Boundaries With Early Childhood Education: The Significance of the Early Childhood Frontier for Elementary and Secondary Education

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the mixed public and private structure of preschool education. The organization and governance of preschool education are quite unlike that found in K-12. Whereas the latter sector is dominated by relatively uniform public schools and funded primarily by state and local government, the lines between private and public in the preschool sector are much less clear. Preschool education has traditionally given a stronger emphasis than the elementary grades to social and emotional development and the importance of play for learning and development. Theories of constructivism are much more influential, as well. This difference is reflected in views about developmentally appropriate practice and the role it should play in preschool and kindergarten pedagogy and curriculum. Preschool education is the “Wild West,” America’s educational frontier. The larger K-12 establishment may view it as “the meeting point between savagery and civilization,” echoing Turner’s famous description of the American frontier.