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John Comenius
John Amos Comenius wrote the first picture book for children as well as several other books for mothers describing the early educational years of children. He believed that early education needed to be reformed, and that educators should be teaching according to how the child's mind and learning occured. Comenius also believed that learning and development occured through the senses, thus everything should be taught through the senses.
Sadler, John E. "John Amos Comenius | Czech Educator." Enc -
Jean-Jacques Roussueau
Jean-Jacques Roussueau believed in principals of 'natural education,' as well as advocating for natural approaches to child rearing and learning. He is best remembered for his book, "Emile," which set the tone for his beliefs to encourage growth without interference or restrictions. He wanted to me sure that educators were aware that natural approaches work best and have the most productive results for children. -
Friedrich Froebel
Like Rosseau, Friedrich Froebel believed in the idea of "natural" approaches to learning and "unfolding." Known as the "Father of Kindergarten," he compared children to seeds which need to be planted and cared for in order to grow into a larger and stronger plant. Even today, we still compare teachers and other educators to gardeners. Froebel wanted his kindergarten, or "garden of children" to grow through self-discovery, activity, and play. -
Susan Blow & The First US Kindergarten
Susan Blow founded and opened the first public kindergarten in the United States in St. Louis, MO in 1873. She came from a rich family, and thus was able to get much more valuable education than most for that time. She learned all she could about kindergarten and taught using blocks, balls, plants, books, and other toys. More on Susan Blow -
Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori wanted children to learn through meaningful lesons and experiences. She believed that the environment in which children learned was imperative and essential to how they would gain and keep knowledge. Children would teach her they way they'd like to learn, and she believed that respect for children was the foundation for learning. -
NAEYC Founded
The National Association for Young Children was founded to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. The NAEYC promotes and provides guidelines for the field of Early Childhood Education in the US. It helps to give professionals an extra boost in order to move up in their personal careers working with children. They provide access to fair education to all types of children. -
The Head Start Program is Funded
Head Start is funded by the Economic Opportunities Act in 1964 as a child development program designed to provide opportunities for succes to low-income and other vulnerable children in the US. It first began as a summer program but was so popular that it quickly became much more than that. It provides a strong impact and backbone for communities, early childhood programs, and families throughout the US. -
Child Care & Development Grant
A primary source for federal funding in the United States was set up in 1990 in order to help provide children from low-income families with a quality childcare and education programs. This type of grant helps families to succeed financially and provide quality child care services at the same time. Parents would be most likely to have successful jobs when their children are being well taken care of, and this grant was created to do just that. -
The Preschool for All Initiative
President Obama proposed a series of new investments which would make preschool education more widely available for low income families. It would also provide full-day kindergarten and better quality early childhood education programs for younger children. He also worked to expand the Head Start Program which would make it available to more children.
