The roots of preschool can be traced back to the 19th century, when Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Friedrich Froebel, and Maria Montessori first explored theories on teaching and the developmental needs of very young children. Preschools did not appear in the United States until the early 1920s, when several universities, colleges, and research centers established them as experimental schools for training young children. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, preschools were financed by the federal government to provide work for teachers. The need for preschool was accelerated by the increase in single-parent homes and also an increase in families where both parents worked.
Today many preschools not only offer part-time education programs but also offer full-time education programs so that single parents and families where both parents work can benefit from an educational program. Parents now use preschools or child-care centers for strictly educational or care purposes or a combination of the two.
Knowledge of the origins of early childhood education is important to understanding basic theories and practices. H&H Child Care Training Center offers several training courses discussing theories of development and education.
H&H strives to provide caregivers with essential knowledge of best practices in early childhood education so that they are better equipped to create meaningful lessons and experiences for the children they care for. H&H is adding new online courses each week to meet the needs of providers across the country. Visit our website at www.childcareed.com to view our course offerings and current discounts being offered.