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Period: Oct 23, 1500 to
1500 - Present
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Oct 23, 1524
Martin Luther argued for public support of education
Martin Luther argued for public support of education. He translated the bible into German and pioneered the belief that people should learn to read and write in their native language. -
John Amos Comenius proclaimed the value of education according to the laws of nature.
Comenius believed that education should start in the early years, when children were pliable like a young seedling. He believed that sensory education was key. He also wrote what are considered the first picture books for children. -
John Locke's Theory of tabula rasa
John Locke philosophized that children come into the world as a blank slate. He believed that parents and educators are responsible for providing all stimulation and experiences that lead to learning and development beyond the blank slate. -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote Emile.
Rousseau explained that education should take into account the child's natural growth and interests. Rousseau believed in the idea of unfolding - that children's development unfolded according to their own innate timetable. -
Pestalozzi wrote How Gertrude Teaches Her Children
Johann Pestalozzi emphasized the idea of education. He also advocated for learning through discovery. -
Robert Owen set up a nursery school in Great Britain
Robert Owen believed that individuals and society could influence the learning and development of a young child by controlling his or her environment. He set up an infant school in Scotland, which led to the opening of the first infant school in London in 1818. -
Froebel established the first kindergarten
Froebel was known as the Father of Kindergarten. He believed that children were like plants in a garden, and the teacher was the gardener. He established the first kindergarten in Germany. -
Child Welfare Laws Passed
The first child protection law was passed in 1875. For the first time, government accepted responsibility to protect children. For more information: http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/35363_Chapter1.pdf -
John Dewey started the Laboratory School at the University of Chicago.
John Dewey started the Laboratory School at the University of Chicago, emphasizing life experiences and advocating for child-centered learning. Dewey made integral the idea that children learn by doing, and learn the best through hands-on experiences. -
Maria Montessori started The Children's House
Maria Montessori advocated for children to have self-directed learning in a well-prepared environment. Her method was started in Italy. She believed that children learn by doing and learn best when working at their own pace and following their own interests. -
Birth of NAEYC
The Beginning of NAEYC: In 1929 the National Association for Nursery Education (NANE) was formed. The name was changed to National Association for the Education of Young Children in 1964 and has been known by that name ever since. NAEYC is a professional organization for early childhood professionals with over 100,000 members. NAEYC provides professional development opportunities, advocacy, and variety of professional projects in support of high quality early childhood services. -
First Nationwide Child Care Program
During World War II, the federal government supported child care programs that cared for children while mothers worked in factories during the war. In 1944 enrollment in these child care programs was estimated at 130,000 children. -
Sputnik Launched, Education becomes a National Defense
Russia's 1957 launch of Sputnik, the world's first satellite, sparked fears in the US and one year later prompted the passage of the National Defense Education Act (NDEA), which provided federal funding for STEM and foreign language education. This view on education as central to the nation's security and place in the world continues today, as does an increased emphasis on science and technology education, which in turn has played a role in countless technological innovations. -
The Birth of Head Start
In 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson declared the War on Poverty. Shortly after Head Start was created. The Head Start program was designed to provide a comprehensive (education, health, family support, mental health) set of services to children in poverty. The program was carefully designed to help lift families and young children out of poverty. -
Civil Rights Act and Economic Opportunity Act
The constitutional right to a public education was included by Congress in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, amended eight years later to include expansions such as Title IX, extending equal opportunities in sports to young women. The same year, the Economic Opportunity Act put in place the Head Start program, which has likely done more than any other single program to address the impact of poverty on the lives of young children. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
In 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was enacted. This act provided funding for the education of millions of low-income students through the establishment of Title I. -
Education of All Handicapped Children Act
The Education of All Handicapped Children Act was passed in 1975. This act tied federal funds to guarantees of a public education for children with disabilities, -
Brain Research Explosion (ex: Howard Gardner publishes Frames of Mind)
An explosion in research in neurobiological, behavioral and social sciences during this period led to a deeper understanding of development. This research generated public awareness of importance of the first years of life leading to policy changes and renewed efforts to address quality of early childhood programs, teacher preparation, and assessment of child outcomes. This burst in research, generated greater public awareness of the importance of Early Childhood learning experiences. -
Perry Preschool Study
The Perry Preschool Study was a 1983 longitudinal study that followed young children who received a quality early childhood program for 20 years. The study showed that for every $1.00 invested in the program, $7.10 was saved in later costs for the children's education or other rehabilitation/social costs. -
IDEA
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed in 1990. IDEA built on those guarantees in the Education of All Handicapped Children Act and helped establish the central role of special education within early childhood education. -
No Child Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 updated the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). No Child Left Behind attempted to place more of an emphasis on learning outcomes as measured by standardized testing. -
Dedication for ECE Continues
Taken together, the education acts of the 20th and 21st centuries constitute a powerful and unprecedented expansion of the notion that every single child, regardless of circumstances, has the right to a public education. Today we continue to stress that it is imperative that a child's right to a public education includes a high quality early childhood education.