Cheerful chatter, glittery pink play dough and colorful artwork surround toddlers and preschool students on the first floor of Carlotta and Dennis Pawley Hall.

Julie Ricks-Doneen is the Director of the Lowry Center for Early Childhood Education, a program that educates children from age 11 months to 5 years.

The early childhood program was named after Oakland University graduate student Matthew R. Lowry, who was one of the first to enroll in OU’s Early Childhood Master’s program.

As part of a class project, Lowry envisioned an early childhood program on OU’s campus.

Lowry’s vision became a reality when the center opened in converted chicken coops, located near Meadow Brook Hall.

By August of 2002, the center moved to the School of Education and Human Services building, Carlotta and Dennis Pawley Hall.

“Lowry started as being very child centered … we continue that same philosophy,” Ricks-Doneen said.

Ricks-Doneen recieved her Ph.D. in psychology from Michigan State University and has been the Director of Lowry for two years and she has been a member of the Oakland University community since 2005.

She arrives at Lowry around 7:45 a.m. and begins her day by checking-in with classrooms.

Around 9 a.m., she greets parents and students with a warm smile as they walk through the center’s glass doors.

“I love to see the growth and see their interests unfold … how they learn to interact with peers and how they creative they can be,” Ricks-Doneen said.”It’s really cool to watch a child go from the toddler room to down the hall.”

After everyone is settled in their classrooms, Ricks-Doneen may spend time observing Lowry’s teachers and pupils.

Ricks-Doneen knows each and every one of Lowry’s 161 students.

“She is really great; she goes in and out of the classrooms a lot.  Her face is well-known,” junior Elementary Education major Lauren Little said.

When Ricks-Doneen is not spending time in Lowry’s classrooms, she is

managing the many business aspects of Lowry that make the

program a success.

She manages both the federal and state grants that help to fund the center.

Grants from the State of Michigan help to fund Lowry’s preschool, as well as the Great Start Readiness Program for four-year-olds.  Federal grants help to keep costs affordable for OU students who have children.

Ricks-Doneen also spends much of her time writing and working on further research.

She is the Assistant Professor of the Department of Human Development and Child Studies and assisted in establishing the Early Education and Intervention Specialist Degree Program, which will be offered in the Fall of 2011.

One of the courses being offered in the new degree program, Ecological Foundations of Early Intervention, will be taught by Ricks-Doneen.

Outside of the classroom Ricks-Doneen enjoys participating in community service projects.

She is constantly searching for new ways to incorporate Lowry in the campus community.

“I am always thinking about how Lowry will be intertwined in the new programs,” Ricks-Doneen said.

Ann Ratteree, a Lowry preschool teacher, who has taught at the center for more than 12 years, has previously worked with Ricks-Doneen.

“She gives us our freedom, to try new things, to try a new idea,” Ratteree said.

Ricks-Doneen also encourages OU students to “come and visit” Lowry whenever they can.

She believes that spending time with children is the best way to determine if a career in education is “a good fit.”

Ricks-Doneen wants individuals in the OU community to know that Lowry

welcomes students from all departments.

With permission, students can visit Lowry for observations, class assignments and research at all levels.

“We serve our students,” Ricks-Doneen said.

People often tell her that the Lowry Center for Early Childhood Education is one of the best kept secrets, but they are not trying to keep it that way. All students are welcome to visit.