Development of nursery work in Europe, USA and Bulgaria – a historical view

Abstract

Organised childcare dates back to the first half of the 19^th century. Kindergartens appeared first, with nurseries appearing approximately 20 years later. The aim of this article is to present the development of nursery work in some countries in Europe, USA and in Bulgaria in a historical perspective. Material and methods: Foreign and Bulgarian literary sources have been studied. The method applied is documentary analysis. Results and conclusions: Day nurseries appeared for the first time in Germany with the main function - reducing infant and child mortality. Later, such childcare facilities began to function in different forms across many countries in Europe – Hungary, Russia, France, Bulgaria. They were based on Froebel’s ideas regarding pre-school education which left the borders of the European continent and reached the United States, where a network of nurseries developed. In Bulgaria, the nursery work began at the start of the 20^th century in Sofia, and the first nursery in Varna opened in 1940. Throughout the years the objectives of nurseries are constantly changing as per the economic conditions in different countries.