History and Demographics
Preschool programs began in earnest in the Unit-
ed States during the first quarter of the twentieth cen-
tury. The philosophical foundations for these
programs can be traced to the belief, popularized
during the seventeenth century, that early childhood
is a unique period of life during which the foundation
for all subsequent learning is established. The early
programs often began informally and involved the ef-
forts of women who took turns caring for each other’s
children. The first public preschool program began
at the Franklin School in Chicago in 1925 with the
support of the Chicago Women’s Club.
The popularity of preschool as an option for
young children increased dramatically after the
1970s. In 1970, for example, only 20 percent of three-
and four-year-olds participated in organized educa-
tion programs. In 1998, approximately half of all
children in this age range attended a full-time pre-
school program. The increasing popularity of pre-
school has been fueled in part by an increase in the
number of women entering the work force as well as
by a belief among many parents and educators that
children need early preparation for elementary
school.
Program Differences
There are many different types of preschool pro-
grams, from those that strive to accelerate the aca-
demic progress of children who are otherwise
developing at a normal pace to those that attend
more to the social and emotional needs of the chil-
dren. Such program differences often reflect deeper
philosophical differences in beliefs about young chil-
dren and the goal of preschool. Such differences can
be seen by considering two programs currently popu-
lar in the United States: the Montessori approach,
which has a long history in this country, and the Reg-
gio Emilia approach, which is relatively new to this
country.
The Montessori approach was developed in the
early twentieth century by Maria Montessori, an Ital-
ian physician and educator. In this approach, chil-
dren are allowed choices and opportunities to pursue
their own interests by moving freely from one activity
center to another; the activities available to children,
however, are designed to foster cognitive growth rath-
er than social or emotional growth. In fact, Montesso-
ri teachers encourage preschoolers to work
independently and to persist at challenging cognitive
tasks, while minimizing interactions with peers.
Teacher interactions, too, tend to be minimal, with
teachers serving mainly to model ways in which chil-
dren can use curricular materials.
The Reggio Emilia approach was started in 1945
in Reggio Emilia, a small community in northern
Italy. It emerged from the efforts of parents who
sought high-quality care for their children and educa-
tor Loris Malaguzzi, who provided the philosophical
foundation. Proponents view the preschooler as high-
ly competent and as inherently curious and social.
They further see development as resulting from the
child’s active involvement with the physical and social
worlds and from repeated experiences that provide
the opportunity for reflection and for constructing in-
creasingly more flexible representations of those ex-
periences. In practice, this philosophy entails the use
of group projects that evolve according to the chil-
dren’s interests, an emphasis on children communi-
cating their ideas to others, and children learning to
express ideas through multiple media. Perhaps the
hallmark of this approach is the extensive support
and collaboration of the community, including par-
ents and the government.Impact of the Preschool Experience
There are both advantages and disadvantages for
children who attend preschool compared to children
who do not. Advantages include more collaborative
interactions with peers, increased social competence,
and greater expressiveness. Disadvantages include
less compliance with adult demands and heightened
aggressiveness toward peers. It is important to recog-
nize, however, that the extent and nature of the im-
pact of preschool may depend on a number of factors,
including the length of time in the program, the
child’s family environment, and the particular charac-
teristics a child brings to the program. Most impor-
tant, however, is the quality of the preschool
program. High-quality programs, for example, have
been found to foster language development, whereas
increased aggression may be more likely for children
in low-quality care.Developmentally Appropriate Practices
What makes a program ‘‘high quality’’? High
quality is defined by a number of factors, including a
low child-teacher ratio, adequate physical space, a
staff whose members are highly experienced, and a
wealth of play and curricular materials. Most impor-
tantly, however, high-quality programs are defined by
developmentally appropriate practices.
Developmentally appropriate programs have five
characteristics. First, these programs attempt to facili-
tate not only cognitive development but also social
and emotional development, focusing on areas such
as learning to take turns, learning to respect others,
and feeling good about one’s accomplishments. Sec-334 PRESCHOOL