Spread of infant schools outside Britain and Ireland

The spread of infant schools outside Britain and Ireland took place in the 19th century. Infant schools and an associated method of teaching young children developed in the United Kingdom from 1816. The movement was influential globally over subsequent decades with schools being founded across Europe, the British empire and the United States. They appealed to contemporary concerns about social morality, access to education and spreading Christianity.

Infant schools were used by missionary groups in an effort to convert the empire's non-Christian subjects. They inspired the creation of Salles d'asile; a type of facility for young children developed in France from 1826. The movement also spread to the United States but quickly disappeared after a backlash against young children being educated outside the home.