Standards of Infant/Toddler Care Timeline by Lauren Betts

1902

pottertreble — 2025-08-28 23:39:08 UTC

The National Council of Women made a declaration to support women of color especially in regards to day nurseries and kindergarten. (Cahan, 1989)

1909

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 00:04:34 UTC

At the White House Conference on the Care of Dependent Children, President Roosevelt declared that child care support should only be provided to mothers who have lost their spouse and wish to keep their home and children in it. (Cahan, 1989)

1935

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 00:14:53 UTC

Aid to Dependent Child (ADC) was passed as part of the Social Security Administration. With the increased disdain for child rearing outside the home, the government put into place a program to support children lacking parental support. (Cahan, 1989. pg. 20)

1919

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 00:17:51 UTC

Mothers Pensions had been passed in 39 states plus Alaska and Hawaii in an attempt to keep children at home with their mothers. (Cahan, 1989. pg.20)

1926

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 00:39:20 UTC

The National Association for Nursery Education (NANE) was founded by Abigail Eliot. ("Our proud heritage: Abigail Eliot and Margaret McMillan—Bringing the nursery school to the United States," n.d.)

1964

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 00:42:07 UTC

NANE became the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). ("Our proud heritage: Abigail Eliot and Margaret McMillan—Bringing the nursery school to the United States," n.d.)

1922

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 00:47:42 UTC

Abigail Eliot transformed the first US Nursery School to be based on the McMillan sisters work in the UK. This was the starts of the warm welcoming environments in child care and included manipulatives for children to play with independently. ("Our proud heritage: Abigail Eliot and Margaret McMillan—Bringing the nursery school to the United States," n.d.)

1931

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 00:55:26 UTC

74 colleges across America had nursery schools. 66 stated this was for the purpose of furthering child development. 47 reported use for training quality educators. (Cahan, 1989.pg. 23)

1965

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 01:05:02 UTC

Head Start was founded, providing affordable care to lower income families. ("Historical timeline: Preparation for the care and education workforce in the United States - Transforming the workforce for children birth through age 8 - NCBI bookshelf," 2015)

1940

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 01:05:59 UTC

The Lanham Act provided funding for child care facilities for children of mothers working in defense industries during World War II. ("History of federal funding for child care and early learning," n.d.)

1990

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 01:07:33 UTC

The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) was created to provide subsidies to working families to help support cost of child care. ("History of federal funding for child care and early learning," n.d.)

2001

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 01:14:59 UTC

The NAEYC began approving standards for initial licensure programs in early childhood professional preparation. This would provide better quality educators in the field. ("Historical timeline: Preparation for the care and education workforce in the United States - Transforming the workforce for children birth through age 8 - NCBI bookshelf," 2015)

2023

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 01:20:06 UTC

President Biden signed an executive order focused on improving access to affordable, high-quality child and long-term care. ("Just a moment..," n.d.)

2014

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 01:48:49 UTC

CCDBG was reauthorized to include Early Head Start which provided grants to facilities who provide care to infants and toddlers. ("History of federal funding for child care and early learning," n.d.)

1943

pottertreble — 2025-08-29 02:27:44 UTC

US Office of Education pamphlet, Nursery Schools Vital to the War Effort, indicated that skilled teachers with specialized training in nursery school education were essential to the war effort. ("Historical timeline: Preparation for the care and education workforce in the United States - Transforming the workforce for children birth through age 8 - NCBI bookshelf," 2015)

Resources

pottertreble — 2025-08-31 12:59:12 UTC

References

Cahan, E. D. (1989). Past Caring. Research Connections. https://researchconnections.org/sites/default/files/pdf/rc2088.pdf

Guettler, J. (2025, May 14). Lawmakers let universal child care legislation die 50 years ago. Let’s not repeat this history. Start Early. https://www.startearly.org/post/lawmakers-let-universal-child-care-legislation-die-50-years-ago-lets-not-repeat-this-history/

Historical timeline: Preparation for the care and education workforce in the United States - Transforming the workforce for children birth through age 8 - NCBI bookshelf. (2015, July 23). National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310533/

History of federal funding for child care and early learning. (n.d.). Just a moment... https://bipartisanpolicy.org/download/?file=/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/WEB_BPC_ECH-History-Brief_R01.pdf

Just a moment... (n.d.). Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/federal-child-care-legislation-over-the-past-decade/#:~:text=In%20February%202023%2C%20the%20U.S.,the%20House%20and%20the%20Senate

Our proud heritage: Abigail Eliot and Margaret McMillan—Bringing the nursery school to the United States. (n.d.). NAEYC. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/may2016/our-proud-heritage#:~:text=Prior%20to%20the%20nursery%20school,the%20nursery%20school%2C%20Margaret%20McMillan

1971

pottertreble — 2025-08-31 13:21:59 UTC

Nixon vetoed the Comprehensive Child Development Act (CDA), which would have built the groundwork for free universal childcare for lower-income families and a tiered rate for the rest of the population. Instead, he signed legislation that expanded the 1954 childcare tax credit for middle-class families. (Guettler, 2025)