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A fabulous list!
I have been in this field for many, many years now - and running through all of these names was a walk down memory lane. I was especially pleased to see Lilian Katz' name so near the top, as I learned so very much from her writings, presentations, and research at the beginning of my career. This list is a must for all who teach, motivate, and inspire our newest colleagues. There is a rich legacy here!
Thank you -

I am disappointed with your list -- it seems very haphazard, repetitive and random. But mainly I would add Patty Siegel, June Sale and Abby Cohen as some very important missing persons.

I am interested in receiveing your newsletter because I am studying to be a daycare director

I too could not dwindle the list of those who helped shape, transform, inform and/or guide us. Some have opened and challenged our thinking, others have guided us in integrating our new understandings into new paradigms and practices. Many have championed for the under-served or the misunderstood. Our work with children and families has a breadth and depth that crosses disciplines in a way very few professions do. We draw from the fields of brain research, nutrition, medicine, sociology, technology, pediatrics, health, children & families, cultural studies, behavioral sciences, arts and sciences, language and literacy, teaching and learning, etc. And then, there are those who have enlightened us to currents of today like the Commercialization and Sexualization of Children, Bullying, or Nature Deprivation that have such a strong impact on the daily lives of our children. I think even if your list was expanded to 20, and I spent another hour in reflection, it would still have been impossible to determine who rose the surface. Too many people, whose work has been seminal to the high level of consciousness with which we do our work and strive to always move forward, would still have been left out. I honor all of you who could make the decision for the '10' I could not.

I agree that this is a wonderful list and that choosing only 10 individuals is extremely difficult. I find it sad however that Helen Taylor, Carol Brunson Day, Jacqueline Jones, and Linda Espinosa did not make this list. Disappointing.

You had a wonderful list, and asking us to limit our choices to only 10 made it impossible for me to participate! How to choose among major theorists -- Vygotsky, Piaget, Maslow, Bronfenbrenner, Dewy -- early founders -- Montessori, Lucy Mitchell, Carolne Pratt -- researchers -- Kamii, Clifford and Harms, Gessell, -- advocates -- Helen Blank, Joan Lombardi -- and those who have combined research with advocacy -- Bronfenbrenner, Ziegler, S. Kagan, Alice Honig, Lilian Katz? We are blessed with a long history of wonderful people dedicated to early childhood education. That long list continues into the present, and will go on into the future. We should count our blessings, not just our heroes.

Jim Greenman was definitely one of those people who has shaped our profession. His absolute commitment to the well being of young children, his profound understanding of their development, and his amazing ability to inspire others, especially teachers and early childhood program directors on children's behalf impacted countless numbers of children's lives. He did this through his writing, speaking, and day to day interactions. He also influenced major organizations and government regarding policy in his role as a strong advocate for children.