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First Children's Picture Book
John Amos Comenius produced the first children’s picture book, “Orbis Pictus”. Comenius was a major advocate for learning in “nature’s way”, learning in a way from things around us rather than by grammar. Comenius was also the first to recognize that play and acts of sensory in early childhood were how you learn in your earliest years of life. -
The Process of Learning
Jean-Jacques Rousseau did not believe in a certain technique to teaching, instead he believed in natural approaches to teaching such as having morals and a healthy view of ones self-worth. Rousseau’s belief would ensure that a student is successful even in unsuccessful places. While he claims you begin learning from infancy and continue to learn throughout adulthood, he believed the environment around you must be changed in order to teach lessons that are sometimes difficult to learn. -
First "School" Established
Johann Pestalozzi, known as the father of pedagogy, the method and practice of teaching, established what is considered to be “the first school” for early childhood age children. Pestalozzi believed home schooling was best for a child because he also believed ones mother was ones best teacher. -
First Public Kindergarten
Located in St. Louis, the first public school in the nation to offer kindergarten was brought on by a woman named Susan Blow. Blow fought for this concept and by the time she died over 400 cities with public schools offered kindergarten. -
NAEYC Established
National Association for The Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is founded. Today the organization has over 80,000 members and is supported by over 300 affiliates. The NAEYC was created to advocate high-quality learning for every child, meaning they work to make sure our society is as determined to helping children learn as children are to wanting to learn. The organization also sets out to assist early childhood professionals in gaining the necessary education to teach our children. -
Even Start
The U.S. Department of Education establishes Even Start, a program set forth to breach the cycle of poverty and illiteracy in low-income, low-iterate communities. The department sought out to improve the opportunity for education in these communities by introducing early childhood education, and education for parents. -
Child Care and Development Grant
The Child Care and Development Grant is set into motion. This grant allows each and every state to have the compliance to develop child care programs. The grant also gives working parents the power to choose the child care that best suits their family, and the states to provide the needed information and education to parents to make that choice. With that education at hand and involvement from parents, the grant greatly helps those parents who wished to be free from state assistance. -
No Child Left Behind
President George W. Bush’s education-reform bill, No Child Left Behind Act, was signed into law. This law has increased the role the government plays in public education. Its’ purpose was to increase funding for the poorer schools of our country, increase the achievements made in said areas, and creates accountability by the school for their students’ progress. -
SIDS Campaign
The NICHD, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, came together to help reduce the number of infant deaths due to SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome. The institute works to educate on policies and behavior that can reduce the risk of SIDS occurring. Although SIDS cannot be 100% prevented, in educating the community with models and additional resources they work to ensure we lower the risk of SIDS in any and every way possible. -
High Quality Early Childhood Education
President Obama proposed access to quality preschools for every child in America, named The Preschool for All initiative. This initiative was specifically set forth to assist lower and moderate-income 4 year olds with the higher quality preschool he felt they deserve. The lack of public preschool programs and cost of private programs makes it hard for these families to have an option for their child as far as early childhood education.
