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Greek and Roman philosophers began educating small groups outside of the home.
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In his pursuit of Reforming the Church, Martin Luther encouraged parents to educate their children in a more intentional fashion. Schools that teach traditional subjects begin to be founded.
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Influential philosophers like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau focus attention on the individual learner. Locke's "tabula rasa" and Rousseau's book "Emile" both emphasis the unblemished nature of young children and the need to educate from an early age.
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Johann Amos Comenius published the first picture book written for children. Comenius influenced early ideas about child development and the acquisition of knowledge.
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Johann Henrich Pestalozzi popularized the idea of the "integrated curriculum"--educating the whole child in multiple disciplines.
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Frederich Wilhelm Froebel founded his first "kindergarten" dedicated to educating children under age 6. Froebel believed the early years of learning should be play-based and enjoyable.
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Dewey's ideas closely aligned with Rousseau, Froebel, and other scholars who believed that early education should be child-centered and hands-on. Dewey changed the landscape of the American classroom from rigid to accommodating.
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Montessori combined her medical background and her desire to care for young children to open a preschool center. Montessori emphasized structuring the environment to meet the needs of the child. She suggested that children could guide their own learning and would learn as they progressed through "sensitive periods."
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Patty Smith Hill established the National Association of Nursery Education and attempted to define standards and requirements for the education of young children. NANE would later develop into the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
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A series of court cases, including most famously Brown v. the Board of Education, led to the desegregation of schools. The concept of "separate but equal" was found to be unconstitutional.
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Head Start was founded as program aimed to provide opportunity to economically disadvantaged populations. The founding principles suggested that early education was a necessity to ending the cycle of poverty.
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With the passing of No Child Left Behind and the introduction of the Common Core Curriculum, the current educational environment emphasizes education based on a common, measurable set of standards.