[Services for Children of Working Mothers in War Time]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

SERVICES FOR CHILDREN OF WORKING MOTHERS
IN WAR TIME
A MANUAL FOR CHILD CARE COMMITTEES OF LOCAL DEFENSE COUNCILS
Published by the OFFICE OF CIVILIAN DEFENSE with the cooperation of the Office of Defense Health and Welfare Services, the U. S. Office of Education of the Federal Security Agency and the Children's Bureau of the U. S. Department of Labor
OCD Publication 3625 • June 1943
CONTENTS
Page
Foreword___________________________________________________ 3
Introduction_____________________________________________i _ _	5
Manpower for Total War_____________________-_______________ 5
Needs for Wartime Child Care_______________________________ 6
Part 1.	Types of Services_______________________________ 7
For Parents________________________________________<_______ 7
Information and Counseling Service_________________ 7
For Children___________________________:____________________ _	7
Extended School Services___________________________ 7
Before-and-After-School Program____________________ 8
Nursery Schools_________________________________    8
Day Care Centers___________________________________ 8
Homemaker Service__________________________________ 9
Foster-Family Care_______:_______________________ 9
Services for Special Groups_______________________  9
Standards_____________________________________________       10
Organization______________________________________________   11
Membership of the Committee_______________________ 11
Duties of the Committee_____t____________________ 11
Volunteers________________________________________ 13
Part II.	Facilities and Resources Available..___________ 15
In the Local Community______________________________________ 15
Schools____________________________________?_____ 15
Social Service Agencies___________________________ 15
Churches__________________________________________ 15
Industry__________________________________________	15
Labor Organizations_______________________________ 16
Youth Groups______________________________________ 16
Other Community Groups____________________________ 16
Outside the Community_______________________________________ 16
State___________________________________________   16
Federal___________________________________________ 17
National Organizations____________________________ 17
Part III.	Federal Financial Assistance____________________19
Office of Defense Health and Welfare Services_______________ 19
Federal Public Housing Agency_______________________________ 19
Federal Works Agency_______________________________________- 19
Social Security Act Funds___________________________________ 20
Food Distribution Administration____________________________ 20
Farm Security Administration________________________________ 21
Local Community Responsibility______________________________ 21
Publications Recommended for Further Reading________________ 22
Amended Executive Order of the President, No. 8757__________ 24
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FOREWORD
Communities all over America are striving to meet the wartime needs of children whose mothers have gone into war work. The problem affects hundreds of localities throughout the Nation. Every day more and more women are replacing men drawn from war plants and other essential services into the Army and Navy. Many of these women have children of school age or younger.
This manual is designed primarily for use of communities faced with the immediate need of expanding wartime services to children of women workers. It furnishes a guide for the local Defense Council and other agencies responsible for planning and directing these services.
A committee on child care should function as a part of the Civilian War Services Branch of the local Defense Council. This Branch of the Defense Council helps to integrate community activities dealing with problems of health, welfare, housing, recreation, nutrition, transportation, and similar war-created emergencies. The local Defense Council therefore is in an excellent position to bring together community resources for meeting the need for wartime child care services. Using the broad experience of its members drawn from a variety of related fields, the Defense Council can help community agencies work out a comprehensive attack upon their problem of child care through community wide action.
The programs operated by the various agencies will then supplement one another, avoid duplication, and prevent gaps in services. It is particularly important that there be no duplication of services, as the shortages of doctors, nurses, teachers, and social workers place great burdens on those remaining in the community. Equipment is too much at a premium to risk setting up unnecessary facilities.
A well-organized local Defense Council will be able to throw behind the program of services for children of working mothers the full support of community leadership. It will provide for the chairman of its child care committee the benefit of conference with chairmen of the other planning committees within the Defense Council. The War Information Committee of the Defense Council can aid in explaining to the public both
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the problem of wartime child care and plans for meeting it. The Volunteer Office can provide the needed volunteers. Block and neighborhood leaders can be used for survey purposes and for informing mothers about the program.
In the best interests both of war production and the Nation’s children, Defense Council members in every town where wartime employment affects women with children should accept this task as a challenge. Using this manual as a guide, Defense Council members can see to it that their community develops an over-all program of care and supervision for children whose mothers are busy at their machines or behind counters and desks doing their part to help win the war.
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INTRODUCTION
MANPOWER FOR TOTAL WAR
Effective mobilization and use of manpower is one of the crucial problems of total war . . . manpower for the armed forces, for war industry, for agricultural production, and for indispensable civilian services. Wartime demands are drawing into American industry the greatest labor force in the Nation’s history.
