The EADP was founded in 1994 after numerous and active debates had take place, especially in the previous ten years under the impetus of G. Butterworth and S. Jackson. The foundation arose from the experience of managing biennal European Conferences on Developmental Psychology as regional conferences of the ISSBD.

• to foster the study of developmental science throughout Europe for the public benefit
• to support and train young European researchers
• to promote the exchange of related information between members of EADP and learned national and international organizations, and
• to promote excellence.

Towards the fulfillment of its goals, EADP organizes biennially the European Conference on Developmental Psychology, publishes the European Journal of Developmental Psychology, and has instituted two awards: the William Thierry Preyer Award for Excellence in Research on Human Development and the Butterworth Young Scientist Award.

To promote the networking, collaboration and knowledge exchange of young scholars, EADP has established the Early Researchers Union (ERU).

The EADP organizes, in collaboration with the ERU, summer and winter schools, as well as preconference events, addressed mostly to young scholars.

The EADP-ERU, which is very active, also organizes capacity building events (e.g. EADP-ERU writing week) targeting undergraduate students, graduate/PhD students, researchers, postdocs, or junior faculty members.