Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1911-12-16
TO ESTABLISH
DAY NURSERY
Woman's Club Working With
that End in view--Much
Money Already Raised.
WHAT NURSERY MEANS
Furnishes Place for Women
With Family to Support to
Leave Their Children.
WHAT NURSERY MEANS

MIN FdmIly 10 support 10
Leave Their Children.
Much good is expected to be ac-
complished in this city by the estab-
lishment of day nursery. The
Woman's Club took up the matter
early In the fall and have been meet
ing with their usual success. Day
nurseries are doing great work in
many cities and the ladies believe
that nowhere is there greater work
to be done along this line than in
Perth Amboy. The object OF the in
stitution Is to furnish place where
women, by paying Ave cents a day,
can leave. their children In competent
hands to be cared for while they go
out to work. Many women are left
widows with large families to sup
port. They are sometimes prevents
ed from earning money by the care
of the children. The day nursery
solves this problem for the women
and enables them to become self
supporting and keep their homes to-
getiier. This has an indirect bear
Ing on the city at large for 1t doubt
less keeps families from appealing
to the poor fund; at the same time
1t saves the woman's pride; for no
one, no matter how poor, likes to be
known as a pauper.
The work of establishing the day
nursery here Is being done under
the direction OF the civics and soci-
ology department OF the Woman g
Club. Already $488 has been Sc
cured toward the necessary amount
for starting the institution here. OF
this, 800 has been contributed by
Adrian Lyon. The rest OF the amount
has been raised by contributions
made by members of the Woman's
Club. An appeal Is now being made
to the public. Letters are being
sent to the many industries explain
ing the work with the hope OF re-
ceiving substantial support. When
1t Is realized that the husbands of
many or the women who have been
left widows with many small chill
dren to support, formerly worked in
the local plants and met their death
while In the performance of their
duties, 1t Is reasonable to suppose
that the factories will be interested
In rendering some aid toward
movement that will make the widows
of these men self-supporting.
1t is believed that $1,000 will
start the day nursery end that it can
be maintained for $500 annualIy
The women in charge of the work
have visited several day nurseries In
nefghboring cities to see how they
are conducted. They have a woman
in view for the matron to be in
charge. They are now looking about
in the northern section OF the city to
get a suitable house. 1t must be a
fairly large house. with furnace In
the cellar and containing bath
room. II the women meet with the
success that they expect, they intend
to have the nursery opened early
next year.
Just what q day nursery stands
for Is set forth In a booklet publish
ed by the Federation OF Day Nur-
series which says:
THE day nursery stands first, for
the preservation and maintenance of
the home. The average cost per
child OF its care In the nursery has
been estimated on a conservative
basis at twenty-eight cents per day.
In this estimate the running ex-
penses only are included. Every
twenty-five cents expended BY the
nursery for the child enables the
mother to earn one dollar. The pro
portion represented in the care the
child receives is five cents; the re-
naming ninety-five cents she can APP
ply toward the maintenance of the
home. What this expenditure on
the part of the nursery means in
every way from the first six months
OF babyhood to seven years OF age,
when the child enters the public
school, has never been written, and
cannot be estimated In dollars and
cents 1t means from the first pro-
per food, bathing, sleep, regularity
in methods and management and
the service of trained workers in
every department Later it means
the conduct Of work and play under
kindergarten methods and the for
nation Of habits of order, cleanli-
ness, courtesy and obedience-which
are to form the basis of success in
the field of after life. Nursery chill
dren always stand well In the compe-
tition Of the public school These
habits revolutionize, in many in
stances, the methods of the home it.
self and influence 1t always
In discussing the influence the
nursery has on the child, the booklet
says:
s.The influence Of the day nursery
on the child cannot be over-estimat-
ed. The whole point of view re-
spectfng life Is changed. Before adj
mission, fife TO him is nothing but
arising. eating when possible. any
where, anyhow. An occasional wash,
al occasional change OF clothes,
many blows and much scolding
such Is the average life Of the child
of the tenements, But as soon ais he
is enrolled on the nursery register,
reform begins. His mother must
bring him clean In the first place,
and her primitive methods are sup
plemented by the skilled services of
competent nurses; gradually the
child desires cleanliness for its own
sake CT account VI iisv eona5orI. in
vofyed.
Then he is regularly and suitably