Clara Belle Baker was a leader in the field of early childhood education during the first half of the 20th century. Born in Normal, Illinois in 1885, Baker moved to Evanston from Bellingham, Washington with her parents and sister, Edna Dean, in 1902. In Evanston, Baker completed her secondary education at Northwestern Preparatory School in 1904 and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University in 1909. She remained in Evanston until 1952 when she moved to Riverside, California with her sister where she remained until her death in 1961.
Significance
Clara Belle Baker was a leader in the field of early childhood education during the first half of the 20th century. Born in Normal, Illinois in 1885, Baker moved to Evanston from Bellingham, Washington with her parents and sister, Edna Dean, in 1902. In Evanston, Baker completed her secondary education at Northwestern Preparatory School in 1904 and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University in 1909. She remained in Evanston until 1952 when she moved to Riverside, California with her sister where she remained until her death in 1961. Upon her graduation from Northwestern University in 1909, Baker and her sister Edna took control of a private kindergarten previously run by Laura Ella Cragin. Under their leadership, the school was renamed Evanston Elementary School and expanded to include grades 1-6. Baker and her sister ran the school until 1917. The following year Clara and Edna founded Baker Demonstration School, formerly the Children’s School, at National College of Education, now National Louis University. Clara served as director of the school from its founding in 1918 until 1952 when she retired. The Children’s School became one of the first nursery schools in Chicago’s northern suburbs when National was relocated from the south side of Chicago to Evanston in 1926. Over Baker’s 34 years as director, the school pioneered the “learning by doing” educational philosophy that had been introduced by kindergarten teachers at the turn of the century and grew from its origins as a preschool to include grades 1-8. For these reasons, Baker is remembered as an early leader in the development of the early childhood education field and practice.