The Center for Children and Technology (CCT) began as the educational research and development division of Bank Street College in New York City. As one of the first education technology research-and-development organizations, CCT recognized early on that electronic technology would change people's understanding of the world in crucial and complex--but unpredictable--ways. We foresaw the need for formal research to ensure that technology would be used well in schools, homes, and other learning environments. From the beginning, CCT studies focused on cognitive and social aspects of learning with technology, due in part to the influence of the practitioners and developmental psychologists on its staff.

In 1993, CCT became a division of Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), a global nonprofit organization headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, that creates learning opportunities for people throughout the world, empowering them to pursue healthier, more productive lives. EDC manages 250 projects in 30 countries. CCT serves as EDC's primary New York office, with a staff of 30 former teachers, technology and curriculum designers, producers and programmers, developmental psychologists, anthropologists, and sociologists.

Since its inception, CCT has instigated, investigated, and informed new approaches that foster learning and improve teaching through the development and thoughtful use of educational technologies. CCT's philosophy is that research is genuinely valuable only if it yields information that can improve program and practice. Because of this, CCT has a strong track record of partnering on educational technology initiatives with many different kinds of organizations--schools and districts, private and corporate foundations, government and policy groups, and cultural institutions such as museums and libraries.