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The historical developments of infant schools in Great Britain and "salles d'asile" in France--both precursors of present-day preschools--were interconnected. However, historians have not yet analysed specifically how transnational exchange influenced the growth and nature of these institutions. Drawing on archival data and secondary sources, and using a combined comparative and transnational approach, this study aims to remedy this omission. It traces the evolution of British infant schools and French "salles d'asile" from their beginnings to their affiliation with the education systems in their respective countries--i.e. from 1816, when Robert Owen founded the first infant school in Britain, to 1881, when the "salle d'asile" was incorporated as an integral part of the French education system (renamed "école maternelle"). The study also shows how ideas about infant education and the motives and experiences of educators and social reformers spread across British borders and influenced the development of "salles d'asile".

The 19th century saw the emergence of an innovative educational institution for young children from poor and working-class families in France and in the United States of America. This institution, patterned on the British infant school, constituted an attempt to improve children's health and living conditions. Gradually, the new facility became firmly established in French society, forming the first part of the education system in France towards the end of the century. By contrast, the United States did not incorporate the infant school into the public school system in a sustained manner. These nation-specific differences remain perceptible today. Currently, disparities in participation rates of 3- to 5-year-old children in public early education institutions exist. While virtually 100% of children in this age bracket are enrolled in France, about 56% of children are enrolled in the United States. This disparity derives from diverging historical trajectories of the institutions as well as from differing societal discourses about early childhood schooling. The present analysis examines historical contexts within which early education institutions emerged in both countries. Culture-specific views of children account for disparities between the two nations' approaches to early childhood schooling. While France tended to conceive of children as a public resource, the United States rather considered children and childrearing as a private responsibility of families. The comparative analysis leads to further conclusions as to how early childhood education evolved in different directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]