Ball State University has selected Apple Tree Child Development Center to become a member of its Professional Development Schools (PDS) Network.

A ceremony to celebrate this honor, given to only 22 schools in the Midwest, the Indianapolis Children's Museum and the Minnetrista Cultural Center, will take place at 4 p.m. Feb. 25 at Apple Tree, 3501 Chadam Ln.

Beverley Pitts, Ball State's provost and vice president for academic affairs, will present Apple Tree with a plaque and deliver a short speech. Also attending from Ball State will be Roy Weaver, dean of Teachers College; Larry Smith, acting associate dean; Jill Miels, chair of elementary education; Ruth Swetnam, director of the PDS Network; and Lynn Staley, associate professor and Ball State liaison for Apple Tree.

Four Ball State students, who are student teaching at Apple Tree, will also be available for comments. They are: Bridget Heavner, Leyna Ballee-Washburn, Elizabeth Skiba and Shannon Brodkorb.

Professional Development Schools are collaborative partnerships between professional education programs and P-12 schools for the professional development of teachers and the training of future educators. Each partnership is unique, and faculty members of each partnership explore and develop initiatives suited to their particular situation with the overall goal being the simultaneous improvement of the schools and of teacher education, Swetnam said.

The YMCA offers full- and part-time licensed childcare at Apple Tree, a state-licensed facility providing quality childcare for 260 children.

For more information, contact Swetnam at (765) 285-5252.