Early Education Timeline

By sallen8686

  • First Infant School

    Robert Owen sets up infant school in New Lanark, England, as an instrument of social reform for children of parent workers in his mills.

  • First Public School Kindergarten

    supported by
    Superintendent William Harris, is directed by Susan Blow in St. Louis, Missouri, who becomes the leading proponent of Froebel in America. The first public kindergarten in North America opens in 1871 in Ontario, Canada.

  • First U.S. Montessori School

    First U.S. Montessori school opens in New York City.

  • First Public Nursery School

    First public nursery schools are opened in England.

  • First Black Nursery School

    Dorothy Howard establishes the first Black Nursery School in Washington, DC, and operates it for over 50 years.

  • "Right From The Start" Issued

    The National Association of State Boards of Education issues Right from the Start, a report that calls for a new vision of early childhood education with the establishment of separate public school early childhood units.

  • ADA Passed

    The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is passed, requiring programs of all sizes to care for and accommodate the needs of children with disabilities when- ever they are reasonably able to do so.

  • Implementing of Stringent Academic Standards in Schools

    In California and other states, public elementary and secondary school systems implement stringent academic and performance standards, with substantial assessment requirements.

  • Universal Preschool

    Universal preschool is considered as a next step in providing equal access to quality early educational experiences for all children under five years of age.

  • Preschool For All

    “Preschool for All” initiatives have been passed in several states, making a preschool experience a reality for four-year-olds.