Evening star., 1945-08-24
Parents Push
Fight TO Retain
Nur5erySehoo|s
Group Stresses Use
Of Centers by Wives
Of Servicemen

Reports from working mother
utilizing % nursery schools anc
child care centers in the Distric
show a need for continuing thu
present facilities for at least severa
months, parents committee as.
serted today.
More than so per cent of the
mothers are married to servicemer
now on duty outside Washington
and large percentage of them are
Government employees. Mrs. Clyde
Hunt. 129 Carroll street Sc, acting
chairman of the parents committee
for continuation of the centers
said.
Meanwhile, meetings were being
scheduled here and in Alexandria tc
protest the closing of the nursery
schools.
Service Wives Protest.
SerVicemenS wives using the CEN
terS have told the committee some
Of their husbands have been killed
some are in armies of occupation,
tsome are in hospitals and dom
know when they will get out.
All the mothers have received a
QUESTIONABLE from the Board of
Education asking about job expect
ancy and the status of their hus-
bands. Results are expected to be
tabulated Monday.
The American Legion entered the
campaign for continuing the centers
which face the loss of Federal funds
by October 81, with the plea that
the wives of servicemen have a right
to work until their husbands come
home so that their savings will help
veterans make start in civilian life.
The Executive Committee of the
District Department of the Legion
passed a resolution last night au-
thorizing Department Comdr. Her
bert j. jacob to confer with authori-
ties on ways of continuing the pro-
gram. The resolution was offered
by Thomas A. Costello, head of the
Costello Post.
Mothers Meet Tonight.
A steering committee of mothers
will meet tonight at the Friendship
House, GIG D street Sc, to plan
action. Mothers from the Districts
% centers were asked at a meeting
last night to call their groups to-
gether to elect delegates to a Dis
trict-wide organization.
Mrs. Hunt said the first step
would be to investigate the legal
basis for the F'WA order cutting off
Lanham Act funds now supporting
the centers. The mothers feel the
war emergency continues to exist.
she explained. The end of hostili-
ties, she added, has not abrogated
all war measures.
Mrs. Hunt said if no funds can be
obtained from the FWA her group
will ask for an appropriation
through the District Commission
erS.
A mass meeting to protest against
closing the five nursery schools in
Alexandria will be held at pm
Monday in the Virginia Public Serv-
ice Auditorium, 1T South Washing
ton street, Mrs. Gladys Valtair of
1900 Abingdon drive, Alexandria, |
announced.
Seek Councils Support.
Mrs. Valtair was elected tempo
rary chairman of a new committee
for continuation of the Alexandria
nurseries at a meeting last night.
Representative were appointed to.
attend the City Council meeting
Tuesday to ask its support.
The committee intends to ask for
inclusion of the nurseries in the
public school system, subject to the
approval of the mass meeting. 1T
contends that the program could be
operated at less expense than at
present. T. C. Williams, superin-
tendent of schools. said the cost was
$50 per child per month and he did
not believe the schools could under
take the project.