Emilie Michaelis

Emilie Louise Michaelis (1834–1904) was a German-born pioneer of the kindergarten system in England, and a translator, editor, and promoter of Froebel's writings. In 1875, she started one of the first English kindergartens in Croydon, London, and later a training college for teachers, which became Froebel College. She was described as the 'chief exponent of Froebelianism in England' and coined the phrase 'nursery school' in translation from Froebel.

Life Emilie Michaelis was born in Thuringia, Kingdom of Prussia, and was a pupil of Bertha von Marenholtz-Bülow, who had herself been a student of Friedrich Fröbel. She was president of the Society 1897–1900.

In 1891, Michaelis started a kindergarten and training college for kindergarten teachers in Notting Hill, which became the Froebel Educational Institute in West Kensington. Emilie Michaelis was its first principal, retiring in 1901. Following Michaelis's retirement, she continued to actively promote the values of Froebelian education, lecturing and examining widely.