清代光緒年以前，天津沒有學(xué)前教育的組織和機構(gòu)，幼兒的啟蒙教育多在家庭中自發(fā)地進(jìn)行。據(jù)光緒十年(1884)初刻的張燾的《津門雜記》記載：光緒四年(1878),直隸總督李鴻章奏請； 四月，光緒皇帝欽定批準(zhǔn)，鑒于天津、河間等府，地脊民窮，迭遭災(zāi)歉，孤兒節(jié)婦，無以自存，情甚可憐，必須創(chuàng)設(shè)善堂兼籌教養(yǎng)。光緒四年(1878),又遭旱災(zāi)，由在津的江蘇士紳王承基等籌集，捐洋錢1萬元，于東門外南斜街設(shè)立“廣仁堂” ,收養(yǎng)天津、河間兩府被遺棄的子女和貧苦節(jié)婦。其后，由地方官員倡勸捐資，得到道員盛宣懷等的資助，于西門外太平莊擇地重新建堂，蓋房280間，將“廣仁堂” 的婦孺，歸并于太平莊堂中。
太平莊堂分設(shè)6所，其中，“慈幼所” 、“蒙養(yǎng)所” ,近似幼兒的教育機構(gòu)。但是這樣的所側(cè)重于“養(yǎng)” ,沒有明確的培養(yǎng)目標(biāo)和教育計劃，只能說是天津幼兒教育的萌芽。
清光緒二十九年十一月二十六日 (1904年1月13日)頒布的《奏定學(xué)堂章程》 (癸卯學(xué)制)中，規(guī)定在初等教育階段，分為蒙養(yǎng)院、初等小學(xué)、高等小學(xué)三級。其中《奏定蒙養(yǎng)院章程》和《家庭教育法章程》規(guī)定，蒙養(yǎng)院附設(shè)于各省府廳州縣及大市鎮(zhèn)原有之育嬰堂和敬節(jié)堂內(nèi)，以輔助家庭教育，使蒙養(yǎng)家教合一。由保姆負(fù)責(zé)保育教導(dǎo)，教以游戲、歌謠、談話、手技等，每日不超過4小時。從此，幼兒教育開始正式納入學(xué)制系統(tǒng)。
光緒三十一年 (1905)九月和三十三年(1907)二月，嚴(yán)修相繼創(chuàng)辦保姆講習(xí)所和蒙養(yǎng)院(幼稚園),校址在文昌宮西嚴(yán)宅內(nèi)。這是天津最早的幼兒教育機構(gòu)。

·教育家嚴(yán)修提倡、林墨青主辦的天津廣智館

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.

·南開學(xué)校發(fā)源地之嚴(yán)氏家塾