American women, like the women of England and the women of Russia, Canada, China, and Australia, are being called on to fill their Nation’s need for additional workers. Their number in direct war production increased from 1.4 million in December 1941 to 4.5 million in December 1942. Estimates indicate that it will rise to 6 million by December 1943. Relative increases in the employment of women are occurring in civilian services and in agricultural production. During 1943, therefore, millions of women are being added to the labor force of the Nation to meet the estimated need for 62.5 million men and women in the total labor force, including the armed forces.
With such a large number of additional women needed it is inevitable that many of them will be mothers of young children with many home responsibilities.
In order to promote the best use of this woman-power and at the same time protect and safeguard normal family life, the War Manpower Commission has set forth the following basic policies:
I.	The first responsibility of women with young children, in war as in peace, is to give suitable care in their own homes to their children.
II.	In order that established family life may not be unnecessarily disrupted, special efforts to secure the employment in industry of women with young children should be deferred until full use has been made of all other sources of labor supply.
III.	Barriers against the employment of women with young children should not be set up by employers. The decision as to gainful employment should in all cases be an individual decision made by the woman herself in the light of the particular conditions prevailing in her home.
IV.	Whenever it is found that women with young children are gainfully employed in essential activities, or that the labor requirements of essential activities have not been met after the exhaustion of all other sources of labor supply and that to meet such requirements, women with young children must be recruited, it is essential that:
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(a) Such women be employed at such hours, on such shifts or on such part-time schedules as will cause the least disruption of their family life; and
(Z>) If any such women are unable to arrange for the satisfactory care of their children at home during their working hours, adequate facilities be provided for the care of their children during working hours. Such facilities should be developed as community projects.
NEEDS FOR WARTIME CHILD CARE
Governmental efforts to recruit women workers will be confined as long as possible to women with no young children. Employers will be encouraged to make plans for part-tiuie work of women with domestic responsibilities which cannot be neglected without serious consequences to themselves and their families. But the need for labor in certain areas has already brought and will bring more women with children into industry. Many mothers are going to work as their husbands enter the armed forces, and still others for various patriotic and economic reasons. All these will add to the child-care problems of communities. But it is in those areas where the concentration of war production and the shortage of labor, together with a lack of housing and transportation facilities, make it necessary to use local women to keep up production that an effective program of services for children of working mothers is most essential.
As war stretches into its second year and other sources of labor supply are exhausted, the proportion of mothers with small children who go to work will increase rapidly. Many mothers will no longer be able to leave their children with relatives and neighbors because they too will be' employed. Those who have heretofore had competent help will find that help going into war industry. For these reasons, communities which up to the present time had no need to provide special facilities may be faced with such needs increasingly, week by week.
Since the future of the community depends upon the welfare of its children it immediately becomes a community responsibility to see that resources are available to provide safe, healthful, and constructive care for these children in the same manner as it has provided public education, public health services, and police protection.
Care of children of employed women does not necessarily involve establishing any new institutions or agencies, it does involve maximum use and often extension or expansion of types of care which have been provided for many years in a number of communities.
In general, the day-care committee will work out a division of responsibility between the departments of education and welfare with other community groups and agencies supplementing these services.
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Part I. Types of Services
FOR PARENTS
Information and Counseling Service.—First of all, in families where the mothers are working, or are considering employment, the parents should have some competent person to whom they can go for advice and help in planning for the care of their children. Many of them do not know what facilities already exist. Not all situations which present themselves will be solved by the simple expedient of placing the child in a nursery school, day care center, or some other type of care already available in the community. In some instances it may be wiser and more economical for mothers not to seek employment or to work only part time. Many parents need help in making their decision regarding employment of the mother and in making plans that will safeguard the health and welfare of their children.
Information and consultation service should be easily accessible. It might be provided, for example, in central or branch offices of the public employment service, schools, civilian war information centers, or other community agencies. Some industrial plants have provided such counselors in their personnel departments. The way in which the service can best be made available must be determined in each community after careful study of local needs and resources. The Children’s Bureau and the U. S. Office of Education have published articles on this subject which are available for local use.1
There are many other aspects of family life which will be affected during the employment of the mother on which parents may need counsel—family feeding, health, recreation, adaptation to unfamiliar localities or living conditions, and other problems in maintaining wholesome home life. Community agencies should plan together to meet these needs arising from wartime employment, each giving service in accordance with its respective function.
FOR CHILDREN
Extended School Services.—By far the larger number of children whose mothers will be engaged in wartime employment will be those
1 Lundberg, Emma O., “Counseling Service in a Day-Care Program.” “The Child” Vol. 7, No. 3, September 1942, Children’s Bureau, Washington, D. C. “Information and Counseling Services in the Extended School Program.” Education for Victory, December 1942,
U. S. Office of Education.
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now in school or old enough to attend kindergarten or nursery schools which, in most communities, can be operated as part of the school systems. Under normal circumstances the activities of children are centered in the home and in the school. When parental supervision and attention are diminished because the mother takes an essential war job it is reasonable to turn to the school to compensate in some measure for what the child lacks at home.
