Firmin Marbeau

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Jean Firmin Marbeau (1798 – October 10, 1875) was a French philanthropist who pioneered the crèche movement, a forerunner of modern day care.

Marbeau was born in Brive-la-Gaillarde, and was by profession a lawyer in Paris.[1] He is best known for founding the first crèche, which opened in Paris on November 14, 1844.[2] The crèche provided child care to enable working-class mothers to work jobs outside of the home, and spawned a Crèche Movement that led to a number of similar establishments being opened in France; the concept was also influential on the development of day care in North America.[3] Marbeau wrote a number of books promoting the concept as well, and died in Saint-Cloud in 1875.[1]

[edit] Writings

  • Politique des intérêts (1834)
  • Études sur l'économie sociale (1844)
  • Des crèches (1845)
  • Du pauperisme en France (1847)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b (German) "Marbeau". Meyers Konversations-Lexikon (4th edition) 11. (1890). p. 218. 
  2. ^ U.K. Board of Education (2006). "The Development of Infant Schools and of Separate Nursery Schools from 1905 to the Present Time", in Rod Parker-Rees and Jenny Willan: Early Years Education: Major Themes in Education. Routledge, p. 94. ISBN 0415326699. 
  3. ^ Larry Prochner (2000). "A History of Early Education and Child Care in Canada, 1820-1966", in Larry Prochner and Nina Howe: Early Childhood Care and Education in Canada. UBC Press, p. 20. ISBN 0774807725.