Celebrating Women’s History Month Honoring A. Sophie Rogers

In celebration of Women’s History Month we honor….A. Sophie Rogers

Sophie Rogers was a pioneer in early childhood education. She specialized in child psychology during her 32-year career as an Ohio State professor. She also had a highly successful pediatric practice in Clintonville and was one of the first women to win tenure in Ohio State’s Department of Medicine. She retired from the university in 1950, but continued to practice medicine until her death in 1967.
Dr. Rogers was passionate about creating an early learning experience that also functioned as a place for university students to learn and conduct research. In 1936, she opened the Peter Pan Playhouse, the city’s first nursery school for children ages 3-5 primarily serving the children of Ohio State faculty, staff and students.
In the late-1930s, she opened a school in Ohio State’s Campbell Hall known as the Child and Family Studies Laboratory. The school served as an early care and research center – one of the first in the country. The curriculum was highly structured showcasing teaching best practices with Ohio State students and professors observing classroom techniques. In 1966, she established an endowment that helped fund the programs in the school lab.
In 1985, Ohio State honored her groundbreaking work with children by renaming the facility, the A. Sophie Rogers Laboratory for Child and Family Studies. Today, the A. Sophie Rogers School for Early Learning is housed in the Schoenbaum Family Center located in Columbus’ Weinland Park neighborhood.