Evening star., 1947-05-16
By Miriom Gutenberg

Last fall, mothers who sent their
children to the Highland Nursery
School in the far Southeast area
were protesting bitterly because the
school had been dropped from the
Districts public day-care system.
Today, the center is still in opera
tion-run on a cooperative basis
with the same staff, the same ia
cilities. the same menus, but with
more children.
While the Highland project is the
only all-day cooperative center, 1t
is not the only case where parents
are helping each other for the COM
bined good of their children.
Others Flourish. .,a
FlourisaiingS Ia widely scattered
sections of the city are morning play
groups, where the mothers devote
day a week to helping out one or
more paid teachers.
Typical of these cooperative CEN
tiers are the Georgetown Cooper
ative Nursery, housed in the Jackson
School, and the Trenton Terrace
Nursery School, which occupies an
apartment in the Trenton Terrace
housing development in Southeast.
Unlike the Highland Nursery
School, which takes the children OF
both working and nonworking
mothers, the other cooperative play
groups cannot accept working moth
ers because the mothers must as
sist in the nursery and the centers
operate only half a day.
The Highland center, which ac-
cepts children from 2 to 8 years
old, shares a building with a recrea-
ton hall in the National Capital
Housing Authority project.
Trained Staff Retained.
Mrs. Wyolene Fischel, director of
the center under both District and
cooperative management, said that,
after the center was cut of from
District funds, she proposed ex-
changing the trained staff for less
expensive help to give the children
simply custodial care while their
mothers worked. 1t would have been
less expensive, but the parents
vetoed the idea of giving their chill
dren less than the best care.
Highland was dropped from the
public day-care system because the
average income of the parents was
higher there than at some OF the
other public centess. Mrs. Fischel
estimated that, when the center was
under the District and parents paid
according to income, the average
per child was about So
week. Public day-care officials es-
innate the average paid In otner
centers is 81.
Mrs. Fischel said sthe parents IN
the area now prefer the co-opera-
tive because it is better suited to
the needs of the community. The
center is no longer limited to all
day care of children Of working
mothers and those with acute hard
ships in their homes. OF the 80
children now in the school, 20 are
the children of working mothers
and some of the children spend only
half day at the center.
$40 for First Child.
Although the center had to raise
its charges to make up Tor the loss
of the District subsidy Mrs. Fischer
said none of the children dropped
out. In fact, the enrolment has
more than doubled.
Parents now pay $40 a week for
the first child. For more than one
child, the rates vary according to
income, ranging from $12.50 to SIG.
Children who attend during the
morning only are charged IS, and If
they stay for lunch, the charge is
$3.50.
The rent is free, but Mrs. Fischel
estimated the outgo each week for
salaries, food and milk comes to
about $500. This includes salaries
for Mrs. Fischel, full-time teacher,
a part-time teacher, cook and maid.
Mothers do not work in the High
land center.
The weekly income is $240. The
school has been able to bank about
$500 as a sinking fund. The director
said if any money is left over after
the sinking fund reaches respec-i
table size, 1t will be divided among
the parents.
The center is very much neigh
borhood affair. Its advisory board
includes the manager of the hosis-
ing project, the principal of the
Congress Heights School. two par
ents who live in the housing project
and two parents who live elsewhere
in -eiohborh cod.
at nursery schools like TrentonI
Terrace ana Georgetown, the en-
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