[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 77 (Monday, June 13, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H4362-H4364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMENDING THE ESTABLISHMENT IN COLLEGE POINT, NEW YORK, OF THE FIRST 
                   KINDERGARTEN IN THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. KLINE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 47) commending the 
establishment in College Point, New York, of the first kindergarten in 
the United States, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 47

       Whereas in 1854, Conrad Poppenhusen, a successful 
     businessman from Germany, built a factory in College Point, 
     Queens, New York, and, breaking with many entrepreneurs of 
     his time, worked to create an environment beneficial to the 
     immigrant community, which included schools;
       Whereas the Poppenhusen Institute was established in 1868 
     with a $100,000 donation;
       Whereas the Poppenhusen Institute was to serve the 
     fundamental educational needs of the community and began as a 
     free adult evening school for the residents of Flushing Town;
       Whereas in 1870, the Poppenhusen Institute's services 
     expanded to serve as the first free, public kindergarten in 
     the United States for the children of Mr. Poppenhusen's 
     factory and the community;
       Whereas children who attend a high-quality kindergarten 
     demonstrate higher levels of reading and mathematics 
     knowledge and skills than those who do not attend 
     kindergarten;
       Whereas a number of studies, including studies commissioned 
     by the Department of Education, demonstrate that children 
     enrolled in kindergarten more rapidly acquire the knowledge 
     and skills integral to succeed in school and life;
       Whereas the United States is a stronger, better place 
     because of the children who are able to enrich their academic 
     and social development through free kindergartens across the 
     country;
       Whereas for some children, kindergarten is the first common 
     ground where they interact with students from a myriad of 
     cultural, economic, racial, and religious backgrounds to 
     learn about their world, each other, and themselves; and

[[Page H4363]]

       Whereas universal, free, high-quality kindergarten for the 
     Nation's children provides benefits both to these children 
     and to society at large: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That--
       (1) the Congress commends the Poppenhusen Institute and the 
     College Point community for establishing the first free, 
     public kindergarten in the United States; and
       (2) the Congress supports the strong beginnings 
     kindergartens across the United States provide for the 
     Nation's children.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Kline) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline).


                             General Leave

  Mr. KLINE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 47.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Minnesota?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. KLINE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 47 commending 
the establishment of the first free public kindergarten in the United 
States. Madam Speaker, we can all agree on the merits of early 
education to the academic success of America's children. From the time 
that Conrad Poppenhusen offered free, public kindergarten to his 
community in College Point, New York, millions of American children 
have benefited from a foundational first year of school.
  Kindergarten is a common experience for most American children. 
Today, 98 percent of children of kindergarten age in America attend 
kindergarten programs for at least half of the school day, and a 
growing number of schools, today about 60 percent, now offer full-day 
kindergarten programs. At age 5, the age at which most children enter 
kindergarten, children's development varies greatly. Because they often 
begin with a range of knowledge and skills, the kindergarten experience 
can substantially reduce educational disparities and help build a 
foundation for future school success.
  Research demonstrates that children generally develop both cognitive 
and noncognitive knowledge and skills during the kindergarten year. In 
the year 2000, the National Center For Education Statistics, a research 
arm of the U.S. Department of Education, published findings from a 
large-scale study to evaluate the effectiveness of kindergarten. The 
study showed that after a year of kindergarten, children demonstrate a 
greater understanding of reading and mathematics concepts, as well as 
specific knowledge and skills. By the end of the kindergarten year, 
nearly all children recognized letters, numbers, and shapes, and an 
increased number of children can add and subtract numbers.
  Madam Speaker, in closing, I would like to thank the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Crowley) for recognizing the importance of kindergarten 
and the contribution of Conrad Poppenhusen for establishing the first 
free, public American kindergarten.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today in support of House concurrent resolution 47, which 
recognizes the establishment of the first free, public kindergarten in 
the United States located at College Point, Queens, New York.
  I am pleased to manage the time on this legislation, which is offered 
by my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Crowley) who represents College Point, Queens, here in the House of 
Representatives.
  The history of kindergarten in America has been colorful. Many areas 
of the country can claim credit for advancing education of our youth 
through kindergarten classes. From Wisconsin to Massachusetts to New 
York, many folks have had a hand in developing kindergarten. However, 
Queens, New York is home to the first free, public kindergarten class, 
and it is proper today, Madam Speaker, that we honor that achievement. 
Public kindergarten has played a meaningful role in the lives of many 
Americans, including the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley), the 
author of this legislation, as well as me.
  For many children in Missouri, in New York, and throughout the 
countryside, kindergarten is the first place in which students interact 
with youth from many cultural backgrounds and where they learn about 
the world into which they were born. Kindergarten also reinforces and 
builds reading and math skills which are important tools for our 
children to have when advancing through the educational system.
  The establishment of the first free, public kindergarten in College 
Point, Queens, New York, has made our Nation stronger.
  I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley), and I thank the 
House for considering this bill today.
  Mr. PETRI. Madam Speaker, today the House considers H. Con. Res. 47, 
Commending the Establishment in College Point, New York, of the First 
Kindergarten in the United States.
  The resolution honors the first free Kindergarten established in the 
United States in 1870 by Conrad Poppenhusen. I would like to note for 
the record that Margarethe Meyer Schurz--wife of Carl Schurz--opened 
the first Kindergarten in the United States in Watertown, Wisconsin in 
1856.
  The following is an article from the August 19, 1998 Capital Times 
(Madison, WI) detailing the work of Margarethe Schurz that led to the 
first U.S. Kindergarten in Watertown, Wisconsin.

