Advancing Early Childhood Learning
The promise of every child
The initiative in early childhood learning was envisioned to promote new discoveries in early childhood development and improved policies and practices in the field of early learning.
The initiative has built on Stanford’s interdisciplinary strengths to bring education together with neuroscience, pediatrics, law and policy, business, social science, and engineering to address the complex issues that intersect in early childhood.
Seizing new opportunities
Recent advances in brain and learning science have clearly demonstrated that children’s experiences in the first five years are critical to laying the groundwork for learning for the rest of their lives.
Moreover, early childhood education is receiving attention at the policy level, with growing recognition that accessible, quality early education is an important lever to reduce opportunity gaps. The time is right to build a strong body of science and policy to support early learning.
Research and innovation are essential for advancing the world’s capacity to nurture its youngest learners and to realize the promise of all children.
The way forward
Enter the Stanford Center on Early Childhood, an interdisciplinary hub advancing research and strategies to support young children’s learning and development. The center focuses on three key priorities:
Catalyze interdisciplinary science and innovative measurement
Researchers are developing ways to make child development assessments less labor-intensive and burdensome to teachers and parents, while broadening the areas of focus to include important traits like persistence and curiosity.
Develop and support the next generation of early childhood professionals
The center is designing ways to bring training and mentorship with a focus on equity to early childhood educators, researchers, and leaders. From professional development for educators to fellowships for early childhood professionals, the center seeks to support the next generation of early childhood experts.
Advance early childhood community solutions
Innovations in early childhood development are happening in communities right now. The center aims to increase the flow of information across all areas of the early childhood ecosystem by identifying strategies and programs and sharing them between communities, researchers, and policymakers.
