This article presents a synthesis which includes the most relevant findings of an historical research carried out by the International Institute of Childhood Education in the Universidad Central applying the heuristic method, internal and external critic of documental sources and historiographycal synthesis. This research showed that public early childhood education in Chile began in 1864 with the creation of the first escuela de párvulos, in Santiago. Its headmaster was a French governess, Sor María Luisa, sister of Charity, who contributed with the approach of the emergent pedagogy of the educational “salles de asille”. Two Chilean teachers, Carmen Torres y Emilia Lavin, from the Escuela Normal de Preceptores were encharged of children. Costs were afforded by the Chilean government through a minister of Education ´s decree, Federico Errázuriz.
The article describes the context and main features of this experience that made possible these early beginnings of early child´s attention by the Chilean State and values the founding character of this initiative. On this basis, the invitation is to reflect about the meaning and contribution of 150 years of construction of knowledge and numerous experiences of Chilean early childhood education. This constitutes an important knowledge to be considered in an educational reform such as the one that is taking place in our country, nowadays.
Keywords:
History of Early Childhood Education, French pedagogy, XIX century, public education, public polices in childhood education
Peralta Espinosa, M. V. (2016). One hundred and fifty years’ beginning of early childhood public education in Chile. Revista Enfoques Educacionales, 12(1), pp. 127–156. Retrieved from https://cintademoebio.uchile.cl/index.php/REE/article/view/43450
