An Interdisciplinary Public Impact Alliance
UC Berkeley Equity and Excellence in Early Childhood (E3C) is an interdisciplinary public impact alliance dedicated to reimagining California’s early childhood ecosystem so that all young children can thrive. We are researchers, educators, and public-sector changemakers working together to advance systems-level solutions for early learning, health, development, and family well-being.
The Challenge
California is making historic investments in early childhood—yet deep inequities persist. Policy reforms sit atop fragmented, compliance-driven systems that diminish their long-term impact. Health disparities, economic insecurity, housing instability, and underfunded programs leave many needs unmet, while workforce shortages erode stability and quality. Federal disinvestment in early childhood programs and education research compounds these risks—especially for California’s diverse and growing child population. Without aligned infrastructure, shared accountability, and a new narrative of possibility, California risks losing its investments in children and families. This moment calls for bold, equity-driven systems change. Equity can’t wait.
Catalyzing Collective Action
E3C catalyzes collective action to understand, improve, and transform these systems into a connected, community-anchored, and accountable ecosystem that promotes positive outcomes in early learning, health, development, and family well-being enabling every child, caregiver, and family to thrive. At its core, E3C advances a collaborative science for childhood thriving—a science that fuels excellence, equity, and expanded opportunity. The new science requires an ecosystem of experts who triangulate the understanding of barriers for early childhood development and flourishing. Through this interdisciplinary foundation, E3C pairs rigorous science with a public-sector Systems Solutions Lab that co-designs, pilots, and scales structural innovations tested through multi-site partnerships and adaptive learning. Together, E3C will fuel the generation of knowledge, practice, data, programs, and policy that support the opportunity for fulfillment and capacity in every child. This is a defining moment. And E3C is built to help California rise to it.