Each Child. Every Community.

At the heart of Smart Start’s mission is the belief that quality early childhood care and education is essential for long-term success. These are fields that have been profoundly shaped by the contributions of Black leaders, whose pioneering work has paved the way for more inclusive, equitable, and high-quality education for all children.

This Black History Month, we celebrate the legacy and contributions of four Black trailblazers who made significant impacts on early childhood care and education.

As we reflect on their contributions, we reaffirm our commitment to equity in early childhood education. Together, we will work towards a future where each child in every community has equal access to quality early education, supported families, and thriving communities, letting the lessons of history empower us to create a more inclusive and equitable world.

The Trailblazers

Dr. Evangeline Ward, left, is seen as one of the architects of early education for Black children. She led discussions and research that challenged people’s perceptions of how to treat and teach children in the early years. In 1969, she helped found the Black Caucus of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) at a NAEYC conference in Salt Lake City after Black people and other people of color were openly discouraged from attending the conference. NAEYC later decided that it would never hold its conference in a city where people of color experienced such blatant discrimination. Dr. Ward went on to serve as NAEYC’s president.

Although there isn’t an official biography of Dr. Ward available yet, her work and insights can be explored through her publication: The Young Black Child: His Early Education and Development.

Betsey Stockton, right, was a pioneer in early childhood education, a freedwoman who lived in the 19th century. She established schools for Hawaiian children and adults on Maui, as well as preschools for African American children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and for Aboriginal children in Canada. After settling in Princeton, New Jersey, she dedicated 30 years to organizing and teaching in schools for African American children, significantly impacting hundreds of children and their families across generations.

Further reading: Betsey Stockton: Pioneer American Missionary

Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark, left, was a groundbreaking psychologist and educator known for her foundational research on child development. She conducted the famous doll studies in the 1930s and 1940s, which played a crucial role in the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Her career spanned over 40 years, during which she contributed significantly to early childhood education, humanitarian efforts, and philanthropy

Further Reading: Mamie Katherine Phipps Clark (1917–1983) 

Dr. Edmund Gordon, left, a North Carolina native and distinguished psychologist, professor, and author, was a primary architect of the federal Head Start program, which was designed to help break the cycle of poverty by providing preschool children a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional and psychological needs. An estimated 37 million children have been served by the program Gordon designed.

Further Reading: Edmund W. Gordon