The DISC lab aims to build strong community partnerships, in and around the Madison area, to further the participation of a variety of children in our research. By doing so, we hope to capture a more comprehensive picture of how children develop socially.
The DISC Lab encourages local sites to get involved in our research to promote an early interest in science! Community partners receive a thank-you incentive for participating.
If you are interested in getting your organization involved, please fill out this form. If you are an administrator and have questions before getting involved, please get in touch with the lab manager, Saren Ramsey.
Here are some of the local sites the DISC lab has partnered with!
Eagle’s Wing
Eagle’s Wing is a UW-Madison-affiliated child care program associated with the Eagle’s Wing community center. Eagle’s Wing is part of an intentional, affordable housing community meant to serve current graduate students at UW-Madison.
You can learn more about Eagle’s Wing here.
Madison Community Montessori Schools
MCMS is a school in Madison, WI that has been serving the community for over 52 years. MCMS aims to nurture young children’s passion and creativity and funnel those qualities into meaningful work with an emphasis on caring for the environment and experimentation.
You can learn more about MCMS here.
Aldo Leopold Nature Center
The Aldo Leopold Nature Center emphasizes serving students, teachers, and children through nature-based learning and nurturing appreciation of environmental sustainability.
The ALNP has many childcare programs, including after-school care, summer camps, and a preschool!
You can learn more about the Aldo Leopold Nature Center here.
University Houses Preschool
We partnered with UHS in the Fall of 2025 to facilitate data collection for one of our studies! UHS is a preschool in the Madison, WI area that emphasizes play-based learning and nature-oriented experiences.
You can learn more about the University Houses Preschool here.
Child Development Lab
We have also partnered with the Child Development Lab to work with UW-Madison families. The Child Development Lab is located on the UW-Madison campus and is a specialized childcare center uniquely meant to facilitate research. The CDL often collaborates with research labs on the UW-Madison campus studying education, developmental psychology, or family sciences to create better interventions to support this growing generation of kids!
You can learn more about the Child Development Lab here.
Bayview Foundation
As of Summer 2024, we have partnered with the Bayview Foundation to work with families within the community! We often attend community celebrations, tabling events, and are planning to collaborate with the afterschool program to include those from the community in our research efforts! The Bayview Foundation, founded in 1966, works to provide affordable housing, and community, to residents around the area. We are so thankful for the Bayview Foundations partnership, and their extremely important mission!
You can learn more about the Bayview Foundation here.
The Madison Children’s Museum
We have currently partnered with the Madison Children’s Museum in order to reach families from all around Madison. Often, research can be centralized to only one area, which doesn’t allow researchers to observe the complexities of different areas of the same city. We hope to capture a more comprehensive view with our research by reaching as many families as possible.
You can learn more about the Madison Children’s Museum here.
