So much of America’s tragic and costly failure to care for all its children stems from our tendency to distinguish between our own children and other people’s children — as if justice were divisible.
– Marian Wright Edelman

The Froebel Trust is a London charity named for Friedrich Froebel. An article on their website, by Pete Moorhouse, a Froebel Trust Travelling Tutor and renowned advocate for creativity in early education, asked the question, “What would Froebel have made of the current gender imbalance of educators working in early years settings?”

Pete Moorhouse writes, “I am always taken aback by the lack of men – sometimes none – at large early years conferences; often just one or two solitary figures in a sea of women. The statistics vary but it is widely accepted that less than 2% of the early years workforce are male…

Friedrich Froebel was a visionary pioneer of early childhood education. He was a radical. He had a vision that education could be different in so many ways. When he developed his ideas around kindergarten in the mid-1800s, education was a male occupation, having its origins within the church. He saw that women could make a valuable contribution and founded the first teacher training college for women. This was ground breaking at the time. Nearly 200 years on the world looks very different again, culture has shifted and roles have changed. I’m convinced Froebel would now want to encourage a greater gender balance within early years settings.”

Interested in learning more about current efforts to encourage more men in early care and education? Join a conversation in the WoFo Global Café on February 12, led by the World Forum on Early Care and Education Men in ECE Working Group. Learn more and register.