“Extended school services” lengthens the period during which children may use the school, broadens the scope of school services, and provides care and supervision for a larger number of preschool children than usual.
Before and After School Program.—Extension of the period during which the child may use the schools is one of the best and most economical means of giving supervision and care to children between the ages of 5 and 16.
The school takes responsibility for the child’s whereabouts and general welfare while his mother is at work. This does not necessarily involve keeping the child at the school from 7 a. m. to 7 p. m. but it permits him to use the school as the center of his activities and enables the school to use excursions, libraries, group meetings, public recreational facilities, etc., as a part of the total plan to keep the children busy, interested, and under supervision. Extension of school services may include providing breakfast and supper as well as the noon meal. Such a before-and-after-school program provides children with an active life with companions their own age; with space, materials, and opportunities for healthful play; with safeguards for both mental and physical health.
Nursery Schools.—Nursery schools and kindergartens already exist in a number of localities, usually in connection with educational institutions. Most of these schools have in the past operated on a half-day basis, but many of them can adjust their programs to provide full day care services for the children of employed mothers. The nursery school has much to contribute to the young child. It operates under the direction of a teacher trained in the field of nursery school education and child development and experienced in the guidance of children. It offers health supervision, nutritious hot meals, play with companions of the child’s own age, and experiences in music, constructive materials, stories, etc.
Day Care Centers.—Another type of group care, usually operated independently of the schools, is the day-care center. The hours during which the center is open must be adapted to the hours of the mother’s absence from home. Usually, day-care centers are designed to care for children from 2 years (not infants) to 14 years or older. They provide all-day care for preschool age children and before-and-after school care for the school age child when such services are not pro
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vided in connection with the schools. They are particularly valuable for care of children of the same family but in different age groups. Such a center must have the physical facilities and the personnel to provide the care and guidance which the mother would give if she were not employed. Health supervision, nutritious hot meals, recreational facilities, educational development, and individual attention are all essential.
Homemaker Service.—Some children do not adjust well in group activities, some have individual health or behavior problems that require special care. For these children, if their parents work, substitutes must be found for home care that are more adaptable and intimate than group care. One such substitute is supervised homemaker service to provide children with the continuing care and the security which their own homes can afford, and to make it possible for them' to maintain their usual habits of living. Homemakers must be carefully selected and trained for the service which they give. Family welfare, child welfare, or other qualified agencies, as well as schools, should provide training for homemakers. Welfare agencies, in most instances also should provide necessary supervision or direction of their work.
Foster-Family Care.—Day care of children in foster-family homes will serve many needs which cannot be met by other forms of care. It is the most economical outside care for infants under 2. If their mothers must be employed and cannot provide a suitable substitute in their own homes, infants should be placed in carefully selected and supervised foster-family homes. Group care is not suitable because of health hazards and the infant’s need for individual attention?
Foster-family care, particularly suitable for very small children, can also be used for children of all ages. The individual care and homelike atmosphere of a good foster-family home often solves the problem of the preschool child who needs individual attention and children attending school or nursery school who need care or supervision before and after school. Foster-family care is particularly useful when the family lives far away from nursery schools or day care centers.
Foster-family homes should be developed by established social agencies in the community in order to assure careful selection and supervision of the homes, and individualized service to the children, their parents, and the foster parents. In addition, such foster-daycare homes should be licensed and supervised by the appropriate State or local public department.
Services for Special Groups.—The needs of high-school children are often just as vital as those of their younger brothers and sisters. Increased delinquency among children in this age bracket points
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squarely to their need for understanding adult guidance. They need to feel accepted, useful, and secure.
Teen-age boys and girls will shy away from custodial care, but they will respond to opportunities given them—particularly the chance to work in the war effort. Through the Y’s, Scouts, High School Victory Corps, and similar organizations they can be guided to take a constructive part in the community war effort. They can be given the chance to develop new skills and interests through volunteer services in their community. The day care committee should enlist the cooperation of group work agencies to see that high-school children get the guidance they so greatly need.
Provision must be made too for children who become ill or injured. Isolation and care of these children must be provided in connection with all-day school programs, nurseries, and day care centers. Health agencies and Public Health nurses can give invaluable assistance in this. Schools of nursing, medicine, and dentistry may in some areas be able to provide health supervision and periodic examinations of the children. Emergency homemaker service and foster homes can also be used temporarily for children with minor illnesses so that the working mothers schedule will not be interrupted.
STANDARDS
Whatever form of care is developed for the children of working mothers, it is essential that adequate standards be maintained. Children lose a great deal when their family life becomes abnormal; they must be given extra opportunities to help them make up for this loss.
