In the early nineteenth century, governments developed kindergartens and infant schools to give children a head start in life. These programs hinged on new visions of childhood that originated in England and Europe, but what happened when they were transported to the colonies? This book unwinds the tangled threads of this history by tracing how Enlightenment thought and Romantic ideas translated into early infant schools in England, kindergartens in Germany and the United States, and free kindergarten systems in the Commonwealth countries. The systems that emerged in Canada, Australia, and...

Early childhood education is critical for preparing children for success in formal school settings, and as such, is a major concern throughout the world. This volume brings together ground-breaking research in this area to help practitioners, students, policy makers, curriculum designers, and intervention program developers understand the latest ideas and advances in the field.

Recent Perspectives of Early Childhood Education and Care in Canada centres on three key themes. The first provides a survey of historical, social policy, economic, and provincial regulations and...

Kindergarten Narratives on Froebelian Education showcases the latest scholarship and historical understandings concerning the casting of the kindergarten idea abroad: across cultures, continents and centuries.

Each chapter reveals previously unknown narratives of intrepid endeavour, political pragmatism and pedagogical innovation that collectively provide insight into the transformation of Froebel's ideas on early education into a global phenomenon. Across global contexts, each chapter presents a case study of the ideas scattering abroad, illustrative of the movement of ideas,...

Teacher Education in Diverse Settings presents a study of initial educator preparation in three social contexts: a training program for immigrant child care educators in Canada, a pre- and lower primary specialization in a teacher education program in Namibia, and a partnership between the Misak indigenous communities in Colombia and the University of Cauca to deliver courses for educators within their communities. In each setting the book explores the relationships between indigenous ways of thinking and western discourse in reference to the preparation of educators,...

Teacher Education in Diverse Settings presents a study of initial educator preparation in three social contexts: a training program for immigrant child care educators in Canada, a pre- and lower primary specialization in a teacher education program in Namibia, and a partnership between the Misak indigenous communities in Colombia and the University of Cauca to deliver courses for educators within their communities. In each setting the book explores the relationships between indigenous ways of thinking and western discourse in reference to the preparation of educators, whether...