Wheelock College (or Wheelock) was founded in 1888 by Lucy Wheelock as Miss Wheelock's Kindergarten Training School to improve the quality of early childhood education. The college offers undergraduate and graduate programs that focus on the Arts & Sciences, Education and Child Life, and Social Work and Family Studies to fulfill their mission of improving the lives of children and families. In 2017, the school entered into negotiations to merge with Boston University and the two will merge by June 1, 2018. The college will be renamed Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. For at least two years after the merger, Wheelock’s president, David Chard, will serve as the interim dean.