Training for Child Care Workers in India

The history of early childhood education in India dates back to the 1890s, when the kindergarten was started in the country. Later on, during the decades before independence, some pioneers— like Gijubhai Badheka and Tarabai Modak—struggled to establish a number of educational institutions for young children and training centres for teachers. Badheka worked extensively in Dakshinamurthi in the Gujarat region, while Modak launched the Nutan Bal Shikshan Sangh (New Child Education Society) in Bombay during the 1920s. Also, Maria Montessori’s work in India during the war stimulated not only the growth of early childhood education at centres organised around her philosophical principles but also the establishment of training centres. Despite these initiatives, early childhood education activities remained scattered, concentrated in urban settings, restricted to certain regions in the country, and confined to those who could afford such services.