History, theory and practice: Early childhood in Australia and China

Abstract

In this chapter we provide context by discussing early childhood history, theory and practice in Australia and China. The preschool movement in each country is about the same age and over the years some theories of education have been shared by both countries. The twentieth century saw the rise of education for the very young, women working and therefore needing child care support and education becoming globally competitive. Historical events saw different ideas espoused from a joint appreciation of Froebel, through China being influenced by the Soviet education model and Australia becoming a part of the American cognitive revolution. We present a chart of major events that influenced preschool development in both countries across the twentieth century and discuss similarities and differences in the present time.