History+of+the+Program

= = =Today public kindergarten, with a foundation of Froebel’s (see below) values are open in every state. They are free to children of every race, religion and social class. Below are some of the key people who helped shape early childhood education and their respective contributions: =



In 1840, Friedrich Froebel opened the first kindergarten in Germany



In 1856, Margarethe Schurz, a former student of Froebel’s opened the first US kindergarten



Inspired by Schurz, Elizabeth Peabody opened the first English speaking kindergarten in Boston, MA in 1860



In 1870, Conrad Poppenhusen founded the first **__free__** Kindergarten in College Point, NY