Kindergarten#

Kindergarten, the forerunners of the kindergarten were the nurseries (founded from 1830 onwards), which were often established by private individuals or societies. In the second half of 19th  century the nurseries changed under the influence of F. Froebel´s ideas on childhood pedagogy into institutions for preschool education (for children from 3 to 6 years old) aiming at promoting the social and intellectual development of children. Such kindergartens were established in Austria as early as 1872 and more and more kindergartens were founded by various Austrian municipalities. Since 1922 the Montessori philosophy has also been put into practice in Austria. After 1945 kindergartens for physically or mentally handicapped children were established. There are about 4,000 kindergartens in Austria (in 1994); they are regulated and supervised by the provinces.

Between 1872 and 1913 one-year vocational training was provided for kindergarten teachers, which was prolonged to 2 years in 1914, to 3 years in 1958 and to 4 years in 1962. In 1982 a 5-year secondary school for childhood pedagogy was established. Today there are 27 educational institutions providing education and training up to the academic standard required for university entrance.

Literature#