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Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Martin Luther believed that education should be universal and made it a point to emphasize that education strengthened the family as well as the community. Luther believed that children should be educated to read independently so that they could have access to the Bible. This meant that teaching children how to read at an early age would be a strong benefit to society. -
John Amos Comenius (1592- 1670)
John Amos Comenius strongly believed that learning for children is rooted in sensory exploration. Comenius wrote the first children’s picture book to promote literacy. -
John Locke (1632- 1704)
John Locke is know for his famous term “blank slate”, also known as tabula rasa, which postulated that it is how children start out and the environment fills their metaphorical “slate”. -
Friedrich Froebel (1782 – 1852)
Friedrich Froebel believed that children learn through play. He designed teacher training where he emphasized the importance of observation and developing programs and activities based on the child’s skill level and readiness. Froebel formalized the early childhood setting as well as founded the first kindergarten. -
John Dewey (1859-1952)
John Dewey strongly believed that learning should originate from the interests of children, which is foundational to the projects approach. The educator is there to promote their interests for discovery and inquiry. Dewey saw the classroom as a place to foster social consciousness and thus the classroom should be democratically run. -
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925)
Rudolf Steiner is the creator of what is now known as the Waldorf education philosophy and schools, focused on developing free and morally responsible individuals with a high level of social competence. Steiner broke this down into three developmental stages; Preschool to age 6 (experiential education), Age 6-14 (formal education) and ages 14+ (conceptual/academic education). -
Maria Montessori (1870-1952)
Maria Montessori viewed the children as a source of knowledge and the educator as a social engineer. Montessori reviewed education as a means to enhance children’s lives meaning the learning environment is just as important as learning itself. She took the position that children’s senses should be educated first and then the children’s intellect. The Montessori Method is an internationally recognized mode of educating children. -
Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
Jean Piaget established a theory of learning where children’s development are broken down into a series of stages (sensory motor, pre-operational, concrete operation). Piaget theorized that children learn through direct and active interaction with the environment. -
Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)
Lev Vygotsky proposed a socio-cultural position for the development of children. He believed that social interaction provides a medium for cognitive, social and linguistic development in children. He also believed that children learn through scaffolding their skills; this meant a more capable member of the community/society would assist the child in completing tasks that were within or just above the child’s capability, which is also known as zone of proximal development. -
Erik Erikson (1902-1994)
Erik Erikson developed psychosocial stages of development for children where the parent and educator play a pivotal role in supporting the child’s success in every stage for a positive outcome. Erikson stressed that the ordinance of social emotional development is a key component to the early childhood curriculum. -
Loris Malaguzzi (1920-1994)
Loris Malaguzzi is the founder of the Reggio Emilia approach, based on the original childcare centre opened in the town of Reggio Emilia, was a strong believer in documenting the children’s learning and interests which the educators would base their programming around on for the following days. -
David Weikart (1931-2003)
David Weikart is the founder of HighScope, which drew from the theories of Piaget, Dewey and Vygotsky, primarily focused on the child’s intellectual maturation. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is created in 1965 to help low income families to get educations. It benefits schools in buying new and better materials and updating facilities. It also created school lunch programs to help kids get a meal for the day. -
The South Carolina State Head Start Association
The South Carolina State Head Start Association works to create safe, healthy, nurturing learning environments for all children in South Carolina. We focus on the early years in children’s lives, schools, and communities. We provide resources and support for children’s first and most important teachers—their parents—and others who care for and teach them. -
National Academy of Early Childhood Programs
The National Association for the Education of Young Children established the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs for voluntary accreditation according to health, safety and education standards. This program was intended to create a more reliable standard of accreditation for early childhood education programs. The program's goal is to promote quality and excellence in early childhood programs across the United States. -
Even Start Program
The U.S Department of Education established the Even Start Program to improve parent and family literacy at home. This program was designed to improve parents literacy so they can ultimately help their children become literate and reach their full potential as learners. It integrates early childhood education, adult education and family literacy. -
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act was created to sustain the ESEA. It makes it so schools are accountable for their teaching efforts. To be funded, schools have to test and be adequate in their progress. -
The South Carolina General Assembly
The South Carolina General Assembly has expanded the funding for many of the state’s at-risk 4-year-olds to have an opportunity to attend a full-day educational program. -
The Preschool for all Initiative
President Obama passed an act in 2013 called the Preschool for All Initiative. It created high quality preschool nationwide. It promotes access to education for children under the ages of 4.