Dear Wisconsin,

I want to thank you for many years of giving to the people that call you home. I wanted to especially thank you for giving the gift we call kindergarten. I know St Louis, Missouri tries to steal one of the greatest titles of firsts but we all know you were the first to have a United States kindergarten, in Watertown. 

You opened your doors to those young children in 1856. You knew Germany had kindergarten and since you and Germany are related you wanted to copy. You learned from Fredrick Frobel and inspired other states to do the same. 

When I was a young soul I loved kindergarten. I made many friends, learned the alphabet, got to play, and have fun! None of those pleasant long-lasting memories would have been possible without your creation of the first kindergarten. Over time you perfected the kindergarten calling of different names like K5, young 5’s, etc. You made a grounded curriculum and I am forever grateful. 

Not only am I grateful for kindergarten but my parents are also grateful for kindergarten. Back when kindergarten was first introduced many parents were happy to send their children off with their older siblings so they could get maximum work done. This did not change. Nowadays many parents send their kids to preschool. Preschool would not have been as successful without you leading the way with kindergarten. Thanks to you parents can send their children off to school as soon as possible. Parents are also eternally thankful for kindergarten.

Lastly, the government wanted to thank you. With you being the first to open your doors and let others do the same, you gave kids all over America a leg up preparing them for the grades to come. You gave people a cause to fight for and let their voices be heard in things like the International Kindergarten Union and the Head Start Campaign. These resulted in more education for more students across America. 

Thank you again, Wisconsin for giving us the gift of kindergarten. Many people are very grateful for bringing something new and useful to America and I am too.

Sincerely,  

Wisconsinite

Works Cited

Eschner, Kat. “A Little History of American Kindergartens.” Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2017, smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/little-history-american-kindergartens-180963263/.

“Some Famous Firsts and Other Happenings in Wisconsin.” Wisconsin Historical Society, 9 May 2012, wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS2912.

“Sutori.” Sutori, sutori.com/en/story/the-history-of-kindergarten-in-america--xze4g8dpsGAjoK89B88Pg9MM. Accessed 1 Dec. 2022.