Announcing the Phasing out of Early Development Activity Center (EDA) Activities
We hereby announce that the Early Development Activity Center (EDA) will be closing down its activities as of March 2006. This will be done in accordance with a decision adopted at a special meeting of the Sony Foundation for Education board of directors meeting held December 12 2003.
A gradual winding down of the EDA's activities has begun.
The EDA would like to thank its many associates, affiliated organizations, colleagues in the field of education and members for the sincere cooperation, dedication and diligent work that have made the Center's work a lasting achievement. We look forward to your continued kind guidance and assistance in this the final phase of our activities.
Prior to joining the Sony Foundation for Education, the Early Development Activity Center operated as a separate entity founded in 1969 by none other than founder,Sony Corporation, Masaru Ibuka. The principal mission and raison d'etre of the EDA has been to raise awareness among the general public of the importance of the following three cornerstones of child-rearing.
- The mother and child relationship marks the first step in human social development and begins while the child is still in the womb.
- The mother's influence in the child's life is greater than that of any other individual.
- The phase prior to the child learning to speak is the most important formative period.
These three concepts have been central to the Early Development Activity Center activities for the past 34 years.
In the ensuing years, discoveries in neuroscience research have revealed the true depth of the mental capabilities of children at the fetal and infant stages.
These discoveries are also well documented overseas, as reflected in a special series of articles entitled "Your Child" appearing over a four-week period in Newsweek Magazine (beginning December 2000) and based on the theme of "development from age zero to the commencement of education."
The study of infant development has begun to expand far beyond the field of neurological science experts, a good example being the Japanese Society of Baby Science, launched in 2001. Research on infant development is now being pursued in many other fields.
Mr. Ibuka's views on the "importance of the stage of infancy" and the "influence of the mother" have now become widely accepted throughout Japan, fulfilling his mission to enhance awareness of these issues in society.
For further information, please contact:
Sony Foundation for Education
Tel: 03-3442-1005
E-mail form
