The Foundation for Child Development supports research, policy, advocacy, and organizing to advance the learning and development of young children from birth through age eight. The Foundation is particularly interested in initiatives dedicated to support young children marginalized by racism, xenophobia, and economic inequality.
In 2025, the Foundation will conclude its 10-year initiative focused on strengthening the capacity and status of the early care and education (ECE) workforce across diverse settings. We supported research and policy efforts to ensure that early educators were well-prepared, appropriately compensated, and equipped to provide high-quality early learning experiences. The initiative also elevated the inequities confronting young children and the early childhood educators who care for them. The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the pressures on the ECE field, and the Foundation sought to address the pervasive issues of equity and justice that affect educators, the young children they care for, and their families.
We drew insights and inspiration from previous Foundation-supported work that influenced the early education landscape. We spearheaded a multi-year research and policy development initiative that expanded the definition and practice of early education to a continuum from preschool to third grade. That groundbreaking PreK-3rd Initiative has evolved into a national multi-disciplinary effort to improve children’s early learning opportunities from early childhood settings through the elementary grades.
Similarly, our Young Scholars Program focus on New American Children from 2002-2015 resulted in new areas of research focused on the early learning and development of young children in immigrant families.
As we look to the future, we plan to sharpen our focus on issues of equity and justice for young children and the adults who are closest to them — their parents and caregivers. In our Social Justice for Young Children Conversation Series, we are engaging with leaders — advocates, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, organizers, and funders. Through inclusive dialogue, we aim to envision the kind of society we want for our nation’s children and defining the Foundation’s role in contributing to that future.