20 People Who Changed Childhood 20位改变孩子童年的人物 （节选）

（from www.child.com/familystyle ）

In a special look back, CHILD salutes the innovators in the fields of education, entertainment, medicine, and more who forever altered what it means to be young in America.让我们作一次特别的回顾， CHILD对那些在教育、娱乐、医学等各领域做出杰出贡献的， 就此改变了美国孩子童年的改革者们致以最崇高的敬意！

By Robert Strauss作者 罗伯特 斯特劳斯

Joan Barnes

In 1975, Joan Barnes was a San Francisco-area mom looking for a place where her young daughter could play freely, develop her cognitive skills, and build relationships with other children. When Barnes found her choices lacking, she created the place herself, naming it Gymboree and opening for business in 1976. Barnes's classes were a hit with local families: For just a few dollars per session, little ones could roam in a safe place designed just for them while their parents mingled. Before long, Barnes branched out, overseeing the establishment of more than 530 Gymboree centers nationwide. She left the company in 1990, but her philosophy spawned a revolution in early childhood, causing kids to develop friendships outside their families at a very young age-and to begin showing up at kindergarten with the equivalent of a Rolodex.

1975年Joan Barnes还是一位居住在旧金山的年轻母亲。她正在为自己的女儿寻找一个可以让她自由玩乐，同时又能够开发她识别技能，培养社交能力的一个地方。但很快她发现可以选择的场所寥寥无几。于是她自己创办了一个叫做金宝贝的地方，并且在1976年正式对外营业。她所创设的育乐课程在当地的家庭中产生了很大的反响。每期只要花不多的钱，小宝宝们就可以尽情徜徉在专门为幼儿设计的安全的环境里，更难得的是父母也可以同时参与进来。很快，金宝贝早教中心的数量不断扩大，到现在全美已开出超过530家。 尽管Joan Barnes女士于1990年离开了金宝贝，但她的理念对在婴幼儿早期教育领域无疑是具有革命性的意义。她让孩子在很小的时候就开始走出家庭到外面去和别人相处，结识沟通。在进入幼儿园阶段后，这些孩子在同年龄的孩子中脱颖而出，成为佼佼者。

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