Health supervision and health habit training should be carefully developed. Health supervision of group activities should include physical examinations, immunization against diphtheria and smallpox, daily inspection for evidence of illness and communicable disease, and isolation of sick children for the protection of the group. There should be continuing medical supervision to assure a healthful daily program with attention to good nutrition and proper training in health habits as well as to needs and problems of individual children. Special provision must be made for the adequate care of sick children through special service in the child’s own home, care in foster-family homes, or care in hospitals, infirmaries, or convalescent homes.
Recreational facilities, educational instruction, and physical equipment should conform to standards set by qualified agencies.
Only by a skilled staff, sufficient in number, and qualified physically and personally as well as by training and experience, can an adequate program be administered. The fact that these services are costly, par-
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ticularly for group care of pre-school children, must be considered in planning community child care programs. It must be remembered, also, that the organizations which operate facilities for child care have legal responsibility and liability for the safety and well-being of the children.
The Children’s Bureau of the U. S. Department of Labor and the U. S. Office of Education, after many years of work with children, have developed standards for any type of care which the community would find appropriate. (See the list of publications on pages 22 and 23.) Careful study should be made of these standards by any group planning a program, to assure the best possible care. The responsibility of adapting and amplifying these standards to meet local needs rests with State and local departments of welfare, education, and health, many of which have general responsibilities under State law for the development and enforcement of standards pertaining to the care of children.
ORGANIZATION
Membership of the Committee.—The Defense Council committee for the care of children of working mothers should be representative of local departments of education, health, and welfare; libraries, the U. S. Employment Service, the local housing authority, or directly managed public housing projects, private welfare agencies, employers, labor unions, churches, community groups, parents, and lay citizens. Many of these groups are already organized and giving consideration to many aspects of the care of children. In any community adjacent to war industries where there are Negroes, adequate facilities and programs must be planned for their children. In such planning, the advice of Negroes is essential in interpreting the needs of their own group, and representative Negro leaders should be included in the committee membership.
Ample representation of lay citizens on the committee is essential in order to afford a clear composite picture of the problems involved and to insure integration of the services of the many agencies concerned. In many cases a lay person could act more freely as chairman of the committee than a member of the staff of an operating agency.
Duties of the committee.—The test of a good over-all program for the care of children of working mothers is how well it serves the needs of the local situation.
The child care committee will have to know many facts to determine this: The number of women employed and the number likely to be employed in local industries, the ages, number, and areas of concentration of children for whom mothers are seeking care; how much mothers will pay for the services (this will depend on the wage rates and personal considerations).
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A good committee will include in its membership representatives of the agencies which have the information to determine the extent of the local need. If this-is not the case, it may be necessary to seek this information by such direct methods as: Tabulation of data available from the U. S. Employment Service, social agencies, schools, etc.; questionnaires distributed to industrial plants, labor unions, churches, and schools; house-to-house canvassing with schedules, perhaps through the block organization of the Defense Councils; interviews with people generally familiar with the needs for the care of children of working mothers.
In leaflets issued by the U. S. Office of Education (as listed among the publications on page 22) suggestions are made for determining the needs in the local community and an inquiry form for use by schools is available upon request from that office. The Children’s Bureau has prepared a pamphlet entitled “Suggested Methods of Ascertaining the Need for Day Care of Children of Employed Mothers, Existing Resources and Facilities Required” which is of practical assistance in securing facts. (See also “Factors in Planning Community Day-Care Program,” reprint from The Child, vol. 6, No. 11, May 1942, Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor.)
When there is indication of heed for services for children of working mothers, either through the reports of the War Manpower Commission or requests from working mothers for services for their children, it is the responsibility of the schools and welfare agencies to see that some of these services are provided without waiting to undertake elaborate surveys. Surveys will be useful in determining the extent of the need, but past experience has shown that if a community delays establishing any services until a great need has been demonstrated valuable time will have been lost and children who have needed care will not have obtained it. Furthermore, there is likely to be a lapse of time until all of the resources provided are fully utilized. For these reasons, it is best gradually to establish services as needs are determined and add to facilities and services as time goes on.
Just as a good committee will find most of the information about the extent of need for care of children of working mothers available from its membership, so will members of the same committee be able to furnish information about the community facilities which exist to meet the need. Such information should include: Reports from public officials and analysis of reports of such agencies as the council of social agencies, the departments of education and welfare, the recreation department, the Work Projects Administration, industrial plants, labor organizations, private nursery schools, day nurseries, churches, and the various youth organizations.
