National Kindergarten Association
AbbreviationNKA
Former nameNational Association for the Promotion of Kindergarten Education (1909–1911)
Founded1909
Defunct1976
FounderBessie Locke
HeadquartersNational Kindergarten Association
8 West 40th Street
LocationNew York City, U.S.
Key people• Edwin S. Marston
(president in 1911)[1]
• Major Bradley Martin
(president in 1922)[2]
• Dr. Howard R. Best
(president until 1958)[3]
• John H. Niemeyer
(president from 1958)[3]
• May Aldrich
(secretary)[4][2]
• Julian M. Gerard (treasurer)[2]
Region servedUnited States
ServicesEducation
FocusPromoting universal acceptance of the public-school kindergarten
MethodLobbying
Publications
Outreach programs

The National Kindergarten Association (NKA) was a philanthropic organization, based in the United States, which promoted universal acceptance of the public-school kindergarten. It existed between 1909 and 1976, and its headquarters was in New York City. The association was founded to "promote the establishment of kindergartens throughout the United States for the purpose of promoting the physical, moral and intellectual development" of the children in attendance.[5]

History

Founded by Bessie Locke in 1909, initially as the National Association for the Promotion of Kindergarten Education,[6] the NKA functioned on the local, state and national levels.[7] The company was initially based in New York City's brand-new Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, located at 1 Madison Avenue in Manhattan,[8] but later moved one mile north to 8 West 40th Street, on the southern side of Bryant Park.

The association once received a $250,000 donation from oil executive John Dustin Archbold.[5] Archbold's wife, Annie Eliza Mills, was elected to the association's board of directors in 1911.[1] In 1912, National Kindergarten and Elementary College (now National Louis University) became affiliated with the NKA. From 1913 to 1919, the NKA worked with the United States Bureau of Education to promote kindergarten.[7] In an attempt to raise awareness in areas where no kindergartens existed, the NKA published education materials and distributed them nationwide between 1917 and 1954.[7]

In 1920, Talks to Mothers: Reading Aloud to the Child was published, a collaboration between Lucy Wheelock, NKA and the Bureau of Education.[9] By late 1927, the association reported that 206 kindergartens had opened across the United States over the course of the year, bringing the total up to 942. Those kindergartens had 356,000 children in their care. There were, however, still four million children without access to a kindergarten.[10] In the 1930s and 1940s, the NKA lobbied in Washington, D.C., for a permanent form of federal aid for kindergartens.[7]

The organization was affiliated with the General Federation of Women's Clubs and the National Congress of Mothers (which became the PTA),[7] and its field secretaries in each state worked with the women's clubs to inform the public about the kindergarten's importance and to promote improved state legislation relating to kindergartens.[7][11]

In the association's 25th anniversary year, it had brought about the opening of almost two thousand kindergartens in total across the United States, bringing kindergarten classes to around 628,000 children.[12]

"More than 100 towns in the United States have closed their kindergartens with the thought of saving money. The big task still before the National Kindergarten Association is to disseminate sufficient knowledge to make such irreparable mistakes impossible."

— Bessie Locke, 1934[12]

By 1952, the totals had increased to over 3,200 kindergartens and 1.6 million children.[5] Bessie Locke died on April 9, 1952, aged 86.[5] In 1957, the NKA published About Kindergarten as part of its promotion for community programming.[13] The following year, John H. Niemeyer, president of the Bank Street College of Education, became the NKA president, succeeding Dr. Howard Richard Best,[3] who died on August 6, aged 63.[14] The National Kindergarten Association dissolved in 1976.[7]

References

  1. ^ "HEAR OF KINDERGARTENS.; Visiting Poor Homes to Play with Children -- New Association Directors.". The New York Times. 1911-11-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  2. ^ "National Kindergarten Association Letter, 1922" - National Kindergarten Association
  3. ^ "Educator to Direct Kindergarten Group" - New York Times, October 2, 1958
  4. ^ "Mrs. Roger Aldrich, 80" - New York Times, May 3, 1958
  5. ^ "MISS BESSIE.LOCKE ! OF KIHDFfTEHS; ' Founder*in 1909 of National :Association Dies--Brought Classes to- 1,60b,000". The New York Times. 1952-04-11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  6. ^ Bowman, John S. (1995). The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography. Cambridge University Press
  7. ^ "The National Kindergarten Association, 1909-1976: its place in early childhood education" - Columbia University, October 17, 2006
  8. ^ "To Promote Kindergarten Education.". The New York Times. 1909-11-13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  9. ^ "Talks to mothers., by Lucy Wheelock et al. | The Online Books Page". onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu. Archived 2024-11-19 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  10. ^ "206 NEW KINDERGARTENS.; Association Reports on Its Achievements in Past Year.". The New York Times. 1927-11-30. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  11. ^ Maryland Kindergarten Collection - Kelly Peters, Pratt Library (Baltimore)
  12. ^ "1,900 KINDERGARTENS OPEN; Association, 25 Years Old, Says 628,000 Children Have Gained.". The New York Times. 1934-06-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  13. ^ "Leaflet on Kindergarten". The New York Times. 1957-04-18. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  14. ^ Times, Special to The New York (1958-08-10). "DR. HOWARD R. BEST". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-24.