Primary Association

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The Primary Association is a children's organization and an official auxiliary within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The purpose of Primary is to help parents in teaching their children to learn and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was first organized in 1878 by Aurelia Spencer Rogers in Farmington, Utah, and adopted churchwide in 1880 under the direction of Louie B. Felt who served through 1924.

The Primary was first organized in the modest community of Farmington, Utah. Rogers was concerned because younger children had too much unsupervised time, due to the long hours that fathers and older sons kept on the farms and mothers and older daughters in the home. In particular, the younger boys in the community were becoming unruly and mischievous. With permission from church leaders, and under the initial direction of general Relief Society President Eliza R. Snow, she organized a Primary Association for her local congregation on August 11, 1878. Two weeks later, the first meeting was held. That day, boys were specifically taught not to steal fruit from orchards and girls were taught not to hang on wagons. In addition, they were given lessons on faith, manners, obedience, and other worthy principles.

May Anderson, second general president of the Primary Association from 1925 to 1939, initiated what became Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City (now part of Intermountain Healthcare). She also helped establish kindergartens in Utah.

Presently, the world-wide Primary Association provides Sunday school and church-related activities to young Latter-day Saints. Nursery care and supervision is available for children from age 18 months to age 3. Classroom instruction begins for three year olds and continues to age 12. Most church units have a Primary; there is a General Primary Presidency in Salt Lake City administering the organization, and a similar presidency is usually formed for each unit at stake and ward levels. The Primary has its own songbook, made up of original songs and hymns modified for children.