Introduction

The first step in the development of the Center for Early Childhood Development, Education, and Policy Research (CEDEP) goes back to applying for the Master Plan of Large Research Projects ahead of the 22nd session of the Science Council of Japan. We applied in the education field, with the theme “Establishing an interdisciplinary research and education center on early childhood development, education, and policy: To improve early childhood environment quality based on research findings from developmental science.” At that time, there were no single national research organizations focusing specifically on early childhood care and education. There were 207 applications from the research fields working with the Science Council of Japan, and 66 of them were selected for an interview. Finally, 27 of them (including two from the social sciences and humanities) were selected to be a Master Plan of Large Research Projects for the 22nd session. Our plan was one of them.

Then, the Graduate School of Education at the University of Tokyo requested a budgetary appropriation for the project for the second round of its medium-term goals and medium-term plan (2010-2015), and CEDEP was accepted for the final year project. We have been preparing for CEDEP since April 2015. Now, we are very excited to announce that CEDEP officially opened its doors on July 1st, 2015, attached to the Graduate School of Education at the University of Tokyo.

Our missions

Care and Education

Recently, especially in Western countries, longitudinal research related to human beings’ life-span development has been conducted from many perspectives, including education, psychology, medical science, health studies, economic science, sociology, and studies on social service. These studies have almost uniformly indicated the significance of the environment in which infants and toddlers are nurtured and the qualities of experiences they have there, noting that this affects the formation and maintenance of individuals’ healthy and happy life course.

These findings, in fact, have numerous implications for early childhood education and care (ECEC)　within home or classroom contexts in Japanese society, but these two fields are known, essentially, to take root in the history and the culture of each society. For this reason, it is natural to assume that it is critical to develop a large-scale longitudinal study unique to Japan. Furthermore, in the future, the integration of these findings with the findings of other cultures may open new pathways to discover the universal principles of human development from a new perspective.

At the Division of Care and Education Research, in recognition of the above-outlined concepts, we conduct a large-scale study to reveal the actual conditions of Japanese early childhood education and care, the current situation of the systems and policies supporting early childhood education and care within home or classroom contexts, and the working condition and awareness of carers, educators, and teachers. Thus, we will target ECEC provisions and local communities across the nation. Furthermore, we officially started a longitudinal study to reveal the relationship between physical and mental development of children and the personnel and material environmental factors at home or at ECEC provisions. Finally, we are developing an app for smartphones and tablets to collect information from parents, carers, educators, and teachers and also to provide information to them.

Developmental Science

Our understanding of how humans develop has changed with the state of science, philosophy, and society in each era. In particular, rapidly advancing modern scientific research has had a profound impact on our understanding of the phenomenon of life in its broadest sense. From the embryonic or fetal stage, what principles shape the body and brain morphology, leading to the expression of behavior, consciousness, and mind? How do the macroscopic phenomena of development relate to the microscopic levels of molecules and cells? How do infants' bodies and brains develop in complex physical, chemical, and social environments? What mechanisms are involved in language acquisition and learning? As described above, there are still many unanswered questions regarding the principles of human development. Research on human development is an all-out battle of knowledge, and it is expected to develop by involving all academic disciplines.

In the Developmental Science Division at Cedep, we focus on basic human activities such as sleeping, eating, and playing, and measure behavioral and physiological data related to infants' bodies and brains in order to elucidate the principles of their development.

Public Policy

Recent research on nursing policies is not only limited to the area of education and nursing, but is also required to bring together state-of-art findings from developmental science, medical science, and brain science, psychological and nursing research on child rearing and nursing, and the social-scientific analysis of philosophy, the study of history, economic science, political science, and social science. This center will take advantage of the resources of the University of Tokyo, which fosters the disciplines of humanism, social, nature, and multidisciplinary amalgamation, and furthers the development of research on nursing policy based on the state-of-art findings from each academic discipline. Moreover, we aim to present practical knowledge that can contribute to policy formation and implementation, make policy proposals, and to cultivate human resources that assumes these research and practices.

Previous research on nursing policies has been done mainly by researchers who specialize in child rearing and nursing, such as psychology and nursing, and practitioners who are associated with nursing centers and preschools. These researchers have contributed, to a certain extent, to the accumulation of knowledge on nursing policies based on practice and policy formation. On the other hand, we cannot necessarily say that the findings from developmental science, medical science, and brain science have been fully utilized in the development of policies. Moreover, even though social scientific research on the effects of early childhood education programs have been conducted in many other countries, as typified by James Heckman who won the Nobel Prize in Economics, Japan is still at a point where the number of social scientific researchers specializing in nursing and early education policies is extremely small.

The chief feature of this center is that it is an interdisciplinary organization, combining both humanities and sciences. In it, the division of policy research and other divisions, such as the department of developmental fundamental research, department of child rearing and nursing research, and department of human resources development will cooperate with one another. Capitalizing on these advantages, we will formulate an international hub of nursing policy research and contribute to Japanese nursing and early education policies by conducting case studies, including the comparison of domestic and international findings, conducting panel research and analyses of local communities, nursing centers and preschools, and enhance partnerships and interactions with researchers and research institutions abroad.

Professional Development

We have a central focus on the fostering of human resources that promote the quality improvement of child rearing and early childhood education and care (ECEC) on the basis of scientific evidence. As young researchers who are capable of making policy proposals, we aim to support all people engaged in this area of enquiry as they strive to fully bring scientific knowledge from theory into practice.

Today, various social issues are present under multiple factors, and human resources that are able to deal with these realities are needed. Issues in child-rearing and ECEC are wide ranging, and the effective collaboration between natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities is essential. In particular, when cultivating human resources that comprehensively support human development and knowledge, an interdisciplinary approach is absolutely necessary. This center has a goal to “produce human resources with diversity and excellence” and aims to cultivate a wide variety of human resources knowledge, such as that with great expertise in human development, the quality of ECEC practice, and public policies. We also strive to devise solutions to problems in the field from the children’s side, and to understand activities in different academic disciplines, early childhood education and care field, and the government by putting them in perspective and make comprehensive decisions. We will always maintain a wide vision, ranging from a focus on the actual conditions in the field to international movements, and work to foster the development of education materials and programs.

Currently, the University of Tokyo, as a whole, aims to create a “global base for knowledge collaboration” that connects the quest for knowledge with its utilization. This promotes advanced attempts to develop new academic disciplines that transcend the existing areas of humanities and the sciences. Our center plays one of the key roles in the realization of this goal, and in terms of the cultivation of human resources. We will also strive to develop international standards and to will promote activities that will contribute to the greater good of society.

Center Logo

The name "CEDEP" is an acronym for "Center for Early Childhood Development, Education, and Policy Research". The face form is expressed in handwritten letters, and the cute and humanistic design softens the somewhat formal image of academia and research, and conveys human warmth and emotion.