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Public funding and institutional reorganization: Evidence from the early kindergarten movement
Author(s) -
Montes Guillermo
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
nonprofit management and leadership
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.844
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1542-7854
pISSN - 1048-6682
DOI - 10.1002/nml.4130070406
Subject(s) - outreach , quarter (canadian coin) , public administration , political science , public relations , adaptation (eye) , sociology , psychology , law , history , archaeology , neuroscience
During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, nonprofit kindergartens exhibited many modern characteristics such as comprehensive services, community outreach, and developmentally appropriate practices. By the beginning of this century, most of those modern characteristics had been eliminated as kindergartens became integrated into the public school system. This article analyzes the institutional reorganization of nonprofit kindergartens under public control by applying and extending Thomas H. Jeavons's framework. The author argues that the observed institutional reorganization was caused by adaptation to the legitimizing principles of the public sector. It is important to understand this dynamic well to correctly assess the effects of public funding and ownership on nonprofit organizations. This article is especially relevant to those following policy arguments for public funding of preschool programs.