiving an exceptional education. Thanks to the Niedermans, the graduate students and their children are both better positioned to excel. As a graduate student, Gina’s experiences with the Jean Tyson Center led to the desire to create the scholarship to ensure the child of at least one graduate student receives quality childcare for a year.”

The center is a family-centered program housed in a building designed for best practices in early childhood education and to enhance the learning experience for university students.

The Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center in the Dale Bumpers School of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences has as its mission to provide a model early childhood facility for children from eight weeks to five years; to serve as a teaching laboratory for students in the area of human development and family sciences, and other disciplines; and to serve as a research facility for faculty and graduate students. Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the center meets some of the strictest standards set for early childhood education centers.

The 23,000-square-foot facility offers space, material and technology for optimal learning at every stage of early childhood development. The facility can accommodate 140 children while more than 300 students and faculty per year use the center for study, training and research. The program includes students in child development, speech pathology, nursing and education, and prepares them for positions in private and public early childhood operations.

Graduate students interested in more information about the scholarship should contact Walsh at kwalsh@uark.edu. Students with financial need will be considered first. Scholarship assistance will be provided using a sliding fee scale in order to serve more families.

Anyone interested in contributing to the scholarship should contact Walsh or Mitchell Spearman, the Bumpers College director of development, at spearman@uark.edu.