University of Minnesota. Institute of Child Welfare

The Institute of Child Welfare was established at the University of Minnesota in 1925 within the office of academic administration. Its mission was to study and gain knowledge about the development of the normal child and disseminate information regarding childcare to parents. One year after its founding, the Institute became a department in the graduate school offering M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The first director of the Institute was Dr. John E. Anderson (1925-1955).

Programs offered by the Institute include counseling services begun in 1933, an undergraduate degree in child psychology established in 1955 and since 1925, the Institute has been home to a laboratory nursery school that provides model training experiences for teachers of young children. The Institute became a unit within the College of Education in 1957 and subsequently changed its name to the Institute of Child Development and Welfare. In 1963 the name was shortened to the Institute of Child Development.