                [From the Capital Times, Aug. 19, 1998]

    Aug. 27, 1832: 1st Kindergarten Sprouts; Schurz Wanted the Best 
                       Education for Her Daughter

                           (By Kathy Maeglin)

       As a young mother in Watertown in 1856, Margarethe Schurz 
     wanted her little daughter to have the educational advantages 
     she would have had back in their native Germany.
       So Margarethe invited four little cousins to come to the 
     house each day for games, singing and crafts. She had been an 
     early student of the ``kindergarten'' movement in Germany, 
     and now she was employing what she had learned in her own 
     frontier home.
       As word of Margarethe's ``class'' spread, friends 
     petitioned her to let their own children join in. The group 
     moved to a more convenient location downtown, and thus the 
     first kindergarten in America was created.
       As Hannah Werwath Swart wrote in her biography ``Margarethe 
     Meyer Schurz,'' Margarethe's background likely would have led 
     her to establish the first American kindergarten even if she 
     had not had any children of her own.
       Margarethe Meyer was born on Aug. 27, 1832, to a wealthy 
     merchant family in Hamburg, Germany.
       In 1850, when she was a teenager, her older sister Bertha 
     became involved in a Jewish-Christian women's group that had 
     decided to focus on training young children as a way to 
     promote idealism and understanding among all people.
       The group invited Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel, the man 
     who created the first kindergarten in 1840, to come to 
     Hamburg to help them establish one there. Margarethe listened 
     to Froebel's lectures for two years, thereby gaining the 
     knowledge and inspiration that would motivate her later in 
     life.
       When she was 19, she moved to London to run a kindergarten 
     that had been established there by her sister Bertha. It was 
     there that she met Carl Schurz, a German revolutionary who 
     had fled his native country.
       Carl Schurz was determined to migrate to America, where he 
     could have the free citizenship he so desired and where much 
     of his family had already gone. So after their marriage, the 
     two idealistic young Germans set sail for America.
       After living in Philadelphia for a few years, the couple 
     eventually settled in Watertown, which at the time was the 
     second largest city in Wisconsin.
       It was shortly after they arrived in Watertown that 
     Margarethe started the activities that would result in the 
     kindergarten (which is German for ``children's garden'').
       But Watertown did not turn out to be the major railroad 
     center that Carl had hoped when he chose to settle there. So 
     Carl made the most of his speaking skills and passion for 
     politics, and he ended up serving as a minister to Spain, a 
     general in the Civil War and finally a U.S. senator from 
     Missouri.
       Since her husband's career took her away from Wisconsin, 
     Margarethe entrusted the continuation of her kindergarten to 
     Carl's cousin, Miss Juessen.
       Others took over the school in later years and it continued 
     until World War I, when it was closed because the teacher 
     refused to teach in any language other than German, which had 
     become unpopular.
       Margarethe Schurz died at the age of 43 on March 15, 1876, 
     in Washington, D.C. But her legacy lives on in schools 
     throughout the country as young minds are cultivated in 
     kindergartens, which Margarethe once described as gardens 
     ``whose plants are human.''

  Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the 
Resolution H.

