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Ann Lewin-Benham (December 19, 1939 – February 6, 2023) was an American educator and author known for her work in early childhood education and museum-based learning.[1][2] She served as executive director of the Capital Children's Museum in Washington, D.C., and later led the National Learning Center, which included the Model Early Learning Center and the Options School.[1][3]
Early life and education
[edit]Ann J. White was born on December 19, 1939, in Quincy, Massachusetts, to Albert White and Florence Regina "Reggie" Levy White.[2] Her family later lived in Manhattan and Ballston Spa, New York.[2] She graduated cum laude from Bryn Mawr College in 1960.[2]
Career
[edit]After college, Lewin-Benham worked as a welfare caseworker before moving to the Washington, D.C., area, where she became a Montessori teacher.[2] She helped establish a Montessori program in a Virginia public school district in 1971, working with Principal Mark Grinder.[2]
In 1975, she became executive director of the Capital Children's Museum in Washington, D.C.[1][3] The museum later developed into the National Learning Center, and under her leadership it became known for hands-on learning and innovative educational programming.[1][2] The institution also hosted programs and visitors associated with technology, the arts, and alternative approaches to education.[2]
The Model Early Learning Center, founded in 1988, operated within the museum and was influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach.[2] The National Learning Center also housed the Options School, a program for teenagers who had been incarcerated, expelled, or had dropped out of school.[2]
Lewin-Benham later moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where she served as executive director of Leadership Memphis for two years.[2] She later returned to writing and publishing on early childhood education.[4] In 2013, she moved to Santa Barbara, California.[2]
Writing
[edit]Lewin-Benham wrote several books on early childhood education and the Reggio Emilia approach.[4] Her books included Possible Schools: The Reggio Approach to Urban Education, Powerful Children: Understanding How to Teach and Learn Using the Reggio Approach, Infants and Toddlers at Work, and Twelve Best Practices for Early Childhood Education: Integrating Reggio and Other Inspired Approaches.[4][2]
Personal life
[edit]Lewin-Benham was married twice: first to Lawrence Lewin and later to Robert Benham, a judge in Santa Barbara.[2] She had a son and a grandson.[2] Obituaries described her as interested in gardening and poetry.[4][2]
Death
[edit]Lewin-Benham died on February 6, 2023, in Santa Barbara, California, at the age of 83.[1][2]
Selected works
[edit]- Possible Schools: The Reggio Approach to Urban Education (2005).[4]
- Powerful Children: Understanding How to Teach and Learn Using the Reggio Approach (2008).[4]
- Infants and Toddlers at Work: Using Reggio-Inspired Materials to Support Brain Development (2010; 2nd ed. 2023).[4]
- Twelve Best Practices for Early Childhood Education: Integrating Reggio and Other Inspired Approaches (2011).[4]
- Parsley: A Love Story of a Child for Puppy and Plants (2022).[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "Ann Lewin-Benham, who grew Capital Children's Museum, dies at 83". The Washington Post. February 11, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Ann Lewin-Benham". The Santa Barbara Independent. February 8, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
- 1 2 "Children's Museum Head Quits". The Washington Post. July 27, 1994. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "In Memoriam: Ann Lewin-Benham". Teachers College Press. March 14, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
External links
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