-
John Locke
English philosopher, considered the founder of educational
philosophy, who postulated that children are
born with a tabula rasa, or clean slate, on which all
experiences are written. -
Orbis Pictus, by Comenius, is the fi rst children’s book
with pictures. -
Sabbath Schools and Clandestine Schools are
established as facilities to educate African Americans
in the United States. -
Emile, by Rousseau, proclaims the child’s natural
goodness. -
How Gertrude Teaches Her Children, by Pestalozzi,
emphasizes home education. -
Education of Man, by Froebel, describes the first system
of kindergarten education as a “child’s garden,”
with activities known as “gifts from God.” -
Froebel opens the fi rst kindergarten in Blankenburgh,
Germany. -
Margarethe Schurz opens the first American kindergarten,
a German-speaking class in her home in
Watertown, Wisconsin. -
Robert Owen sets up infant school in New Lanark,
England, as an instrument of social reform for children
of parent workers in his mills. -
The Butler School at Hampton Institute is opened as a
free school for black children, including kindergarten
curriculum for five-year-olds. -
First public school kindergarten, supported by
Superintendent William Harris, is directed by Susan
Blow in St. Louis, Missouri, who becomes the leading
proponent of Froebel in America. The fi rst public kindergarten
in North America opens in 1871 in Ontario,
Canada. -
1923 Gesell, originally a student of G. Stanley Hall, publishes
The Preschool Child, which emphasizes the
importance of the early years.
1926 Gesell establishes the Clinic of Child Development at
Yale University and studies norms of child growth
and behavior, founding the maturation theory of
development (see Chapters 1 and 4). -
John Dewey establishes a laboratory school at the
University of Chicago and develops a pragmatic
approach to education, becoming the father of the
Progressive Movement in American education. -
My Pedagogic Creed is published, detailing the opposition
to rote learning and the philosophy of educating
“the whole child.” -
1946 Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care is published. It advocates
a more permissive attitude toward children’s
behavior and encourages exploratory behavior. -
Casa di Bambini (Children’s House) is opened by
Maria Montessori in a slum district in Rome, Italy.
She later develops an educational philosophy and program
to guide children’s growth through the senses
and practical life experiences. -
The Bureau of Educational Experiments, which
becomes Bank Street College of Education (and laboratory
school) in 1922, is founded by L. S. Mitchell,
who is a leading proponent of progressive education
at the early childhood level. -
Loris Malaguzzi theorizes about good programs and
relationships for children, emphasizing the child’s
individual creative expression; starts school of Reggio
Emilia, Italy, in 1946. -
The Child Development Associate Consortium, headed
by Dr. Edward Ziegler, is established to develop a professional
training program. Now known as CDA, its
administration moves to NAEYC in 1985. -
ancy Eisenberg publishes the theory of the development
of prosocial development in children (see
Chapter 4).
The United Nations declares an International Year of
the Child. -
The Alliance for Better Child Care, a coalition of
groups advocating on behalf of young children, sponsors
the ABC bill in an effort to get federal support
for children and families. It fails to be signed in
1989, but is passed in 1990 and establishes the Child
Care Development Block Grant to improve the quality,
availability, and affordability of child care programs. -
The first “Stand For Children” demonstration is held
in Washington, DC, drawing 200,000 participants.
Rethinking the Brain, published by the Family and
Work Institute, summarizes the new research on children’s
brain development, shows the decisive impact
of early experiences, and considers policy and program
implications of these findings. -
In California and other states, public elementary and
secondary school systems implement stringent academic
and performance standards, with substantial
assessment requirements. -
In the U.S., the “Leave No Child Behind” legislation is
passed. -
“Preschool for All” initiatives have been passed in several
states, making a preschool experience a reality for
four-year-olds.