Mrs A. F. Johnson’s Kindergarten Work

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29778, 22 March 1962, Page 2

Mrs A. F. Johnson’s Kindergarten Work

Mrs A. F. Johnson, a prominent leader in the free kindergarten movement for nearly 20 years, has been nominated to represent New Zealand at the conference of the World (Council of Early Childhood Education (Organisation Mondiale Pour L’Education Prescolaire) to be held in London in July. She and her husband will be in England at the time on a visit to their son, Dr. F. Alistair Johnson, and his family at Malvern.

From 1951 to 1955 Mrs Johnson was president of the New Zealand Free Kindergarten Union and was a specially invited guest at the 1955 conference of the Australian Pre-school Associa-1 tion in Melbourne. She became president of the Christchurch Free Kindergarten Association in 1957, an office she held till her recent retirement. Mrs Johnson first became interested in the importance of early childhood education when a student at the Christchurch Teachers’ Training College before her marriage. Both her sons went to private kindergartens. In 1943. Mrs Johnson was asked to help establish a kindergarten at Fendalton and became chairman of the first interim committee. She was chairman of the first committee affiliated to the Christchurch Free Kindergarten Association and was appointed the Fendalton kindergarten member of the association's council She has been a Christchurch representative at the unions conferences since 1947 and was vice-president of the union from 1957 to 1959

a more informal programme of work which gives greater scope for individual development in children.” World War II showed the need for pre-school experience for children, she said. The post-war growth in population emphasised even more the importance of giving small children the opportunity to give, take and to share in a small group if they were to become balanced, responsible adult citizens in a community, she said. Another aspect of the work that has been deeply satisfying to Mrs Johnson is the increased sharing of kindergarten work by parents and children.

“If a child is to get the most value out of kindergarten he must be able to share his experiences with his mother, who must be able to understand the purpose of what he is doing and discuss it with him,” she said. Early Vision

In her long service to kindergartens Mrs Johnson has been interested in the administrative side as well as the educational aspect of the work. Expansion “I have watched the growth of the entire movement as the Government took a greater interest in the development of kindergarten education and gave it more financial support.” Mrs Johnson said yesterday. “And I have seen the change over to

Mrs Johnson entered the kindergarten movement when it was at the crossroads of its development. Time has shown that the vision of the administrators, then in the union, in allowing each association to look after its own affairs yet conform to a general pattern, gave the movement its virility. Today about 13,000 children in kindergartens throughout New Zealand benefit from those early years of planning and experiment. Mr and Mrs Johnson will leave New Zealand in the Southern Cross on April 6. Their elder son. Dr. Johnson, is a principal scientific officer at the Royal Radar Research Establishment in. Malvern.

Although she has retired from the top office of the Christchurch association. Mrs Johnson will remain on its education committee with leave of absence for this year.

Their younger son, Mr D. A. H. Johnson, of Wellington, will leave soon for London in connexion with his work in radio science, taking his wife and three children with him. So in May the Johnson family will have their first full-scale reunion in 10 years.

Mr and Mrs A. F. Johnson will return to New Zealand in December.