Three Necessary Things: The Indianapolis Free Kindergarten and Children's Aid Society, 1880-1920

Abstract

A group of well-to-do women formally organized the Indianapolis Free Kindergarten and Children’s Aid Society with the goal to open kindergartens for children like Onis Williams. Reverend Oscar C. McCulloch, a social gospel proponent, was influential in organizing these women as well as several other Indianapolis charitable organizations. The clubwomen of the Indianapolis Free Kindergarten and Children’s Aid Society collected funds and goods from local businesses and wealthy businessmen to support their work; the clubwomen also hosted teas, parties, and an annual ball to raise money. At first, the women of the Indianapolis Free Kindergarten and Children’s Aid Society (hereafter IFK) opened kindergartens and distributed clothing to young children in the poorest districts of the city. Over time, however, IFK expanded to include adult programs, programs for children of all ages, and opened a teachers’ training school. This thesis consists of three chapters. The first chapter will focus on the Indiana Primary and Normal Training School, the teacher training school run by IFK. The second chapter will discuss the various social and academic programs available to Indianapolis children, including the actual kindergarten. The third chapter will focus on six different programs available to mothers whose children attended kindergartens and other programs. This thesis will show how some Indianapolis clubwomen used the teacher’s school, the kindergartens, and the programs for mothers of IFK to create a successful Progressive program that endured for nearly seventy years.