Guide to the Records of the Pittsburgh Kindergarten Association, 1903-1961

Arrangement

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Records of the Pittsburgh Kindergarten Association
Creator
Pittsburgh Kindergarten Association
Collection Number
MSS#11
Extent
.5 cubic feet (1 box)
Date
1903-1961
Abstract
The Pittsburgh Kindergarten Association was established as the Pittsburgh and Allegheny Kindergarten Association on November 30, 1892 by a group of women, lead by Mrs. William Herron, a prominent figure in religious, social and philanthropic work, and Mrs. Z. A. Cutten, one of the first trained kindergarten teachers in the Pittsburgh region. These records primarily include organizational material such as historical sketches, reports, by-laws, teacher training books, and minutes of the Board of the Association. These records are primarily limited to the Association's activities in the period directly after World War II when the Association took on a more philanthropic role in the kindergarten community in Pittsburgh.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
This guide to the collection was originally prepared by Ruth Salisbury Reid in 1973. Papers rearranged and inventory rewritten by Lara Grout on January 22, 1993. Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process in Summer, 2001.
Sponsor
This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History of the Pittsburgh Kindergarten Association (1892-)

The Pittsburgh Kindergarten Association was established as the Pittsburgh and Allegheny Kindergarten Association on November 30, 1892 by a group of women, lead by Mrs. William Herron, a prominent figure in religious, social and philanthropic work, and Mrs. Z. A. Cutten, one of the first trained kindergarten teachers in the Pittsburgh region. The Association was formed to create free kindergartens for Pittsburgh area children. On April 30, 1894, a charter was granted to the Pittsburgh and Allegheny Free Kindergarten Association. In April 1897, Pennsylvania State Senator William Flynn passed through the first kindergarten legislative act, which allowed for free kindergartens for children three to six years old. This act also established that the schools were to be maintained out of the public school treasury and cities involved (namely Pittsburgh and Allegheny) were to give money to the Association to support their activities. The Association itself appointed the kindergarten teachers for these schools and an Association Board directed the teachers. By 1912, eighty-one kindergartens were founded and employed three hundred fifty-nine teachers, all of whom could attribute their employment to the Association.

After the joining of Allegheny City and Pittsburgh into one city in September 1912, the existing school boards were completely revamped into a single board, the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education. The Association's Pittsburgh Kindergarten College was merged with the new school board's training classes for teachers to establish the Pittsburgh Training School for Teachers. The Pittsburgh Board of Public Education took control of the education of all teachers in the city and, thus, a great deal of the previous work of the Kindergarten Association. The Association took advantage of this change by devoting their efforts towards more charitable activities for kindergarten teachers, teaching students and kindergarten students in general. The Association's work included relief efforts for children in need, payment of field trip expenses for various kindergarten schools, toy donations to schools, establishing the Ella Ruth Boyce Scholarship and book memorials for future teachers.

In 1959, nearly fifty years after the cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny merged, the Association officially changed its name to the Pittsburgh Kindergarten Association. The Association continued its philanthropic role in the education of kindergarten education and the operation of those schools. Among its many activities, the Association donated time and money to a variety of schools and organizations including the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind and the Association of Child Education (formerly the International Kindergarten Association and the National Council of Primary Education).

Scope and Content Notes

These records primarily include organizational material such as historical sketches, reports, by-laws, teacher training books, and minutes of the Board of the Association. These records are primarily limited to the Association's activities in the period directly after World War II when the Association took on a more philanthropic role in the kindergarten community in Pittsburgh. These records do provide documentation for the greater issue of the kindergarten movement and kindergarten education in Pittsburgh and the United States.

Arrangement

The Pittsburgh Kindergarten Association Records are arranged in two series. Series have been designated for the records of the Pittsburgh Kindergarten Association and for general kindergarten material.

The Pittsburgh Kindergarten Association Records are housed in one archival box.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These materials were received in one accession in 1973.

Acc# 1973.25 Gift of the Pittsburgh Kindergarten Association (Records).

Preferred Citation

Records of the Pittsburgh Kindergarten Association, 1903-1961, MSS #11, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Ruth Salisbury Reid in 1973. Papers rearranged and inventory rewritten by Lara Grout on January 22, 1993.

Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Doug MacGregor on July 6, 2001.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Pittsburgh Kindergarten Association
    • Association for Childhood Education
    • Pittsburgh Kindergarten College
    • Pittsburgh Training School for Teachers

    Personal Names

    • Crawford, Margaret E.

    Other Subjects

    • Early Childhood Education -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Education -- Curricula
    • Education -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Education -- Study and Teaching -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Kindergarten -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Kindergarten Teachers -- Training of -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh

Container List