When the need has been determined and the existing facilities considered, it is then the job of the committee to put the two together
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and see if local facilities are adequate. The committee working as a consulting, coordinating, and stimulating group should, with the operating agencies, plan methods of extension or expansion of existing services. If there are unmet needs or serious gaps in existing services, agencies which already exist should be urged to take on new functions to provide the needed care. This is particularly true of departments of welfare, education, and recreation. In some small communities, especially, there may be no agencies which can expand or take on new functions. In such instances, it is the duty of the committee to help organize and establish a sound agency with adequate standards to provide services which would not otherwise be provided.
Financing these expanded services of already established or new agencies is no small part of the community problem. The committee has a definite responsibility to help secure funds for thè services which are part of the over-all plan. This can be done through private solicitation, appropriation by the community chest or war chest, appropriation by local government, or by application for State or Federal funds, if local funds are insufficient.
In a few States, statutes prohibit the instruction of children under 5 in the schools. In some States there are no laws requiring that an agency meet minimum standards of health and adequate child egire before they may provide care for children. Inquiry should be made of State departments of health, education, and welfare to determine whether or not State or local statutes need to be changed to insure proper care for the children of working mothers. Local committees, will need to join with the State child care committee in efforts to obtain needed legislation. Bills proposed by the Council of State Governments include one authorizing State departments to promote programs for services for children of working mothers and to receive and expend funds for this purpose and another providing for licensing foster homes and child care centers.2
V olunteers.—Expanded programs will need many new workers to operate them. There are frequently persons in the community who have had professional training and experience in essential aspects of the program. Some such persons may be willing to give volunteer service while others will be drawn into the program on a paid basis. In addition to these persons with professional background, there are capable untrained volunteers who can render valuable service if given a certain amount of training. Among the latter are women eager to volunteer as foster mothers, realizing that this is vital war work.
It is the responsibility of the Child Care Committee or its subcommittee on volunteers to take the initiative in planning for volunteers. In such an undertaking the committee should work closely with the
2 See “Suggested State War Legislation for 1943,” Report No. 2, November 1942, pp. 43 and 45. The Counsel of State Governments, 1313 East Sixtieth Street, Chicago. Ill.
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Volunteer Office, the Training Section, and the executive of the Citizens Service Corps. It is prefrable to have liaison representatives of the Volunteer Office, or the Training Section, or the executive of the Citizens Service Corps present at those meetings which concern them.
The responsibilities of the committee with respect to volunteers may be summed up as follows:
1.	To study the personnel needs of the program for children of working mothers in order to determine which of these needs may be suitably met by volunteers who have professional background, or untrained volunteers.
2.	To aid the Volunteer Office in developing plans for securing the necessary volunteers and organizing special recruiting campaigns where this is indicated.
3.	To determine what kind of training is needed for volunteers in this program and to develop suggestions with respect to _ all needed training, whether it be supplementary training suitable for professional volunteers or basic or special training suitable for untrained volunteers.	"
4.	To develop standards for the use of volunteers in operating agencies including their orientation, training and supervision.
• 5. To produce material to guide agencies in wise use of volunteers.
6.	To arrange for admission of child care volunteers to membership in the Citizens Service Corps.
7.	To encourage the program of the child care unit in the High School Victory Corps, so as to promote the development of young people who can take responsibility for younger brothers or sisters or for community service in this field.
Final selection and direction of volunteers is, of course, carried on in individual agencies to which the volunteers are assigned. Strong leadership by the committee with respect to proper selection, training and supervision of volunteers will greatly affect the success of the volunteer program and will strengthen the hands of the Volunteer Office, the Training Section, and the executive of the Citizens Service Corps in their dealings with individual agencies.
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Part II. Facilities and Resources Available
IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
Schools.—The extent to which school facilities can be extended or expanded for the care of children of working mothers must be ascertained by the committee and the education department. For example, many communities find it relatively easy to extend their program to include before-and-after-school care for the 5- to 14-year age group. School libraries, lunchrooms, auditoriums, gymnasiums, workshops, sewing rooms, art and music rooms, playgrounds, school gardens, etc., should be useful. Perhaps the lunchroom, sewing rooms, or shops can be made available to parents as well, particularly in the evening. Many schools are finding it possible to expand their programs to include all-day care of the pre-school group through establishing or enlarging kindergartens, junior primaries, nursery schools, or play groups.
Social Service Agencies.—Family and child welfare agencies have made resources available—established facilities for family counseling and homemaker service. Children’s institutions may have space which could be used for day-care programs adapted to wartime needs. Childplacing agencies can be called upon to help provide foster-family homes for day care and the necessary supervision of placements.
Churches.—Many churches have facilities that can be utilized in a community child care program for children of working mothers. For example, their buildings can be used to house nursery schools and training courses for volunteers, hot lunches can be prepared in their kitchens, and after-school programs can use their playgrounds.
