Preschool Education in America

The Culture of Young Children from the Colonial Era to the Present
A history of policies and programmes for the education of three-to-five-year-olds in the USA. This book also traces efforts to make pre-school education a part of the American public school system and shows why these efforts have been rejected, despite evidence of pre-school benefit.
This comprehensive history describes policies and programs for the education of three-, four-, and five-year-olds in the United States from the colonial era to the present. It also traces efforts to make preschool education a part of the public school system and shows why these efforts have been rejected, despite increasing evidence that preschools are beneficial for all young children.

Drawing on archival records, alumnae files, interviews, and many other sources, Barbara Beatty provides a portrait of preschool education that includes the experiences of children, parents, and teachers. She describes dame schools of the colonial period, the infant schools that were originally developed to instruct and provide day care for children of the poor, the private and public kindergartens of the mid-nineteenth century, nursery schools, and the various government programs for young children, including Head Start. Beatty concludes that for preschools to be universalized, there must be widespread acceptance of both young children's right to education and the intrinsic worth of preschools, as well as an understanding of the importance of early childhood education in our culture.

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.