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428 BCE
Plato and Ancient Greece
In the time period of Ancient Greece Plato was one of the early contributors to childhood education. One of Plato's big ideas about education was play. Plato viewed play as a form of anticipatory socialization. Another thing that Plato believed and recommended was for kids to play like what they were going to become. For example, if the child was to become a builder he believed that the child should play building houses. Overall, Plato was an important early contributor to childhood education. -
35
Quintilian and The Roman Empire
35 AD-Quintilian was an educator in the new Roman Empire and he had some similar beliefs to Plato. Quintilian was also an advocate for play. He also encouraged parents to choose their children’s tutors and nurses with great care. This emphasized learning through imitation rather than intimidation. -
1483
Martin Luther
One of the biggest things that Martin Luther advocated for in education was universal education and that boys and girls should both get an education. He also believed the school’s role was to educate the intellectual, religious, physical, emotional, and social aspects of children. Overall, he was a huge advocate for education for everyone and that children were taught multiple aspects in school. -
John Amos Comenius
John Amos Comenius was a Czech teacher, educator, philosopher and writer. Comenius believed that all children to the age of six should be taught in their native language. He was also the first person to introduce the idea of grades or different levels of education determined by each individual child’s age and developmental stage. Comenius was also considered to have published the first children's book and he dedicated it to the education of young children. -
John Locke
John Locke was a British Philosopher, Oxford academic, and medical researcher. Locke developed the theory known as “Tabula Rasa”, or “Blank Slate”. This theory said that children come into the world with an empty mind, and that knowledge and learning is received through experience and converted to understanding through reasoning. Another belief he had was nurture over nature and this belief led him to emphasize the idea of early education and changes in parental care. -
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Jean Jacques Rousseau was a French writer, philosopher, and social theorist. He had a belief in innate goodness and this led him to propose early schooling that enabled children to direct their own activities, free from the constraints imposed by “society”. He also believed that education should should start at birth and continue into adulthood. He also thought that children learned best by experiencing and exploring their environments. This idea is still incorporated into ECE programs. -
Friedrich Froebel
Friedrich Froebel was a German educator that created kindergarten in Germany in 1837. His idea for kindergarten was born out of the desire to socialize young children and to expose them to an education in science, music, and language outside the home. He also followed Rousseau’s philosophy about children and the importance of sensory training. Using these ideas and beliefs Froebel was able to invent Kindergarten. -
Susan Blow and the first public kindergarten
Susan Blow was an important leader in education from Missouri. In September 1873, Susan Blow opened the first public kindergarten at the Des Peres School in Carondelet. Not only did Susan Blow open the first public kindergarten, she ran it for eleven years without any pay. In the kindergarten, the classrooms were bright and cheerful. It had low tables and short benches just right for small children. Once this happened, the public schools came up and there were 400 by the time she died in 1916. -
Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori continued the Froebelian tradition within a different context. She was concerned with the welfare of young, poor urban children in Italy, she established her “children’s houses” in Rome in 1907. Similarly to Froebel, Montessori also implemented an early education curriculum. This curriculum was founded on the developmental theory which employed play as the instructional method. The curriculum also worked to facilitate sensory and cognitive skills. -
Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf Education
Rudolf Steiner developed the Waldorf Education method in 1919. The Waldorf programs have a goal to educate the whole child. As the whole child Steiner meant the “head, heart, and hands.” The children at the Waldorf schools are allowed to remain childlike with the belief that there is a time for development and that children do not receive formal education after the age of 7. Learning at these schools is also very hands-on. -
Loris Malaguzzi and Reggio Emilia Schools
Loris Malaguzzi founded the Reggio Emilia approach in Reggio Emilia, Italy, from where it got its name. The Reggio Emilia approach works to foster intellectual development with a focus on symbolic representation. The main curriculum of this approach was in-depth projects based on the children interests. Children are encouraged to express themselves through natural language which includes drawing, painting, working in clay, sculpting, constructing, conversing, and dramatic play. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act(ESEA)
In 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. This act was created to help low income families be able to get educations. This act also benefited schools because it bought new and better materials and updated facilities. It also created school lunch programs to help kids get a meal for the day. This act was a huge commitment of the federal government to quality and equality education. -
Head Start Program
The Head Start program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The Head Start program provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services for low-income families. Overall, the Head Start program was designed to help break the cycle of poverty by providing those things for low-income families. -
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law in 2001 by President George W. Bush. This act is the name for the most recent update to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The No Child Left Behind Act makes it so schools are accountable for their own teaching efforts. It also makes it so that in order to be funded schools have to test and be adequate in their progress. Regarding the tests, students in grades 3-12 must take them. -
The Preschool for all Initiative
In 2013 President Obama signed an act named the Preschool for All Initiative. This initiative promoted access to education for children that are under the age of 4. The initiative not only helped expand access to preschool but also helped work to improve the quality of preschool for the children. -
Every Student Succeeds Act
In 2015 the Every Student Succeeds Act was passed and this act governs the United States K-12 public education policy. This act replaced the previous act of the No Child Left Behind Act. This act also modified but did not get rid of the provisions that related to the standardized tests given to students.The Every Student Succeeds Act also is one of the nation's main education law for all public schools. The law also holds schools accountable for how students learn and achieve.
