The history of the Early Childhood Education Program dates back over 100 years. In 1927, Berkeley founded the Institute of Child Welfare (now the Institute of Human Development (IHD)), to provide a quality nursery school for children, while providing scholars access to a young population for observation and research. As one of the first such sites in the country, some of the most famous and innovative longitudinal studies in childhood development originated here.
In 1960, the nursery school was renamed the Harold E. Jones Child Study Center. The oldest of our centers, Harold E. Jones remains the longest continuously running child study center in the United States.
Seeking high-quality early childhood education and care for their children, parent demand has driven the expansion of the ECEP. Since our inception in 1927, we expanded to five locations and currently serve more than 250 children – infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
In recognition that we serve UC Berkeley’s youngest learners, the ECEP is currently overseen by the UC Berkeley Division of Student Affairs. Throughout our growth, our promise has remained the same: to develop innovative and effective teaching and learning approaches, and to apply them for the benefit of our enrolled families.
Learn more about our ground-breaking research.