German Kinderlaeden: From Alternative Projects to Professional Pedagogy

The German term Kinderladen [pl: Kinderlaeden] means literally “shop of the children.” It refers to alternative pre-schools that were created by cooperative groups in the late 1960s and to their successors. Until recently, Kinderlaeden remained largely unknown in the English speaking world. In 2013 Peter Appelbaum and Belinda Davis presented a photo essay on the early years of Kinderlaeden. It is available online and I direct the reader to this contribution for a more global look at the curricular program of the early groups (Appelbaum & Davis, 2013).