Despite claims about the significance of early childhood education in improving later outcomes in an individual's life, this stage of development has not received sufficient attention by education systems across the world. Until recently, early education or preschool education did not come under the purview of the formal education system in most…

Lev Vygotsky is no doubt one of the leading educational theorists in history. His theories have been used to guide teaching and learning in public school classrooms for over a century. Vygotsky was considered to be one of the most creative psychologists of the twentieth century. This article covers a brief accounting of his birth, life…

What significance did donations, bequests, tuition fees and fund-raising events have for early care and education programmes during the nineteenth and early twentieth century? Through an examination of 24 Swedish infant schools, day nurseries and free kindergartens, this article verifies that donations and bequests were essential for the economy…

Purpose: To more fully understand current trends in preliteracy research, as well as controversies that continue to surround best teaching practices, it is essential to have an understanding of the historical evolution of ideas and practices relevant to preparing young children for learning to read. Method: Several interrelated historical…

In October 2010 the government confirmed it would introduce a "pupil premium" payable to schools with disadvantaged pupils. This shift towards resourcing by group rather than area may mark the closing of another chapter in efforts to produce a more meritocratic education system utilising what might be termed "intermediate"…

Harry Morgan lays the foundations of what early childhood education is by integrating the history of the field with the philosophy and theories behind this discipline. From birth to age eight, when children become integrated into society through their education at school and at home, "Early Childhood Education" examines the education of this age…

Today, Montessori infant & toddler programs around the country usually have a similar look and feel--low floor beds, floor space for movement, low shelves, natural materials, tiny wooden chairs and tables for eating, and not a highchair or swing in sight. But Montessori toddler programs seem to fall into two paradigms--one model seeming more…

Most young children in the United States regularly spend time in early care and education (ECE) settings. Institutionalized messages surrounding ECE claim that it has the potential to promote children's life-long success, especially among low-income children. I examine the legitimacy of these claims by reviewing empirical evidence that bears on…

According to the findings of a recent European study on competence requirement for the early childhood education and care workforce, competent systems that succeed in achieving high levels of professionalism are embedded in coherent public policies that build on consultation with key stakeholders, particularly at local level. In order to flourish,…

The transformations that have taken place in the French "ecole maternelle" (nursery school) over the last 30 years may be characterised by a dual dynamic, internal and external, of scholarisation. Firstly, the analysis of its changing position with regard to primary school and within early childhood education and care shows a relative…

This book provides a critical examination of the sources, aims, and features of early childhood curricula. Providing a theoretical and philosophical foundation for examining teaching and learning, this book will provoke discussion and analysis among all readers. How has theory been used to understand, develop, and critique curriculum? Whose…

The field of early care and education of young children is changing rapidly and responding to forces from the national, state and local levels. Teachers of young children are being required to pursue higher education for employment in the field, and community colleges have stepped to the forefront to provide educational opportunities for teachers…

Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, successive presidents and officials at the Board of Education made it clear that they believed there were three types of children in Britain--those who needed nursery schools to rescue them from degradation, those for whom a less expensive nursery class would do the job adequately and those who would…

Using a transnational framework, this paper focuses on four graduates of Gipsy Hill Training College (GHTC) for nursery school teachers in London, United Kingdom, in the early to mid-twentieth century. Firstly, I explore GHTC's progressive ideals and highlight ways in which its principal, Lillian de Lissa, encouraged students to "think…

What do citizens of the United States and Germany think about their schools and school policies? This paper offers the first broad comparison of public thinking on education in the two countries. We carried out opinion surveys of representative samples of the German and American adult populations in 2014 that included experiments in which we…