-
John Amos Comenius
John Comenius, “The Father of Modern Education”. He was one of the first educators to believe in Universal Education. He thought that education should begin in the early years, because a young mind could be molded. He created the first picture book for children and encouraged logical thinking, moving away from memorization. He believed in equal opportunities for all children and opened doors for women in education. -
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Johann Pestalozzi established the first preschool in 1801. He believed in learning by head, hand and heart, the “whole child”, approach. He wrote the book, “How Gertrude Teaches her Children”, as a guide for parents of young children. -
Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel
Friedrich Froebel, created the concept and coined the word “Kindergarten”. He believed children learned through play and created “gifts” and “occupations”. “Gifts” are educational toys, tangible objects children can use to learn shapes and colors, etc. “Occupations” are the activities children can do to help them learn, building with blocks or cutting paper, etc. -
NAEYC Established
The National Association for the Education of Young Children was founded. Setting standards and providing resources for the Early Childhood field, such as the code of ethics. NAEYC works to create better working conditions and professional development of Early Childhood educators. NAEYC also helps families understand the need for high quality Early Childhood Education. -
Head Start Founded
The National Head Start Association was funded by the Economic Opportunity Act, as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s war on poverty. Head Start is one of the longest running programs of its kind, addressing poverty in the United States. Head Start offers children and families on important first step toward a successful education. -
Childcare and Development Grant
The Child Care and Development Block Grant, is the primary source of United States federal funding for child care subsidies for low-income working families and fund to improve child care quality. Child care assistance helps families succeed financially. When families receive child care assistance they are more likely to be employed and to have higher earnings. -
No Child Left Behind Act
The “No Child Left Behind Act”, is a United States Act of Congress. The Act requires states to develop assessments in basic skills. To receive federal school funding states must give these assessments to all students at select grade levels. -
Preschool for All
President Obama called on Congress to expand access to high-quality preschool to every child in America, called The Preschool for All initiative
"If we make high-quality preschool available to every child, not only will we give our kids a safe place to learn and grow while their parents go to work; we'll give them the start that they need to succeed in school, and earn higher wages, and form more stable families of their own.
