ABSTRACT
Conceptions of childhood vary considerably historically and across cultures. Although some scholars and policymakers still believe that our views of children are fixed and static, most analysts now recognize that there have been many different perspectives on the nature of childhood. Moreover, there is a growing awareness that our conceptions of childhood have important implications for how parents and society interact with children. This chapter examines the changing views of Americans toward young children with particular attention to the impact of these shifts on early childhood education programs such as 19th-century infant schools and Head Start today.
