Association for Childhood Education International

31 March - 3 April 2016 in San Jose, Costa Rica

The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), a nonprofit membership association, is a global community of educators and advocates who advocate for desirable conditions, programs, and practices affecting children, infancy through adult.

ACEI members include teachers, teacher educators, students, child care center directors and staff, and other organizations.

ACEI was established as the International Kindergarten Union (IKU) in 1892, by educators concerned with the professional preparation of kindergarten teachers. In 1931, the National Council of Primary Education joined with the IKU to form the Association for Childhood Education (ACE). Many ACE members were professionals with an international focus, and so ACE added “International” to its name in 1946, becoming the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI).

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, members worked in immigrant communities in the United States to improve conditions for children living in slums and other types of settlement communities. Association members worked on behalf of children worldwide who were living in conditions of poverty or facing other challenging circumstances, such as discrimination, war, and hunger.

After World War I, ACEI offered support for kindergarten units that were organized to help refugee children in France. During the Great Depression in the United States, ACEI was hired by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to publish materials for nursery school teachers. During World War II, ACEI sent books, toys, and curriculum materials to teachers and children in Austria, Yugoslavia, Greece, and Italy.

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