White shooting star with sparkling stars on a transparent background.

Early Development Shapes a Lifetime

A dynamic dance between nature and nurture fuels development from the start.

Starry night sky with gradient shades of blue, purple, and green.

Infants develop at lightning speed, from first smiles to first words.

How do they do it?

How do they learn so much so fast? At the Infant and Child Development Center, we let infants show us the way! We design captivating — and precise — 'puzzles' to tap into how infants and young children observe the world around them. Watching them as they solve these puzzles gives us a clear view into their rapidly developing minds.

Smiling woman in orange sweater sitting on a gray couch holding a baby in a purple graduation gown.

A window into the developing mind

Babies are amazing! In fact, they are biologically less mature at birth than infants of any other species. This means that our babies depend on us longer for their survival, and are especially sensitive to learning from us, from the language(s) they hear, from the objects and events that surround them, and from the people who care for them.

This biological fact presents a compelling social and scientific imperative.:: We must harness the power of early experience to support development in all children.

Abstract starry night sky with purple and blue gradient and scattered small white stars.

Our mission.

  • Science that is radical and rigorous, ambitious and meticulous
  • Harnessing evidence-based science to support all children and their families
  • Communicating the evidence widely and accessibly
  • Mentoring the next generation of developmental scientists
Bronze statue of a woman with arms raised, surrounded by lush green trees in a garden.
Abstract starry night sky with purple and blue gradient and scattered small white stars.
Pair of stylized purple quotation marks on a white background.

Language exerts a hidden power, like the moon on the tides.

Pair of purple double quotation marks.
ANCIENT GREEK POET, ALCAEUS OF MYTILENE
Abstract starry night sky with purple and blue gradient and scattered small white stars.

Research topics

Research Topic 1

Discovering the infant mind

Research Topic 2

Discovering the natural & social world

Research Topic 3

Harnessing the power of early experience to support all children

Abstract starry night sky with purple and blue gradient and scattered small white stars.