Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-12-05
Commissioners STUDY
Lowering Of Rates in
Child Care Centers

Inc commissioners are expected
to determine within 10 days whether
they have the authority to reduce
rates for public child care service
from a maximum 'of So to So q
week, 1t was learned yesterday.
Establishment in the District of
these new rates, recommended ma
tionally by the Federal Works
Agency. is being held up by legis-
lation establishing fees here ION q
sliding scale according to the par
ents' ability to pay" The Commits
sioners are expected to consult with
school heads, recreation personnel
and Corporation Counsel Keech be-
fore they decide If the policy of
fees can be modified in accordance
with the FWA recommendations.
Employees of the day care office
at 472 Indiana avenue NV. were
uncertain" whether lower rates
would do much to speed up enroll
ment in the II centers now open,
they said yesterday. All the white
centers but one are full. Enroll
ment in the colored centers, how
ever. has been very slow. Since
families with low income are now
permitted to pay 50 week or lower
for the service, personnel OF the day
care ONCE doubt that the new rate
would make much difference to
them.
May Increase AlI0tments.
THE rate will just be lower for
the people who can afford to pay
much more" it was explained.
Brig Gen. Philip B. Fleming, Fed
eral Works Administrator, has set
a ceiling of SO week COR so cents
day. in an effort to make nurseries
available to more children of serv-
icemen. His office expects demand
for day care to increase sharply as
more fathers are drafted To enable
communities to lower their rates,
Gen. Fleming has indicated his
agency may in some cases increase
its allotment Of Lanham Act funds
for nurseries.
Despite the unusually high rates
charged here, a recent audit re-
vealed that District nurseries in the
first months Of operation met only
about 30 per cent of cost. This failure
to meet the quota has been ex-
planned by Miss Dorothy Pearse, day
care director, as due to lack of mu-
nicipal support of the venture. In
many other communities officers
have been able to depend on city
contributions AS we'll as fees paid by
parents, she said.
10 New Centers Planned.
Whether the rates are lowered or
kept the same, service offered by
the nurseries will remain the same.
officials said. Nursery centers offer
IL hours of care, hot lunch and
two midmeal "snacks" Day care
centers offer preschool and after
school care for youngsters years
old and over.
About 10 more centers are sched-
uled to be opened by the day care
office eventually, with Lanham Act
aid. Two white centers and one COL
ored center are expected to open
within six weeks. In preparation for
these additional openings, the day
care Office had prepared and submit
ted to the Commissioners a new slid
ing scale with maximum of IS so a
week and a minimum of $3.50 a
week Raising the cost for those in
the lower income brackets and low
ering it for those in the upper
brackets, this new scale would have
Melted the schools about the same
amount of fees as the present scale.
The Commissioners were consid-
ering this when FWA made its rec
concentrations of a maximum 50
fee