Where Knowledge Meets Nurture

The Susan Gray School, originally named the Peabody Experimental School, opened in 1968 as an on-campus research-oriented school devoted to educational research involving young children with developmental disabilities and children whose future development was at risk because of conditions such as poverty. In 1986 the School was renamed the Susan Gray School in recognition of Dr. Susan Gray (1913-1992), a Peabody faculty member and national authority on the early education of "disadvantaged" children.

The pioneering work of Dr. Gray was recognized nationally and Sargent Shriver, founding director of the Peace Corps, credited her with the inspiration for founding Head Start: "Dr. Gray's pioneering experiments showed us what could be accomplished and how to go about it. Through Head Start and through the even more massive programs for child development which have flowed from the Head Start experiment, Susan Gray has made an enduring contribution to the nation's welfare."

For nearly four decades, the Susan Gray School has served young children with developmental disabilities and young children who are at risk for developmental delay. The school has the distinction of being the first nationally recognized early intervention program to include typically developing children in educational settings with children with disabilities.

Today, the School's four-fold mission to service, training, research, and demonstration continues. Susan Gray School is a licensed child care center and has the Tennessee 3-star rating, indicating a program of highest quality, and is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

For further information please contact the school at (615) 322-8200 or email ruth.a.wolery@vanderbilt.edu

The Susan Gray School serves more than 200 children a year in its school, located on the grounds of Peabody College, and in the Nashville community.

Vanderbilt Links

• Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
• Kennedy Center for Human Development