The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-01-30
Town Making Special Eff
forts to Care for Its
Needy Children
REGULAR MEDICAL
INSPECTION MADE
Cases Not Able to Pay for Care or
Operations Are Helped BY Red Cross
Work Growing Rapidly Through
out Vermont-A Children's Co3c.

BURLINGTON, Jan. 30.-Miss L. Je- |
sephine Webster, secretary of the Yer
mont Childrens Aid society, with head
quarters in this city, announces that the
children's welfare work is growing rapid
ly in the state and that more and more
interest is being taken throughout every
section of Vermont The town of Wind
sor, especially, is making great efforts
to take care of the needy children in that
county, and is just beginning the opera
ton of a new plan for the correction
Of defects in school children
: In Windsor, the regular medical in
spection of schools is done by the dis
trict health officer, as early as possible
after the schools open. When this in
7pection is completed, the individual
health cards are turned over to the COM
mercial class of the high school and the
report cards are filled out and mailed
to the parents. The members of the
commercial class also make out enough
| lists of the defective children to supply
| all of the physicians, dentists, the dis
| trict nurse and the school board
Each child is given free preliminary
examination by the family physician or
dentist. As the pupil is examined and
treatment begun. the name Of the pupil
is crossed off the defective list and re-
ported to the district nurse At the end
IF two months, all of these defective lists
are turned in to the district nurse who
then makes a personal call on all parents
who have not sent their children to
| their physician or dentist
Cases requiring treatment or opera
ton, and not financially able to pay, are
cared for by the Red Cross or the / wn.
In all cases where it is possible the
eases are treated by the local physicians
| )r dentists
In all schools, physical exercises are
i a part Of the curriculum and a special
| teacher is assigned to this work Daily
] talks on cleanliness and personal hy-
gicnc are given by each teacher in each
grade eff school. Suitable banners are
paid by the large and small pupils for
which they compete in the matters of
cleanliness. physical hygiene and weight
| The awards of these banners are made
! by the district nurse with the assistance
ii the teachers, and the banners are held
by these grades until, in the Judgment
81 the district nurse, some other grade
excels
Measuring and weighing scales have
been placed in the schools and a record
is made each month Of the height and
weight of the pupils.
These innovations which are being put
! into operation at Windsor are along the
| line Of the recommendations made at the
recent Washington conference o. the
| leaders in child welfare work i'll the
| eastern division of the United States.
| which was attended by Miss Webster
| who hopes to put into practice through
out Vermont some of the improvements
recommended Among these are: More
preventative measures for keeping homes
together and dealing with the causes OF
wrecked homes and needy children; more
characterization of child welfare work
enlisting the whole public in the work
instead of having it confined to an in
terested group.
A movement is on foot in the country
also, toward instituting children's code
which would unity and improve the laws
for children, bringing better relationship
between the public state departments and
private agencies, and Incorporation and
inspection of private childrens organiza
ton by the state. This is already in OPP
ration in Vermont. Another move is
The development of local units for adj
ministration of child welfare work, the
county unit being the most successful
Then there are movements on foot for
statewide juvenile courts; registration
and supervision of children of illegiti-
nate birth, leading to state guardian
ship of such children; also medical in