EDC supports the development of engaging and safe educational programs for young children.
From birth to age eight, children take the first steps in a lifelong learning journey. EDC speeds them on their way by designing, studying, supporting, and scaling up programs that enhance school readiness and success. We have a special focus on meeting the needs of children from disadvantaged communities and dual language learners, engaging and supporting families, and building the capacity of educators and communities to sustain improvements.
In the United States, we work to create strong, coherent preK-Grade 3 systems and advance knowledge of how to improve early science, mathematics, and literacy learning. Around the world, we implement innovative early childhood programs that build literacy and numeracy skills, excite interest in learning, and help educators, volunteers, and parents enrich early learning.
Read "A Fair Start for Every Child" to learn more about EDC's work to support early childhood learning.
Learn about EDC’s work with Family STEM Communities.
Learn about EDC’s work to strengthen early childhood interventions with Continuous Quality Improvement.
Learn about the work of EDC’s Center for Children and Technology.
Related Content
A New Language for Mathematics
Young children often struggle to write down their mathematical ideas. Could computer programming be an easier language for them?
EDC Talks: Making Time for Family Math
What are some fun, easy activities that families can do to encourage math learning at home? (Hint: You are probably already doing some of them.)
Tapping, Swiping, and Learning Science
Research findings on The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!™ have implications for parents, educators, and educational media developers.
Helping All Children Learn and Thrive
EDC’s David Jacobson discusses his ideas for changing—and improving—early childhood services.
Tools to Support Preschool Learning
New resources support educators on integrating technology and working with emergent bilingual learners.
The Other Side of the Screen
As a researcher, Tiffany Maxon gets to help develop the next generation of children’s television shows.
Projects
Resources
Here are a few of our resources on early childhood development and learning. To see more, visit our Resources section.
This brief describes how EDC works with multi-sector partners to pioneer new ways to harness the power of digital tools to support families and enhance early teaching, learning, and health promotion.
This EDC brief explores the key role that parent-child interaction plays in children’s development and describes how home visitors can support parent-child interaction.
This is the summary of a report that presents the results of a first-of-its-kind national survey of parents, who were asked about the types of early science educational activities they do with their young children.
Based on an EDC-led workshop funded by the National Science Foundation, this white paper explores the impact of language documentation on language revitalization, shares the benefits of language documentation and revitalization for young children, and presents recommendations and implications for future research.
In this research brief, the authors present findings that highlight the importance of policies, practices, and regulations that state Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) administrators use in their efforts to increase the supply and quality of early care and education for children from birth through age three, with an emphasis on children from low-income families. The findings are drawn from qualitative analyses of CCDF state plans and based on an online national survey completed by CCDF administrators.
EDC and SRI International conducted an independent study of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) KIDS Play & Learn Science app, which includes in-app and direct hands-on science explorations for children ages 3 to 6 and their parents.
This presentation describes the innovative strategies, accomplishments, and lessons learned of the Child Safety Collaborative Innovation and Improvement Network at EDC.
This resource library from the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) contains policy reports, briefs, annotated bibliographies, and other tools targeted to help early childhood educat
This tip sheet explains the benefits of including participants and families in continuous quality improvement (CQI) processes and provides strategies for engaging them as partners.
Interactive audio instruction (IAI) is a distance-learning technology that provides educational services, often to schools and school systems worldwide.