清代光绪年以前,天津没有学前教育的组织和机构,幼儿的启蒙教育多在家庭中自发地进行。据光绪十年(1884)初刻的张焘的《津门杂记》记载:光绪四年(1878),直隶总督李鸿章奏请; 四月,光绪皇帝钦定批准,鉴于天津、河间等府,地脊民穷,迭遭灾歉,孤儿节妇,无以自存,情甚可怜,必须创设善堂兼筹教养。光绪四年(1878),又遭旱灾,由在津的江苏士绅王承基等筹集,捐洋钱1万元,于东门外南斜街设立“广仁堂” ,收养天津、河间两府被遗弃的子女和贫苦节妇。其后,由地方官员倡劝捐资,得到道员盛宣怀等的资助,于西门外太平庄择地重新建堂,盖房280间,将“广仁堂” 的妇孺,归并于太平庄堂中。
        太平庄堂分设6所,其中,“慈幼所” 、“蒙养所” ,近似幼儿的教育机构。但是这样的所侧重于“养” ,没有明确的培养目标和教育计划,只能说是天津幼儿教育的萌芽。
        清光绪二十九年十一月二十六日 (1904年1月13日)颁布的《奏定学堂章程》 (癸卯学制)中,规定在初等教育阶段,分为蒙养院、初等小学、高等小学三级。其中《奏定蒙养院章程》和《家庭教育法章程》规定,蒙养院附设于各省府厅州县及大市镇原有之育婴堂和敬节堂内,以辅助家庭教育,使蒙养家教合一。由保姆负责保育教导,教以游戏、歌谣、谈话、手技等,每日不超过4小时。从此,幼儿教育开始正式纳入学制系统。
        光绪三十一年 (1905)九月和三十三年(1907)二月,严修相继创办保姆讲习所和蒙养院(幼稚园),校址在文昌宫西严宅内。这是天津最早的幼儿教育机构。

        

·教育家严修提倡、林墨青主办的天津广智馆

        Before the years of Emperor Guangxu in Qing Dynasty,there had been no preschool education organizations.Pre-school education was conducted in families.According to Tianjin Miscellanea by Zhang Tao in1884 (the tenth year of Emperor Guangxu),the chiefgovernor Li Hongzhang presented a memorial toEmperor Guangxu asking to set up an organization toaccommodate homeless children and women in 1878(the fourth year of Emperor Guangxu). The memorialsaid: because of poor lands,repeated poor harvests anddraught in 1878 in Tianjin and Hejian,many childrenand women lost their homes and had no way for aliving. Therefore organizations to accommodate themand to educate those children must be set up. EmperorGuangxu approved his request. The gentries of Jiangsudwelling in Tianjin,Wang Chengji,Zheng Guanyingand Jing Yuanshan etc donated 10,000 yuan for settingup "Guangrentang" in Nanxie street outside the east gateto accommodate those homeless children and women.After that,local officials called on more support fromthe mass and got the donation from Sheng Xuanhuai torebuild 280 houses in Taipingzhuang outside the westgate. The children and women in Guangrentang werealso accommodated there.
        Taipingzhuang included six organizations,amongwhich Ciyou and Mengyang organizations for childrenfunctioned as kindergartens. However,these twoorganizations paid more attention to bringing childrenup physically without clear cultivation objectives andeducation plans. In some way,they can only be regardedas seeds of preschool education in Tianjin.
        In January 13,1904 (the 29th year of EmperorGuangxu),Statute for Schools was issued,whichprescribed that primary education included three grades,kindergarten,lower primary school and higher primaryschool. Statute for Kindergarten and Statute for FamilyEducation regulated that kindergartens be set up infoundlings and Jingjie Halls in cities,counties andtowns so as to combine kindergarten education withfamily education. Kindergarten teachers took care of andeducated children with games,songs,talks and gesturesno more than four hours every day. In this way preschooleducation was officially incorporated into educationsystem.
        In September 1905 and February 1907 (the 31styear and the 33rd year of Emperor Guangxu),Yan Xiurespectively founded Lectures for Kindergarten Teachersand Kindergartens in his house west of WenchangPalace. This was the earliest preschool educationorganization in Tianjin.

        

·南开学校发源地之严氏家塾