Industry.—Management of many of the large war industries is seeking practical guidance in how it best can help in providing care for the children of employees. This interest should be particularly helpful, not only with financial assistance in the establishment of community programs, but also in securing assignments of workers to shifts and daily and weekly hours of work which avoid the necessity of completely separating the child from his family and providing care during late evening or night hours. In some instances industries have helped in securing space and equipment for child care services conducted by established local agencies (not at the factory) for the benefit of women employees with children.
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Labor Organizations.—Labor groups have (particularly in large industrial areas) taken aggressive action to insure proper care for the children of working mothers. These groups are usually close to the problems of employed mothers. They can give valuable assistance in the planning and development of a program for the care of their children, and in cooperation with management, in working out of policies for adjusting the hours and shifts on which mothers work.
Youth Groups.—Many of the youth groups, such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Young Men’s and Women’s Christian Associations, Jewish Community Centers, Campfire Girls, Boys Clubs of America, 4-H Clubs, and Future Farmers of America have projects which they can adapt to meet wartime needs of young people. Many of these groups have physical facilities or are able to secure facilities which would be suitable for activities and supervision for these children of working mothers.
Other Com/munity Groups.—Settlements, neighborhood houses, and community centers often have programs and equipment which can be expanded or adapted to these new needs. Service groups, women’s organizations, social and fraternal groups, and veterans and patriotic associations are noted for their efforts to provide special services for the children in their communities. They, too, should be called upon to assist with this problem.
Last of all, and probably among the most important resources, are individudl mothers. In every community there are many mothers who are very eager to be of patriotic service but who, because of domestic responsibilities, are unable to leave their homes. A large number of them will be able to give valuable war service by caring for another child or two while the mother works. Under a carefully worked out plan which assures adequate selection and supervision of homes, they may be asked to offer their services through the block organization or the volunteer office of the Defense Council.
There are many groups and individuals within every community who will be willing to give of their money, time, and skill to help meet this need. The success of any program of services for children of working mothers will depend largely upon the ability of the local community to mobilize and use every available local resource.
OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITY
State.—In almost every State, the State Defense Council has appointed a children’s committee which is concerned with the care of children of working mothers. The membership on this committee should include representatives of State departments of welfare, education, health, and labor, the public employment service, State housing and recreation authorities, and other appropriate public agencies or
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private organizations, including representatives of industry and labor and of civic groups. The membership of this committee serves to bring together for the State as a whole the groups which have factual information which leads to understanding of the problem ; groups which are interested and can help develop the program; and those agencies which are legally responsible for the development and operation of different phases of the program. This type of representation is essential to the development of a well-balanced program in which the resources of all groups are used to the maximum.
State departments of health, labor, education, and welfare are prepared to furnish information and give advice in the development of standards and in specific situations when called upon to do so by State or local committees. State departments of education and welfare may be able to assign staff for planning, administrative and consultative service to the State committee and to local communities in developing their local programs. Some State Defense Councils have field staff personnel who can give valuable assistance to the local Defense Councils in setting up representative committees.
Federal.—The regional offices of the Office of Civilian Defense will provide communities with advice and counsel on the organization of committees on servicés for children of working mothers. Local Defense Councils wishing this assistance should route such requests through the State Defense Council. The Officè of Defense Health and Welfare Services has set up a special division to coordinate the activities and interests of the various Federal agencies in the field of services to children of working mothers and to facilitate the development of comprehensive State and local programs. The Children’s Bureau and the United States Office of Education provide information and guidance, and their regional staffs have been assigned to work with the States and through the States with local communities in promoting and planning the programs. In many areas of war production the commanding officers of the Army and Navy are taking an active part in stimulating the organization of community child care services.
National Organizations.—There are many private national organizations which are keenly interested and eager to be of service. Some of them have local units which will frequently be represented through membership on State and local committees planning services for children of working mothers. Their suggestions and help ought to be secured as a part of the over-all community plan. National organizations which can be particularly helpful either through their local units or national headquarters include:
American Public Welfare Association, 1313 East Sixtieth Street, Chicago, Ill.
American Red Cross, Washington, D. C.
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Association for Childhood Education, 1201 Sixteenth Street, NW., Washington, D. C.
Child Welfare League of America, 130 East Twenty-second Street, New York, N. Y.
Family Welfare Association of America, 120 East Twenty-second Street, New York, N. Y.
National Association for Nursery Education, 66 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y.
National Commission for Young Children, 3314 Cathedral Avenue, NW., Washington, D. C.
National Congress of Parents and Teachers, 600 South Michigan Boulevard, Chicago, Ill.
Play Schools Association, 1841 Broadway, New York, N. Y.
Progressive Education Association, 221 West Fifty-seventh Street, New York, N. Y.
