Welcome to the site of the new Early Learning Research Academy. We are currently developing a program to provide high quality early childhood education and care programs to children from birth through age 5, and to develop a comprehensive longitudinal research program to inform those activities.

The program will provide opportunities for research to students and researchers of education, child development, health care, and professional development for early childhood teachers. We will have a program including 8 infants, 20 toddlers, and 45 preschoolers, in a total of 6 state-of-the-art classrooms. Each classroom will be equipped with an observation area, and many classrooms will be wired for audiovisual connections to the Internet, and a password-protected live feed of each day’s events, to be used for research and for teaching new teachers on site and remotely.

We will also have space for research lab work: state-of-the-art rooms developed to allow researchers to assess children, meet with parents, and store data securely, along with offices assigned to researchers on a temporary basis as they visit the center.

We anticipate that many children who enter the program early will continue to participate in a program sponsored by the Center for Strategic Urban Community Leadership—many will attend the LEAP University Academy Charter School, for example—thus we will have the opportunity to track their physical, social, and academic development throughout heir school careers. We are currently developing the program of research that will occur at the Academy, and welcome your input. If you have suggestions, or would like to participate in research involving our students, please contact Director Gloria Bonilla-Santiago, Ph.D for details on submitting your request or suggestion.