I am working on a research project on early childhood history in the 20th century which led me to discover OMEP and its work. Not only has OMEP done valuable work in its field since its creation in 1948,but it has also been a very good place to observe conceptions, debates and struggles on early childhood and early childhood education. I have worked in the OMEP archives in Prague, where I found valuable information about the history of that organization.
I would like to present a contribution on the history of OMEP between its foundation and the 1980s, when it became more institutionalized. At the beginning, OMEP was a very small organization with little means of action, as well as a very Europe-centered organization that relied on the good will of a handful of people. I would like to describe:
1.how OMEP grew, attracting more and more members not only in Europe (especially in Eastern Europe), but also in South America, Asia and finally Africa;
2.how it became more institutionalized and what the difficulties and debates were in that process, especially on the role of the World President (at the end of the 1960s), and the establishment of a regional structure (in the 1970s);
3.how the profile of actors, in their majority women, changed overtime.
OMEP members would certainly be interested in the history of their own organization. For me it could also be an opportunity to meet some long-time members who were engaged in OMEP activities during the 20th century.
