With the inauguration of the Marian Wright Edelman Institute for the Study of Children, Youth and Families in 1997, San Francisco State University brought together its best scholars and students to address the ever changing needs for children, youth and families. Today, the Institute continues to serve as a powerful tool of outreach, advocacy and research.
Mission
The Marian Wright Edelman Institute has a three-fold mission:
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To support campus and citywide efforts to improve the quality of early childhood education
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To promote collaboration among faculty and partnerships between SF State, other higher educational institutions and the community
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To foster research and scholarly work
History
In 1997, a group of interdisciplinary faculty and administrators from across the campus joined together to form the Marian Wright Edelman Institute in response to an identified need for an academic discipline and program to focus on the health and education of young children and support for families. The Institute housed the Child and Adolescent Development (CAD) program, which included faculty from different discipline-related departments. CAD became an independent department in 2006.
The Institute has housed up to 8 externally funded programs each year since its inception. It has served as an incubator for several programs that achieved national prominence and subsequently established themselves as not-for-profit organizations in the community or on campus. Notable examples include EDvance College, WIRED International, and Children’s Campus. The Institute continues to support innovative programs that have a meaningful impact on the lives of young children and families.
Funders
The Marian Wright Edelman Institute has received funding from San Francisco’s Department of Children, Youth and their Families, San Francisco’s Human Services Agency, the California Wellness Foundation, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, San Francisco’s Office of Early Care and Education and First Five San Francisco (now combined into the Department of Early Childhood), the David B. Gold Fund, the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund, the San Francisco Foundation, Jumpstart for Young Children (and Americorps), the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation.