The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University was established in July 2006 to advance scientific knowledge in the service of securing a brighter future for the world through enlightened investment in its children. Directed by Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D., the Center’s mission is to close the gap between what we know and what we do to build a strong foundation during childhood for a lifetime of successful learning, physical and mental health, adaptive behavior, and community well-being, in the United States and globally.

Building initially on faculty in the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Harvard Medical School-affiliated Children's Hospital Boston, the Center will draw ultimately on all Harvard-wide schools and affiliated hospitals to generate a rich portfolio of scholarship, education, and public engagement. Utilizing the contributions of distinguished leaders in neuroscience, molecular biology, genetics, psychology, sociology, economics, medicine, education, public health, public policy, law, and business, the Center will create a new generation of leaders who view the promotion of healthy child development broadly, as both a moral responsibility and an important social and economic investment. Ongoing current projects include:

• National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, a multi-disciplinary collaboration comprising leading scholars in neuroscience, early childhood development, pediatrics, and economics. The Council’s mission is to bring sound and accurate science to bear on public decision-making affecting the lives of young children.
• National Forum on Early Childhood Program Evaluation, a collaborative project involving Northwestern University, Georgetown University, University of Wisconsin, and University of Nebraska, focusing on the analysis, synthesis, translation, and dissemination of findings from program evaluation studies to learn more about what early childhood interventions work best and for whom.

For more information on the Center, go to  www.developingchild.harvard.edu.