Evening star., 1935-02-03

organized in Al States. Delaware alone
has remained unconvinced.
This branch Of the F. E. r. A. realizes
that the Federal money which is now
partially supporting this scheme of
building up and taking care Of both
white and colored children of unem-
ployed families will not continue to
flow their way forever. Consequently,
they are working full speed ahead to
improve the schools and make them a
necessary part of every States educa-
tional plan.
DR.. Langdon in Charge.
DR.. Grace Langdon. specialist in
children's education. who spends half
the week here as the head Of the
Emergency Nursery Schools and goes
back to New York for the balance OF
the week, to lecture at Columbia Uni
versity and run business Of her own
says the three major criticisms gen.
orally leveled at the nursery schools
can be logically answered.
The first censure is that 1t takes
three people working full time to take
care of the 80 children, which is the
outside capacity of each school.
Actually. there are four people en-
gagged, a teacher and her assistant.
working full time. and a nurse and a
cook, working half time. Dr. Langdon
explains to those who think this is too
many that the teachers are not only
busy taking care of the children them
selves, but they contact their parents
and the families The dual object Of
the nursery schools is to educate both
children and parents.
Point to Responsibilities.
The second criticism is that these
schools relieve parents Of their rightful
and natural responsibility. DR.. Lang
don answers this by telling how the
| teachers often are able to show the
parents what their responsibilities are,
how to meet them and, in many cases,
open their eyes to the potential useful
ness of local clinics and recreation
| centers.
The third objection seems to be that
the children are kept away from home
and their mothers for too many hours
day. This is answered by DR.. Lang
don. who says the knowledge Of how
to take care of a child is not born
with the child and from the stand
point of mental hygiene it is not good,
either for the child or the mother. to
be together the "a hours Of the day
Besides, asks DR.. Langdon, what par
ent actually does spend "a hours with
a child? Part of the time it is out
in the street or in the yard, playing
by itself or with other children. In a
nursery school it gets the benefit Of
impersonal guidance of both in play
ing and study.
Only Unemployed Eligible.
There is one thing about these
schools which is curiously unfair
Only the children of needy and unem-
ployed parents are allowed to attend
the schools. In many States there is
no provision for children Of parents
who have jobs and for whom such
pre-school training might be of great
value.
This is the present set-up, f1nan'
cially. of the Emergency Nursery
Schools. The teaching staff is paid by
the F. E. r. A, the food costs are
carried from State relief funds anc
the materials and labor for remodeline
buildings and making equipment i
paid for by the States works divisions
From the beginning these schools have
been under the jurisdiction of tht
States. That is, if community want:
to start a nursery school, it applies tt
the local superintendent of the public
school system. He, in turn, goes tt
the State superintendent of public in