The historical milestones in the Early Childhood Profession

John Locke (1632-1704

2017 BCE

He was a doctor, academic, philosopher and an influential thinker of the Enlightenment. He came up the theory (aka "Tabula Rasa", or "Blank Slate") that children are born into the world with an blank mind, and that knowledge and learning is received through experience. He also believed in "nurture" over "nature." This led him to the idea's such as allowing infants to be free from swaddling,and the use of gentle forms of discipline on children.

Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

2017 BCE

philosopher, and social theorist. Jean Jacques Rousseau was a powerful player in the educational thought. Challenging the idea that children are born into the world with 'original sin', Rousseau believed children were instead born with inherent goodness that was spoiled by civilization. He challenged Locke's belief that one should always reason with children, and believed education should begin at birth and continue well into adulthood.

Johann Pestalozzi (1746-1827)

2017 BCE

A Swiss educator influenced by the Romantic movement and views of Rousseau. Pestalozzi played with Rousseau's ideas while educating his own son, but when his son could still not read at the age of 11, Pestalozzi decided that Rousseau's methods were ineffective and developed his own methods instead. These methods and ideas laid the groundwork for education reform later on in the 19th century, and had a huge impact on the development of Progressive Education in the US and Europe.

Robert Owen (1771-1858)

2017 BCE

Welsh Industrialist and Social Reformer. A disciple of Pestalozzi, Owen was primarily concerned with the families who worked in the cotton mills during the Industrial Revolution. Working in labor practice reform  and the establishment of schools in hopes of improving the lives of factory children, who were forced to work long hours in the mills from the tender age of six. Owen started the first "infant school" in England for children aged 3-10, offering a nurturing, emotionally secure setting.

Froebel's Kindergarten Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel (1782-1852)

2017 BCE

Froebel was the very first Kindergarten program in Germany in 1837.The views on education was the importance of play, games, and toys in the intellectual and social development of children. Eventually he developed a philosophy and program of education for children aged 4-6 that was meant to serve as a transition between home and school, infancy and childhood. Since his philosophy was to nurture and protect children ..

The Nursery School Margaret McMillan (1860-1931) and sister Rachel McMillan (1859-1917)

2017 BCE

They were social reformers in England taking on the problems of poverty as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Rachel and Margaret moved to England in search of work.They began to visit the homes of the poor, leading them to lives of social activism, focused on improving the lives of the "slum child." They advocated for school meals and open one of Englands first school-based health clinic. In 1911,.

John Dewey (1859-1952)

2017 BCE

Dewey was not the founder of the progressive movement, but easily the most influential spokesperson for the movement. After teaching high school, Dewey studied for his doctorate of philosophy, then teaching at the University of Chicago and later moved to Columbia University in New York City where he wrote about education and philosophy. Dewey's ideal school was one where children could grow physically, intellectually, and socially, as well as be challenged to think independently.

David Weikart and colleagues

2017 BCE

The High/Scope program was primarily focused on key experiences relating to the acquisition of organizational concepts like classification, seriation, numbers, time, and spatial relationships. These events provide the foundation for organizing and manipulating the learning environment and helped with decision making regarding instructor-led activity and assessment of progress. In a High/Scope Classroom, students are engaged in learning 'centers'.

Reggio Emilia

2017 BCE

It's a city in Italy and a school of the same name and locale. Built in 1948 in post-WW2 by parents who hired an educational innovator named Loris Malaguzzu as its director. By 1963, the single school had become a government-funded system of Early Childhood programs throughout Italy. By the 1980's and to this day, educators from all over the world visit the Reggio Emilia to observe their methods. .