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Part HI. Federal Financial Assistance
Many communities will find it possible to develop their programs with facilities and services available through local agencies and groups and financed by fees collected from the parents, voluntary contributions, Community Chests, departments of local government, and the like. When adequate services for children of working mothers cannot be provided with local and State funds, financial assistance is available through the following Federal agencies:
Office of Defense Health and 'Welfare Services.—The Office of Defense Health and Welfare Services has been designated as the agency responsible for the integration and coordination of a program concerned with the care of children of working mothers and relating this program to manpower needs. The basic objective of the program is to stimulate and assist State and local agencies to recognize and exercise responsibility for planning, developing, and administering programs to meet child care needs incident to wartime employment of women. For this purpose Federal funds are made available to State departments of welfare on applications approved by the Children’s Bureau and to State departments of education on applications approved by the Office of Education for the purpose of providing planning, administrative, supervisory and consultative services required in the State offices and in critical local areas.
Federal Public Housing Authority.—The Federal Public Housing Authority will provide space and equipment for day care centers for the care of young children of employed mothers living in war public housing projects when such facilities do not exist in the community or are not available or accessible to the projects.
The over-all administrative control of such child care centers will rest with the managers of the public housing projects. However, operation of these centers will be under the professional leadership and professional supervision of such local agencies which are authorized and qualified to operate child care programs.
Federal Worhs Agency.—(Public Law 137—77tli Cong.) Lanham Act provides for Federal funds to communities for War Public Works and War Public Services.
As of April 17, 1943, 52,336 children in war affected communities had been provided for in 1,087 war nurseries for children of pre
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school age and child-care centers for children of school age. These nurseries and centers are in such communities as: Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; San Diego and Los Angeles, Calif.; New Haven and Bridgeport, Conn.; District of Columbia; Des Moines, Iowa; Baltimore, Md.; Detroit, Mich.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Kansas City, Mo.; Schenectady, N. Y.; Wilmington, N. C.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Portland, Oreg.; Providence, R. I.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Seattle, Tacoma, and Bremerton, Wash. The program was expanding rapidly and applications were pending which would provide care for additional thousands of children.
The Federal Works Agency’s child-care program requires that a substantial part of the operating cost be paid by sponsors’ contributions and fees charged the mothers of the children cared for. It is the agency’s view that this three-way sharing of cost realistically recognizes the stake of the three parties to the transaction—parents, community, and Nation.
Applications may be made for Lanham Act funds for group services for children from 2 to 14 years old. All applications should include a statement with supporting data showing the war needs for the activities for which funds are requested and corroboration obtained from employers. Before funds are granted, a certificate of need is required from other Federal agencies, more especially from the United States Office of Education. The project should be part of an over-all community plan.
It is possible for any public agency or nonprofit private agency, especially county or city departments of education, school districts, and county or city departments of public welfare to make application for Lanham funds, through the regional and subregional offices of FWA. These offices are located in New York, N. Y.; Richmond, Va.; Atlanta, Ga.-; Chicago, Ill.; Fort Worth, Tex.; St. Paul, Minn.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Boston, Mass.; Washington, D. C.; Seattle, Wash.; and Los Angeles, Calif.
The applicant is responsible for the selection of children to whom the services shall be given. It is well understood, however, that services should be limited to children of working mothers.
Social Security Act Funds.—If not otherwise allocated, funds available for child welfare services in areas of special need, under Title V of the Social Security« Act, may be used for professional personnel to give advisory service in the development of programs for children of working mothers. The use of these funds is determined by the State department of public welfare, in plans developed jointly by the State department and the Children’s Bureau of the U. S. Department of Labor.
Food Distribution Administration.—Under a .new local purchase plan, the Food Distribution Administration partially reimburses spon
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sors of nonprofit child feeding programs for the purchase price of specified commodities for lunches. Centers which care for children of working mothers are eligible for this assistance and should make application to the State Office of the Food Distribution Administration. This Federal agency is expanding its program for day care centers in order to meet the special nutritional needs of children in wartime.
Farm Security Administration.—The Farm Security Administration of the U. S. Department of Agriculture has had funds available for nursery school facilities as part of the establishment of camps for migratory agricultural workers. These nursery schools may be used by all familie sneeding this service in the community, as well as by the residents of the camp itself.
Local Community Responsibility
The most important thing to remember in the operation of any program for the care of children is that the people within a given community are the ones who will actually have to provide the services. It is therefore essential that the local child care committee of the Defense Council have among its members those who represent the local point of view and whose leadership guarantees complete community support. Communities vary too much in terms of needs, resources, leadership, personnel, laws, etc., for an outsider to plan the complete program. State and Federal consultants can assist, advise, and help local communities but actual planning and operation of the program are essentially local responsibilities.
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Publications Recommended for Further Reading
Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor, Washington, D. C.
