College of Education and Human Development

Center for Early Education and Development

50 years of "giving away" child development

Who we are

CEED was established in 1973 to eliminate barriers to the important child development research and best practices coming out of the University. CEED's first director, Professor Emeritus Richard Weinberg, was fond of saying that CEED was created to “give away child development.” From three paid staff members at its creation, CEED has grown to 14 full-time and several part-time staff under Director Ann Bailey’s leadership.

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Our expertise

Reflective practice

Our research has influenced the practice of reflective supervision and uncovered new insights into how it works in the field. As an example, the Reflective Interaction Observation Scale (RIOS™) was created here in 2011 to measure the “active ingredients” that make reflective supervision work. Although it was created for research purposes, practitioners immediately adopted this unique tool to guide actual reflective supervision sessions.

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Our expertise

Early childhood program quality

For 17 years, CEED has provided vital support to Parent Aware, Minnesota's Quality Rating and Improvement System for child care programs. We conduct regular observations and assessments of early childhood classrooms, rating them using a quality scale called the CLASS™. Caregivers rely on providers CLASS ratings to choose high-quality programs for their children. CEED also provides program quality training to classroom observers, educators, and program leaders.

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As an applied research center, CEED shares knowledge to guide early childhood policies and practices. Our expertise lies in turning relevant early childhood research into actionable information for those who most need it in the field. We help early educators, practitioners, programs, and caregivers achieve the best outcomes for the infants and young children they serve.

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Featured projects

TARSS

Since 2021, CEED has been the home of the Trainer and Relationship-Based Professional Development Specialist Support (TARSS) program. Sponsored by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, TARSS provides training, professional development, and support to early childhood trainers and coaches.

Infant and early childhood mental health

We collaborate with institutions and organizations on a local, statewide, and national level, as well as within the University of Minnesota. One such partnership, with UMN’s Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, has yielded a freely accessible library of child development resources available at cd4cw.umn.edu in addition to an online course on infant mental health and reflective practice that is completely free for child welfare workers.

Mind in the Making

In partnership with Mind in the Making, a project of the Families and Work Institute, CEED offers an 8-module online course called Mind in the Making: Essential Life Skills for Children and Adults. This unique resource, suitable for anyone who works with or cares for children ages birth to eight, explores the science behind executive function through the lens of seven essential life skills.