| Barbara Taylor Bowman | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 30, 1928 Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | B.A., Sarah Lawrence College M.A., University of Chicago |
| Occupation | Early childhood education advocate |
| Years active | 50+ |
| Known for | Co-founder of the Erikson Institute |
| Board member of | Business People in the Public Interest, Chicago Public Library Foundation, Great Books Foundation, High Scope Educational Foundation, Institute for Psychoanalysis, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards |
| Spouse | James E. Bowman, M.D. |
| Children | Valerie Jarrett |
| Parents | Robert Robinson Taylor, grandfather |
Barbara Taylor Bowman (born October 30, 1928) is an award-winning early childhood education expert/advocate, professor, and author. Her areas of expertise include early childhood care/education, educational equity for minority and low-income children, as well as intergenerational family support and roles.[1] She has served on several boards and was the co-founder of the Erikson Institute, where she pioneered the teaching of early childhood education and administration.[2]
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Bowman was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. Her grandfather was architect Robert Robinson Taylor, and her father, Robert Rochon Taylor, was on the board of the Chicago Housing Authority. After receiving a B.A. degree from Sarah Lawrence College, she began teaching at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools' nursery school, while simultaneously earning her M.A. degree in education from the University of Chicago in 1952.[3] She went on to teach at preschools and elementary schools.
Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty and the 1965 creation of Head Start inspired Bowman.[4] The next year, with the support of businessman and philanthropist Irving B. Harris, Bowman cofounded the Chicago School for Early Childhood Education (now known as the Erikson Institute) with child psychologist Maria Piers and social worker Lorraine Wallach.[5] Bowman went on to serve as its president during the period of 1994 to 2001, and maintains a professorship at the institute, where she is the Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development. The institute's Barbara T. Bowman Professor of Child Development professorship is named in her honor.[2][6]
Bowman is the Chicago Public Schools' Chief Early Childhood Education Officer. She is the past president (1980–1982) of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.[3] Her Board memberships are many including: Business People in the Public Interest, Chicago Public Library Foundation, Great Books Foundation, High Scope Educational Foundation, Institute for Psychoanalysis, and National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Among the many honorary degrees awarded to Bowman are those from Bank Street College, Dominican University, Governors State University, Roosevelt University, and Wheelock College.[1]
During her career, she has also served on the Editorial Board of Early Childhood Research Quarterly, and chaired the National Academy of Science, National Research Council's Committee on Early Childhood Pedagogy.
Bowman is married to Dr. James E. Bowman, renowned pathologist and geneticist of African American descent, and the first black Resident at St. Luke’s Hospital. They have one daughter, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison in the Obama administration.[7] Their granddaughter, Laura Jarrett, graduated from Harvard Law School in 2010.