The Jack Reilly Institute for Early Childhood and Provider Education

Providing an infant-focused, early childhood development curriculum with a vital safety component

A tragic fire at a licensed day-care facility in California in 1989 took the life of 13-month-old Jack Reilly, the only son of Syracuse University alumnus John D. Reilly III ’69, G’70 and his wife, Patricia M. Reilly. Jack’s spirit will live on, however, through the Huntington Beach, Calif., couple’s generous gift to SU’s College of Human Ecology.

As part of the Reillys’ commitment to establish the Jack Reilly Institute for Early Childhood and Provider Education, the Jack Reilly Distinguished Lecture and the Jack Reilly professorship, Jaipaul L. Roopnarine, professor of child development and senior faculty member in the Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS), was named the Jack Reilly Professor beginning Fall 2009. Roopnarine will also serve as the director of the Jack Reilly Institute for Early Childhood and Provider Education.

“After Jack died, we had a lot of questions in our minds. What did we miss?” says Patty Reilly. “We knew we wanted to do something in his name, to continue his memory, to keep him alive. We wanted to be sure no other parents or families had to experience this loss. That is why we decided to partner with Syracuse to reach out to parents, communities, educators and students.” “To affect other people, you have to train people. Your ideas have to be passed on,” says John Reilly. “And there’s no better place to do that then at a university. With this, Jack’s death has some meaning. ”

The gift also supports the Jack Reilly Distinguished Lecture Series in Infant & Toddler Caregiving, which was launched in 2007 to bring child development experts together with SU students, as well as with infant and toddler caregivers and prospective caregivers, who are able to attend lectures free of charge.

“We are grateful to John and Patty Reilly who, in their generosity and visionary thoughtfulness, have created an enduring education legacy in the name of their infant son, Jack, who was lost tragically,” says Diane Lyden Murphy, dean of the College of Human Ecology. “The Jack Reilly Institute for Early Childhood and Provider Education is designed to be a national center of excellence in day-care studies research and best practices. The Jack Reilly Institute stands as a one-of-its-kind educational legacy. We are exceedingly proud to be a partner in this effort.”