[[Page H4364]]

Con. Res. 47, which recognizes the establishment of the first, free 
public kindergarten in the United States, located in College Point, 
Queens, New York.
  As a native of Queens, I grew up learning about the history of this 
community, which includes the creation of the first free public 
kindergarten in the United States.
  The community of College Point, just a stone's throw from LaGuardia 
Airport, Shay Stadium--home of the Mets--and Flushing Meadows-Corona 
Park--the home of the U.S. Open Tennis tournament--this community was 
one of the first seeds in the creation of public education in America. 
Something that represents the Great Equalizer in American society.
  It all started in 1854, when Conrad Poppenhusen, a businessman from 
Germany, built a factory in College Point.
  There, he stressed an environment in which his immigrant workers 
could educate themselves in order to succeed financially, socially, 
and, most significantly, intellectually.
  Just as Henry Ford paid his employees high wages so they, in turn, 
could purchase his cars, Conrad Poppenhusen represented another 
industrial genius--that if educating his workforce to make them and 
their families more successful people in the community.
  Fourteen years later, in 1868, Mr. Poppenhusen continued his 
illustrious educational work by donating $100,000 and establishing the 
Poppenhusen Institute.
  His Institute sustained his original educational mission and expanded 
on it, by promoting the education of all adults from the greater 
community--not just his employees.
  In 1870, the Poppenhusen Institute once again expanded its 
educational services to include the first, free, public kindergarten in 
the United States, a seminal moment in American education and something 
we celebrate today with this resolution.
  The history of kindergarten has been a colorful one in America . . . 
and one that is big enough for all of us to share, recognize, and honor 
today.
  My friends from Wisconsin will happily point out that the first 
kindergarten in the United States was based in Watertown, Wisconsin and 
was founded in 1856 by Margarethe Meyer Schurz.
  This private, German-language kindergarten represented a landmark in 
the educational development of young Americans and we all salute her 
accomplishments.
  Additionally, any debate on the history of kindergarten would be 
incomplete without reference to the works of Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, 
a Massachusetts educator who opened the first English-language 
kindergarten in the United States in 1860.
  When she opened her kindergarten in 1860, the concept of providing 
formal schooling for children younger than six was largely confined to 
German practice.
  These educational pioneers led to the creation, by Conrad 
Poppenhusen, of the Nation's first, free public kindergarten--a 
sweeping educational development and a strong basis for the 
kindergartens we all know and recognize in our country today.
  It has always been known that education is the Great American 
Equalizer--the first step in young Americans lives to live the American 
Dream.
  The actions of Conrad Poppenhusen and his revolutionary 
kindergarten--the first kindergarten free and open to all, helped 
engrain the idea of free and public kindergartens throughout our great 
Nation--opening up the ideals of the American Dream to tens of millions 
of Americans since then.
  The American Dream of using education as a foundation for supporting 
oneself, one's family. The American Dream of using education as a 
foundation for a good job, home ownership, and a brighter future 
overall.
  This important moment, when this kindergarten opened in 1870 in 
College Point, Queens, NY, is all the more profound today, as 
Department of Education studies show the impact of kindergarten on the 
children that attend.
  Children who are enrolled in kindergarten benefit immensely from the 
knowledge and skills they learn, while simultaneously profiting from 
their interaction with children of a similar age.
  The reading and math skills, which students learn in kindergarten, 
are invaluable to a child's later education.
  Moreover, for many children, kindergarten is one of the first places 
in which they interact with students from a multitude of cultural, 
economic, racial, and religious backgrounds. These early interactions 
are pivotal in establishing relationships, which promote awareness of 
the importance of numerous cultures and ideas, something particularly 
important in Queens, New York, which is seen as one of the most diverse 
areas of the country.
  The effort that began in College Point today remains a significant 
feature of our education system.
  One of the greatest aspects of our nation is that through education, 
which often starts in kindergarten, each successive generation of 
children can succeed.
  Quite simply, the establishment of the first free, public 
kindergarten in College Point has made our nation a stronger, better 
place for generations.
  I want to close by recognizing the continued importance of the 
Poppenhusen Institute and those who serve it. This notable list extends 
from the first days of class to the work that persists. This list must 
include the first teacher, Bertha Ploedterl, all the way to Susan 
Brustmann, the current Executive Director, and James Trent, the 
President of the Board of Directors.
  Today, the work of these individuals and this community has resulted 
in activities, exhibits, and programs for people of all ages. Programs 
cover the fields of music, drama, karate, stress reduction.
  There are exhibits, such as one on the tragic events of September 
11th as well as another on Native Americans.
  Individuals can take tours reviewing the archives of College Point to 
learn, not only about the history of this community, but about our 
shared American history, in this area, one of the most diverse and 
welcoming in the world.
  Additionally, the Institute collects the living histories of area 
seniors, so that they are documented for future generations.
  While the earliest days of this kindergarten will be remembered for 
being truly significant to New York and our nation, the true testament 
to the significance of this Institute is in the proud legacy that 
continues to live on through its works.
  Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KLINE. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 47, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution, as 
amended, was agreed to.
  The title of the concurrent resolution was amended so as to read: ``A 
concurrent resolution commending the establishment in College Point, 
New York, of the first free, public kindergarten in the United 
States.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________