Hull House
While addressing educational reform between 1877 and 1924, there are numerous significant individuals to be acknowledged, but Jane Addams stands out as being particularly significant. Hull House was developed and built by Jane Addams, with the assistance of co-founder; Ellen Gates Starr, as a center for civic engagement, political/social reform, education, and other activities. Hull House was founded in Chicago in 1889 and provided community members with early childhood care and educational possibilities. They provided services for children with disabilities, nurseries, kindergarten programs, and training for kindergarten instructors 1. This was among the first locations to provide these child care and educational opportunities to the community.
"Established as a settlement house after the example of English reformers who took up residence in London's slums, the dilapidated mansion soon featured public baths, a kindergarten and nursury, a playground and gymnasium, an employment bureau, and educational programs for neighborhood residents," 2. Hull House provided opportunities and services that were not previously available to the community. Jane Addams wanted to genuinely help her community evolve and promoted positive reform in the sense of education. She wanted to instill hope that there could be change and reform, which she did in many people.
1 Hecht, Stuart J. “Social and Artistic Integration: The Emergence of Hull-House Theatre.” Theatre Journal 34, no. 2 (1982): 172–82. https://doi.org/10.2307/3207448.
2 “Women’s Experience and Gender Roles in Gilded-Age Illinois | Northern Illinois University Digital Library.” n.d. Digital.lib.niu.edu. https://digital.lib.niu.edu/illinois/gildedage/women.