POMONA'S EDUCATIONAL PIONEER

 

In 1908, pioneering kindergarten teacher Barbara Greenwood partnered with prominent architect Ferdinand Davis to design Pomona’s first stand alone kindergarten. The craftsman bungalow featured low window sills so young children could look outside, a stage area for performances, and bathroom fixtures small enough for the kindergarten’s students. The building was part of Central School on N. Park Ave., where the school district building now stands.

 

Barbara Greenwood later served as the supervisor of Pomona kindergartens, then joined the University of California’s Southern Branch (know known as UCLA) as a faculty member in 1912. She established the University Nursery School there. During her career, she made major contributions to kindergarten practices, teacher supervision and training, and parental education. Barbara Greenwood’s ideas and practices continue to shape early childhood education even today.

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ON THE MOVE

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In 1929, the bungalow was moved to the site of the San Antonio School. After San Antonio School was abandoned, the bungalow was cut in half and moved to Arroyo Ave. in 1951 where it became Arroyo Elementary. The last Arroyo class graduated in 1974.

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"IT IS A COURAGEOUS LITTLE BUILDING"

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In 1976, community activists organized to save the building. Pomona Unified School District deeded the building to the Historical Society of Pomona Valley, and the building was moved a third time, to its fourth home at the corner of Park and McKinley, just northeast of the Casa Primera.

 

Today, the Barbara Greenwood Kindergarten is a children’s museum with authentic historical desks and toys and a large collection of children’s books. The bungalow is also a fine meeting place for education professionals and children’s groups.