Our Proud Heritage

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Our Proud Heritage, coedited by Grace Jepkemboi Komol, PhD, and Jerry Aldridge, EdD, shares insights from the history of early childhood education to help educators develop teaching goals and objectives today. By considering the origins of ideas and programs, we can better understand the present and make greater progress in the early childhood field.

Most Recent

an old photo of children playing in a craft airplane
Article
Young Children
December 1, 2021

Our Proud Heritage. Building the Kindergarten Curriculum

This article introduces the Patty Smith Hill blocks and describes how they helped one teacher build a curriculum and intentionally plan and teach in ways that engaged children in deep study of topics they could learn through firsthand experiences.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Elizabeth A. Sherwood
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A young professional in a classroom.
Article
Young Children
November 18, 2020

Our Proud Heritage. Can We Change Early Care and Education?

Early care and education professionals, advocates, and supporters have worked to solve real and perceived problems within the early childhood education workforce, but without complete success. One ongoing issue is how we—and others—define who we are.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Edna Runnels Ranck
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students posing for a picture and laughing
Article
Young Children
June 16, 2020

Our Proud Heritage. Understanding Children’s Sense of Identity: The Life and Work of Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark (1917–1983)

NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Grace Jepkemboi, Annette Mohan, Lois McFadyen Christensen
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Old classroom setting
Article
Young Children
March 1, 2020

Our Proud Heritage. NAEYC's First President: Patty Smith Hill

Patty Smith Hill was instrumental in the formation of early childhood educational practice in the United States. Many of her ideals still constitute the foundation for educating and socializing young children.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Betty Liebovich
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Betsey Stockton
Article
Young Children
July 1, 2019

Betsey Stockton, Pioneer Early Childhood Teacher

This column provides some much-deserved recognition by telling the story of one teacher, Betsey Stockton, an African American freedwoman living in the 19th century.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Larry Prochner
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Several children run playfully through a forest.
Article
Young Children
July 1, 2017

Our Proud Heritage: Outdoor Play Is Essential to Whole Child Development

Although some people may believe that frequent opportunities for playful learning outdoors, including explorations of nature, are merely niceties, we believe they are critical for healthy whole child development.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Joe Frost, John A. Sutterby
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Children drawing on drawing table
Article
Young Children
September 1, 2016

Our Proud Heritage: Two Teachers Look Back—The Ypsilanti Perry Preschool, Part I

We are honored to present this column about a milestone in 20th century American early care and education—the Perry Preschool in Ypsilanti, Michigan, 1962 to 1967. (A second column on the preschool will follow in the November 2016 issue of Young Children.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Louise Derman-Sparks, Evelyn K. Moore
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Little girl coming out of play tunnel
Article
Young Children
September 1, 2015

Our Proud Heritage—Playground: A Historical Context

The first schools for the very young in the United States did not include playgrounds because they were established prior to the concept of a playground.

Authored by

Authored by: 
​Timothy A. Kinard
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Teacher and young child interact in play.
Article
Young Children
May 1, 2015

Our Proud Heritage: The 200-Year Legacy of Infant Schools

Elements of the infant school—from orientation to teaching through play (including play outdoors)—have endured, helping to give preschool its uniform look.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Larry Prochner, Ailie Cleghorn, Jennifer Drefs
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