History
The Zigler Center was founded in 1978 by Edward Zigler (Director, Emeritus), as the Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy. It was the first of four such centers funded by the Archibald Bush Foundation of St. Paul, Minnesota. The other centers were at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Michigan and UCLA. In July 2005, the Center was renamed The Edward Zigler Center and became a formal part of the Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine. Funding for the Zigler Center is now provided by several private foundations that support our work.
Edward Zigler
Renaming the Center was done in honor of its founder and his extensive work dedicated to improving the lives of children and families. Ed Zigler is widely regarded as one of the founding “fathers” of Head Start. He is a staunch advocate for children and families and a leading researcher of program and policies designed to support children and families. He has conceptualized and workd on such national initiatives such as as Head Start , Early Head Start, the Family and Medical Leave Act and the innovative 21C program.
Walter S. Gilliam, associate professor at the Yale Child Study Center, is the current Director of the Zigler Center. Matia Finn-Stevenson is the Associate Director. Ed Zigler continues to serve as Director, Emeritus.
