The LFKA was founded by a group of women in 1887 who wanted to convince our good citizens that the kindergarten is an economic plan for the prevention of crime and a powerful agency in moral reform. In addition to opening a training school for kindergarteners (kindergarten teachers), the LFKA provided scholarships to promising young women, lobbied local and state governments to incorporate kindergartens into the public school system, and operated their own kindergartens. In 1887, the LFKA had two kindergartens and 100 students; by 1889 they had 7 schools and 350 children; and by 1905, they had served over 10,000 students. In 1911, the LFKA disbanded when training kindergarteners became a department of the Louisville Normal School and kindergartens were incorporated into the public school system.
Though best known for writing "Happy Birthday to You" sisters Mildred and Patty Smith collaborated on hundreds of children's songs. With songs such as "Washing and Ironing," "The Waking Flowers," "Each Mother Loves Best," and "The Blacksmith's Song," the Hills explored important concepts such as emotions, the natural world, and occupations in relatable and memorable ways. In this songbook's introduction, Anna Bryan (1858-1901) writes, "In consecutive work with children, songs selected with reference to a leading thought and to its gradually developed details, are more educative than it is possible for them to be when made an end in themselves." The book is dedicated to the Louisville Free Kindergarten Association
