Early Childhood Education

  • Father of Kindergarten

    Father of Kindergarten
    Friedrich Froebel wrote "Education of Man" which described the first system of kindergarten (Child's garden). This opened the door for him to open the first kindergarten in Blankenburg, Germany in 1837.
  • First US Kindergarten

    First US Kindergarten
    Margarethe Schurz opens the first kindergarten in the United States. Later, in 1860, Elizabeth Peabody opened the first English-speaking kindergarten in Boston, MA.
  • Oshkosh Teacher-training

    Oshkosh Teacher-training
    Oshkosh Normal School serves as the first teacher-training program for kindergarten.
  • Montessori's Casa di Bambini

    Montessori's Casa di Bambini
    Maria Montessori opened "Casa di Bambini" in the slums of Rome, Italy to serve the underprivileged. This led Montessori to develop an educational philosophy and program to guide children's growth through the senses and practical life experiences. This set the stage for the first Montessori school in the US to open in NYC in 1915.
  • Dr. Spock's Guide to Babies

    Dr. Spock's Guide to Babies
    Dr. Benjamin Spock wrote "Baby and Child Care". This was essentially the baby bible for the next few decades. It encouraged a more permissive attitude toward children's behavior.
  • Public Schools Desegregate

    Public Schools Desegregate
    Brown v. Board of Education decided that "separate but equal" had no place in public schools
  • Head Start's Start

    Head Start's Start
    Congress passed the Economic Opportunity Act in 1964. This became the foundation for Head Start programs in the US, as part of the federal war on poverty.
  • Children's TV

    Children's TV
    The Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare subsidize the Children's Television Workshop, which developed the Children's TV show "Sesame Street."
  • Child Care Development Block Grant

    Child Care Development Block Grant
    The Child Care Development Block Grant was established. Its goal was to improve the quality, availability and affordability of child care programs.
  • Teacher Education Standards

    Teacher Education Standards
    Deadline for NAEYC accredited programs to have 50% of teachers holding a bachelor's degree and the remainder to have at least an associates degree