The article focuses on selected educational developments in early twentieth century Poland. It begins with an overview of the changes in the organisation of education and care for young children during the pre-independence and interwar periods. The authors discuss social and political challenges as reflected in educational realities as well as attempts at reform and innovations towards child-centred pedagogies inspired by the New Education Movement. Two examples are presented in more detail: the pedagogical approach of Janusz Korczak and his collaborators, Stefania Wilczynska and Maria Falska, in Warsaw childcare institutions, and the Workers' Society for the Friends of Children ("Robotnicze Towarzystwo Przyjaciól Dzieci"), which rooted its educational system in broader efforts aimed at advancement of the working class. Both initiatives formulated their task as educating new generations of citizens conscious of their rights and capable of taking active part in the struggle against injustices in society.