Children Bear the Promise of a Better World—Are You Safeguarding Those Whose Mothers Work? (Defense of Children Series No. 2), price $3 per hundred.
Food for Young Children in Group Care, by Miriam E. Lowenberg, 1942; Pub. No. 285.
Home Play and Play Equipment for the Pre-school Child; Pub. No. 238; price 10 cents.
Standards for Day Care of Children of Working Mothers, 1942; Pub. No. 284; 20 pp.
Suggested Methods of Determining Need for Day Care of Children with Mothers Employed in Defense Areas, Existing Resources, and Facilities Required, 1942 (Questionnaire and Schedules).
The Road to Good Nutrition, 1942; Pub. No. 270; 54 pp.
The Child (monthly publication) : “Community Program of Day Care for
Children of Mothers Employed in Defense Areas.” The Child, vol. 6, no. 7, Jan. 1942, by Emma O. Lundberg; reprints available.
“Counseling Service in a Day Care Program,” The Child, vol. 7, no. 3, Sept. 1942, by Emma O. Lundberg; reprints available.
“Factors in Planning Community Day-Care Programs,” The Child, vol. 6, no. 11, May 1942, by Emma O. Lundberg; reprints available.
Office of Civilian Defense Washington, D. C.
The Block Plan of Organization for Civilian War Services, 1942; OCD Pub. 3604; 12 pp.
The United States Citizens Service Corps, 1942; OCD Pub. 3601; 39 pp.
The United States Junior Citizens Service Corps; OCD Pub. 3623
Volunteers in Child Care, 1942; OCD Pub. 3618; 12 pp.
U. S. Office of Education, Federal Security Agency, Washington, D. C.
All-day School Programs for Children of Working Mothers, 1942 (School Children and the War Series, Leaflet No. 2).
Education for Victory (semi-monthly publication) :
“All-day School Programs for Children of Working Mothers: Services to Help States Meet Needs,” vol. 1, no. 16, Oct. 15, 1942.
“Extended School Services for Children of Working Mothers,” vol. 1, no. 14, Sept. 15, 1942.
“Extended School Services for Children of Working Mothers: Education’s Part in Child Care Program,” vol. 1, no. 18, Nov. 16. 1942.
“Information and Counseling Services in the Extended School Program,” vol. 1, no. 19, Dec. 1, 1942.
Feeding Children at School When Mothers Are in Wartime Employment, 1942 (School Children and the War Series, Leaflet No. 4) ; in press.
High School Victory Corps, 1942; pamphlet, 32 pp.
Nursery Schools, Their Development and Current Practices, by Mary Dabney Davis, 1932 (Bulletin No. 9) ; price 15 cents.
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Nursery Schools Are Vital to America’s War Effort, 1942 (School Children and the War Series, Leaflet No. 3).
School Lunches and Education, 1942; Circular No. 202 ; 22 pp.; price 5 cents.
School Services for Children of Working Mothers, 1942 (School Children and the War Series, Leaflet No. 1).
Miscellaneous
Children’s Centers, A Guide for Those Who Care For and About Young Children, 1942; issued by National Com
mission for Young Children; edited by Rose H. Alschuler; William Mot-row & Co., publishers, New York, N. Y. $1.50 cloth, $1.00 paper (special prices in quantity).
Guide to the Development of Children’s Day Care Units in Wartime, 1942; issued by National Association of Day Nurseries, Inc., New York, N. Y.
Health, Welfare, and Related Aspects of Community War Services, Federal Security Agency, Office of Defense Health and Welfare Services, revised Oct. 1942; pamphlet, 15 pp.
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Amended Executive Order of the President of the United States No. 8757 of May 20, 1941
Establishing the Office of Civilian Defense
“ * * * There is established within the Office for Emergency Management of the Executive Office of the President the Office of Civilian Defense, at the head of which shall be a Director appointed by the President.
“The Director * * * shall:
“ * * * Keep informed of problems which arise in States and local communities from the impact of the industrial and military efforts required by war, and take steps to secure the cooperation of appropriate Federal agencies in dealing with such problems and in meeting the emergency needs of such States and communities in such a manner as to promote the war effort.
“ * * * Consider proposals, suggest plans, and promote activities designed to mobilize a maximum civilian effort in the prosecution of the war, and provide opportunities for constructive civilian participation in the war program; assist other Federal agencies in carrying out their war programs by mobilizing and making available to such agencies the services of the civilian population; review and approve all civilian defense programs of Federal agencies involving the use of volunteer services so as to assure unity and balance in the application of such programs; and assist State and local defense councils or other agencies in the organization of volunteer service units and in the mobilization of community resources for the purpose of dealing with community problems arising from the war. * * * ”
U. Í. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1943