Evening star., 1926-10-05
BUREAU|NDORSES
HOME CHILD CARE
Better Than Institutions for
Dependents, Says Fed
eraI Report.

''mothers' pension" law going into ef
feet here with the appointment OF
Miss Emma L. Davies, a well known
veteran social worker Of Maryland. as
supervisor comes the Endorsement by
the Children's Bureau that home care
for dependent children is better and
cheaper than institutional care.
1t is interesting to note. however
from the Children's Bureau report
that in Maryland, where Miss Davies
had IL years experience in active
family case work. child placing and
Juvenile court work, including activ
tiles in administration of aid under
the mothers assistance law, except In
two counties, the mothers aid legis
iation has become imperative because
Of defects
In view of the persistent effort in
Congress to impose upon the District
of Columbia the so-called New York
plan" of administra ton which called
for administration of mothers aid by
a separate board distinct from the
Board Of Public Welfare, instead of
the District plan, worked out by local
social workers and humanitarianS, to
consolidate all social welfare work un
der one board. the Children's Bureau
report on the New York experience Is
pertinent.
Cost in Various States.
This shows that. aside from the
moot question Of whether administr-a'
ton by a distinct board or under CO.
ordinated social welfare is preferable,
nat ,-oc,,1f hoo haov, dnCtdo6lv An
favor of the principle of child aid in
their own homes. New York's expe-
rtence showed that 1t cost $2S.40 a
month to care for child in an insti.
tuition, as compared with SIS month
in his own home. This shows that
the mother Is q better economist than
the institution management, accord
ing to the bureau, which estimated
that there are 35O,00O or 100000 de-
pendent children in this country.
"Forty-two States" said the bu
reau, now have mothers pension
laws providing for aid to children in
their own homes, and 10000 children
are at any one date receiving such
aid, but the total number Of children
who need such help is probably close
to 35O,000 or 100000.
1.-THE extent to which available ap-
proprtations meet the need varies
greatly from State to State. as is in
dicated by differences in ratios Of chill
dren added to general population.
New York, Nevada. California. Mas.
s,achusetts, Wisconsin, Montana. Min.
nesota. New Jersey. Delaware. Maine
and North Dakota were at the top
Of the list, in the order named, re-
porting aid given to more than 200
children per 100000 Of the total popu
lation.
Other States Listed.
South Dakota, Oregon, Idaho,
Wyoming, Iowa, Colorado. Connecti-
cut, Michigan, Utah. New Hampshire,
Pennsylvania, Illinois. Arizona and
Ohio reported ratios of 100 to 200 per
100000 Of their population. Okla
homa, Washington. Nebraska. Kan
sas. Missouri, Florida, West Virginia
and Vermont had ratios ranging from
81 to 95. Arkansas. Indiana, Texas
Tennessee and Virginia reported less
than 20 children aided per 10000 of
their populations, the figures for the
last three States almost reaching the
vanishing point.
In several States practically no use
has been made of the law, and in
many States where excellent work
has been done in some localities the
law has been ignored in other. Even
in the States reporting the highest APP
propriations. however. the possibilities
of constructive application of the aid
have by no means reached their limit.
The chief problem at the present time
IS not to obtain new State legislation
or amendment TO existing laws, but to
obtain appropriations and to raise the
standards Of administration so that
the laws may mean something to the
children they were intended to
benefit.
First Mothers Aid Laws.
1.-The first mothers aid laws were
passed in Missouri and Illinois in 1911
The early laws tended to restrict aid
to widows; now some States permit
aid to be granted to any mother with
dependent children and some permit
other relatives to receive aid if they
are caring for needy children.
''Six States give aid to expectant
mothers. Colorado also gives aid tC
fathers with dependent children.
THE amount of aid allowed per
child has tended to increase. though
20 States place a maximum of $39 or
less a month on the amount that may
he paid to a family with three chill
dren. The tendency in the most re-
cent laws is to place no specific limit
in the law itself. but to vest in pub
lie child welfare agency the response
bility for investigating applications
for deciding the amount of aid needed
and for supervising expenditures
Such agencies usually adopt a scien
tiflcaily worked out budget for the
family which applies for aid and at
tempt to pay for whatever the budget
calls"