Bettye Caldwell, the former professor of child and family studies at Syracuse University in New York and former professor at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, died at her home in Little Rock, Arkansas, on April 17. She was 91 years old.
In 1967, Dr. Caldwell was a co-founder of the Children’ Center in Syracuse. It was one of the first infant daycare centers in the nation. Dr. Caldwell’s work became a model for the country’s Head Start program. In 1969, she moved to Little Rock and took at teaching post at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, where she continued her pioneering work in early childhood development.
Dr. Caldwell was a graduate of Baylor University. She served as president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. In 1978 she was named Woman of the Year by Ladies Home Journal.