Happy House was established in 1967 as a Kindergarten to serve socio-economically disadvantaged children in the Lake City community. Two churches, the First Methodist and the First Baptist Church, provided space in which these early classes were held. In 1971, we built our own facility on city-owned property located on Lake Jeffery Road. Classes ran mornings only during the school calendar year. The establishment of the Columbia School Board’s Kindergarten Center changed the emphasis of our program to include child care.  

In the Fall of 1973, we enrolled twenty (20) three to five-year old children from various income levels. The hours of operation were extended also to accommodate working families’ schedules. Center operational hours became 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM, five (5) days a week.

By 1981, our community’s need for preschool was so great that we sought and was awarded a State grant which allowed us to double the number of children we were serving. With the addition of matching private donations, enrollment increased to 70 children. Happy House, Inc. achieved National Accreditation in 1993 and became one of the first NAEYC accredited centers in North Florida.  

In 1997, after a major fund-raising drive a third building was completed. We opened our doors and hearts to an additional 74 children and expanded the age range to include infants and toddlers. With a waiting list of almost 500 children, the decision was made to open a pre-kindergarten building for our preschool children. In August of 2003, our fourth building was opened to seventy-two (72) four and five year old children. Happy House now serves up to 250 children, six weeks to 13 years of age. 

In 2019, a cafeteria and kitchen were welcome additions to our facilities.