Early Childhood Education

1801 - Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi writes "How Gertrude Teaches Her Children"

1801

Pestalozzi developed an educational philosophy that included nature study, integrated curriculum, prioritizing the "whole child," as well as "caring" for the child. Education was to be of the head, the hand, and the heart of the child. His contribution "How Gertrude Teaches Her Children" focussed on home education, as well as group teaching, education of the senses, and freedom within limits.

1826 - Friedrich Willhelm Froebel, "The Father of Kindergarten"

1826

"The Father of Kindergarten" thought early childhood education should be pleasant and children had the right to play. "Education of Man" promoted the idea that play is of paramount importance in childhood. A child's first experience in school was to include "pleasant discoveries & delightful adventure," and the adult was to "plant ideas & materials for children to use as they grow at their own pace." Froebel's "gifts" were the first educational toys.

1873 - Butler School at Hampton Institute opens

1873

Hampton Institute of Virginia opened this free school for African American children in 1873. It offered a kindergarten program for 5 year olds by the year 1893. The students who graduated from the Institute then moved on to teach the children.

1907 - Dr. Maria Montessori opens Casa di Bambini

1907

Montessori opens Casa di Bambini (Children's House) serving impoverished children in Rome, Italy. Through her observations of children and studies of child development, she changed the structure of education, leaving an impact for all time. Working and learning by doing were paramount in Montessori's view of children's development.

1916 - Bank Street is founded

1916

Using a progressive education model, L.S. Mitchell founds the Bureau of Educational Experiments, which later becomes Bank Street College of Education and Laboratory School. The school is still operational in New York City today. The model incorporates the "whole child."

1919 - Rudolf Steiner opens the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart, Germany

1919

The Waldorf school was the first school in Germany to include children of all social classes, genders, and abilities. The classrooms resembled homes, and included natural materials. Steiner's philosophy of education is broken down into three developmental stages, each of which last about 7 years. He emphasized the role of imagination in play, and drew upon the whole child. In Steiner's world as children are to see and experience it, "the world is good."

1929 - First black nursery in Washington, DC

1929

Dorothy Howard opened the Garden of Children School in her home in NW Washington, DC. It was the first private black licensed nursery school in the city. Her care and love for the children who attended made it a special place. She encouraged reading, manners, and wad dedicated to her children.

1935 - Toy Loan

1935

Toy lending libraries opened up in Los Angeles, CA.

1946 - Reggio Emilia schools emerge

1946

Loris Malguzzi opens Reggio Emilia schools, which put emphasis on children's creative expression. The philosophy embraces the many languages of children, and believes teachers and children are partners in learning. There is not a pre-set curriculum, but rather a process of creating learning.

1954 - Brown vs. Board of Education

1954

The historical Supreme Court case ruled unanimously that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. This jumpstarted the Civil Rights Movement and ruled that "separate-but-equal" education was in fact, not equal.