Globally, over one billion people – many of them children – lack formal identification, leaving young children especially vulnerable to identity theft, trafficking, and gaps in healthcare. This Engineering Research Initiation project at Clarkson University addresses that critical challenge by designing and developing biometric identification technology specifically designed for infants and toddlers (ages 0–4). These age-adaptive innovations will enable reliable recognition of younger children's unique biological traits (such as fingerprints, facial features, or iris patterns) even as they rapidly grow. By providing a secure and efficient means to identify young children, the project serves the national interest by promoting the progress of science in biometric security and advancing national health and welfare through improved child safety, identity protection, and streamlined pediatric record-keeping. The project also integrates research with education: undergraduate students will participate in hands-on biometric system development, and interactive outreach events at local schools and children's museums will engage families in STEM learning. Through these efforts, this project tackles a pressing societal problem and helps cultivate a diverse new generation of engineers while increasing public awareness of child-centric biometric technologies. The project's objectives are to: 1) design age-adaptive biometric identification systems for young children (ages 0–4) across m