Our Proud Heritage | National Association for the Education of Young Children | NAEYC YC

Elizabeth Peabody: America's Kindergarten Pioneer (May 2013)
Patricia Cantor

Oneida Cockrell: Pioneer in the Field of Early Childhood Education (November 2012)
Jean Simpson

The Emergence of Emergent Curriculum (March 2012)
Elizabeth Jones

Caring for Rosie the Riveter's Children (November 2011)
Bill MacKenzie

Observation and Early Childhood Teaching: Evolving Fundamentals (March 2011)
Stuart Reifel

Inspiration to Teach—Reflections on Friedrich Froebel and Why He Counts in Early Childhood Education (November 2010)
Mary Ruth Moore and David Campos, with Jacob Collazo, Ashley Fresher Maytum, Virena Sampayo, Monica A. Sanchez

Fostering Individuality, Valuing Uniformity—Learning From the Past to Engage in Tomorrow (July 2010)
Dorothy W. Hewes

Blocks: A Versatile Learning Tool for Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (March 2010)
Edna Runnels Ranck and Charlotte Anderson

A new Young Children Column:
Our Proud Heritage. Article contributions welcomed!

Launch date:
March 2010 issue of Young Children

Frequency and due dates:
Starting in 2013, the column will appear twice a year (in the May and September issues of Young Children). Article submissions to the coeditors: May issue, Nov. 1; September issue, May 1.

Column coeditors:
Edna Ranck and Charlotte Anderson

Audience:
A broad segment of the NAEYC membership; in particular, students in teacher education programs, teacher educators, new teachers, and all who would gain inspiration for and insight into becoming more involved and active in their programs or associations.

Column length:
Approximately 800 to 1,000 words.

Column style:
Contributors should write in the active voice and use plain language. For formatting requirements and information about writing, see the Young Children Manuscript Guidelines.

Style should be consistent with The Chicago Manual of Style.

Content:
Columns should focus on the following points:

The significance for today’s educators.
Why the topic was important in the past and why it continues to be important or useful.
What value(s) this heritage or history taught us.
How the information informs the field about current and future issues in early childhood education.
Resources or sources for more information.

Topics can vary and might describe inspiring projects and developments, successful strategies, or implementation of unique programs.

Writing and editing process:
Column articles may be submitted by a single author or with coauthors. One person should serve as the point of contact for communication with the Our Proud Heritage column coeditors and with NAEYC staff. Soon after an author submits a column, a coeditor will be in touch to provide feedback and suggestions. In general, articles and columns undergo a few rounds of editing before publication in Young Children.

Photos/images:
We encourage contributors to submit high-resolution photographs to help tell their story.

Goals for the column:
To share insight and practical information based on early childhood education history with a focus on how past ideas and experiences help educators develop teaching goals and objectives today. Consider how the past informs the future and ways we can learn from the origins of ideas, early leadership and leaders, and the influences and events leading to progress in the early childhood field.

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