History of Women in Utah

Within the long history of public education, kindergarten is a much newer concept.  Modern kindergartens can be traced to German educator Friedrich Froebel in 1837, and the first US English-language kindergarten was established in1860.  The end of the 19th century saw a large push for the establishment of kindergarten-level schooling in Utah. ^[1]

The first kindergarten in Utah was established by Camilla Cobb in 1874.  Camilla traveled to New Jersey, after being granted permission by Brigham Young to train.  The school was established in Brigham Young’s own house and lasted for two years before Camilla left to begin teaching older students. ^[2]

Soon many schools, kindergartens included, were opened by different religious organizations.  By 1890 there were no sectarian public schools in the state.  In 1893 Bessie Goodrich was invited to direct a kindergarten in Salt Lake City which would be sponsored directly by the parents. In the same year the Utah legislature passed a bill allowing kindergarten to become part of the public school system, but it did not allocate any tax dollars to support them. ^[3]

In 1894 Alice Chapin, a kindergarten teacher and trainer, moved from Boston to Utah and established a teacher training course.  This allowed an exponential increase in the number of women being trained as teachers. The next year, 1895, the Utah Kindergarten Association was founded for the purpose of opening kindergarten by Latter-day Saints and “promoting the usefulness of kindergarten education among Mormon mothers”. The Association quickly established 5 locations, allowing people regardless of their affiliation with the LDS Church to attend as well. ^[2]

Although much of the early push for kindergartens was focused in the Salt Lake City area, they were also spread across the state.  Five kindergartens were established in Ogden by 1907, and by 1937 there were over 110 kindergartens in 12 localities.  This immense growth in early education is the direct result of women collaborating with their neighbors, creating a grassroots movement for the benefit of all.^[3]

Although Utah never legally mandated race-based segregation in schools, many schools became segregated due to policies that resulted in red lining.  Redlining practices restriced individuals from being able to buy homes and property in certain areas unless they were white.  As where you go to school is a direct result of where you live, this led to certain schools being almost completely white while others were much more racially diverse. The segregation of schools disproportionately hurt Black and Latino students since these schools tended to have fewer resources, fewer teachers and counselors, as well as fewer options for advanced classes or electives. ^[4]

Because of redlining, landmark civil rights policies such as Brown v Board of Education and the 1964 Civil Rights Act had little effect on desegregating Utah public schools. It wasn't until the Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968 that redlining was banned and schools slowly began to integrate. However, the effects of historical redlining can still be seen today; for example, the fact that a majority of residents of Salt Lake City's west side are people of color can be traced to redlining of the area that began in the 1930s. ^[4]

As in other parts of the country, there were many Utahns who fought desegregation efforts. In 1970 a West High music teacher, James Maher, called 4 Black students the n-word. The school responded by suspending both Maher and the students. White students rallied to support Maher, who received full pay throughout his suspension. Maher was later reinstated as a teacher at the school despite Black students' protests calling for him to be fired. ^[5] 

It was against this backdrop that Alberta Henry was hired by the Salt Lake School District as “Minority Consultant”, becoming the first Black employee of the school district.  She worked as an intermediary between parents, school administration and teachers for the benefit of students.  Alberta used her position to hire more Black teachers and counselors, ensure fair treatment of students, and create workshops for teachers, administrators, and parents to encourage communication.  Her workshops also helped highlight the importance of diversity and promote greater understanding. ^[6]

Thanks to Alberta’s work, the number of Black teachers and counselors in Salt Lake increased exponentially, from 0 Black teachers working at any elementary or secondary school in Utah in 1971 to 19 in 1979.^[7] More details of her story can be found here.

^[1] Long, W. (2023, April 12). A statewide expansion of full-day kindergarten builds on the work of 19th-century Utah educators. Salt Lake City Weekly. https://www.cityweekly.net/utah/a-statewide-expansion-of-full-day-kindergarten-builds-on-the-work-of-19th-century-utah-educators/Content?oid=19810801

‌^[2]  Ventilla, A. (2013). Women and the Kindergarten Movement in Utah [Review of Women and the Kindergarten Movement in Utah]. Utah Historical Quarterly, 81(2). https://issuu.com/utah10/docs/uhq_volume81_2013_number2/s/10422432

‌^[3] Center for the Study of Child Care Employees. (2022). Association for Childhood Education (ACE) State Kindergarten Histories [Review of Association for Childhood Education (ACE) State Kindergarten Histories]. University of California Berkely . https://cscce.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ECHOES-ACE-Kindergarten-Histories.pdf

‌^[4] Contreras, R., & BojórquezK. (2024, May 17). School segregation in Utah visible 70 years after Brown v. Board. Axios; Axios Salt Lake City. https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/05/17/school-segregation-utah-70-year-anniversary-brown-v-board-of-education

^[5] Wordpower | 1970-06-24 | School Board Issues Contradictory Decision Page 6. (2025). Utah.edu. https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=30528545

^[6] Alberta Henry papers - Archives West. (2018). Orbiscascade.org. https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv88217

‌^[7] Alberta Henry papers, ACCN 2069. Special Collections,  J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.