The Kindergarten: A Retrospective and Contemporary View.

Changes in kindergarten education in the United States from its inception to the present and reasons for the historical changes are explored. Froebels approach to kindergarten education is described and the introduction of kindergarten programs in the United States by various sponsors such as the-Women's "emparance Union, churches, and settlement houses is depicted. Programmatic change from Froebel*s theologically oriented rationale to the concepts and prMctices of progressive education to the :prescriptive kindergarten programs of the present as well as changes in }he number of children attending kindergarten are delineated. Subsequently, continuities and discontinuities in curriculum development are identified and changes in developiental theories used tD iustify early childhood education are pointed out. Concluding sections discuss pressures for early instruction in academic skills, the increased use of standardized tests to assess kindergarten achievement, and the presently inadequate preparation of kindergarten teachers. Suggestions are made for influencing future directions of kindergarten education. (Author/RR) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ********************************************************************** "PERMISSIONJO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY &Vim:lora etc ,TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIOp CENTER (ERIC). " ,M2. =1.1Le U S. DEPARTMENT OF EOUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION 1)LiCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC' "hts document has been reproduced as received horn the person or organrzation ongsnating rt )(Arno? changes have been made to improve reproduction qualitv Points of mew or corroons stated m this dor ment 'lc not neCeSSanly represent otticrai NIE positron or purity The Kindergarten: A Retrospective and Contemporary View Bernard Spodek, Ed.D. Professor of Early Childhood Education Bureau of ,Educational Research University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign About one hundred and twenty-five years have passed since the kindergarten was introduced into the United States. During this time there hz-s been slow but growing acceptance of kindergarten education in America, as well as of early childhood education in general. There have also beena number of changes in conceptions of kindergarten education. The first kindergartens were based upon the philosophy and pedagogy of Friedrich Froebel. Good kindergartens of that era reflected both the spirit and the letter of Froebel's writing. The first major change from that early cAnception modified kindergarten practice to make it more con! sistent with 'principles derived from progressive education and from the emerging field of child development. During this time kindergartens slowly became integrated into the American public school system. More recently conceptions of kindergarten education seem to be evolving again. With the almost universal acceptance of kindergarten education as a legitimate part of public schooling, the distinction between the kindergarten and the primary grades seems to be disappearing in American schools. This chapter will explore these changes and some of the reasons underlying them. Froebelian Kindergartens c The kindergarten was designed by Friedrich Froebel as a childcentered educational in itution for you.ig children, although Froebel's Prepared for inclusion in L. G. Katz (ed.), Current Topics in Early. Childhood Education. Paper prepared for the ERIC Clearinghouse on El ementary and Early Childhood Education. 2