UNITED STATESDEPARTMENTOF THE RIOR Ray Lyman Wilbur,Secretary OFFICE OF-iDUCATION William JohnCooper,Commitsvoner NURSERYSCHOOLS THEIRDEVELOPMENTAND ar CURRENTPRACTICES in theUNITEDSTATES By MARY DABNEYDAVIS Senior Specialist inNursery-Kindergarten-PrimaryEducation WITH THE COLLABORATIONOF ROWNA HANSEN Junks-Specialist ln Kinder: Education 4 41. BULLETIN,1932, No.9 416 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTINGOFFICE WASHINGTON:1933 -v ;pc sale bythe Superintendentof Documents,.Washington, D. C.- Price 15mots CONTENTS Page LETTEROF TRANSMITTAL . OD V INTRODUCTION Wo m I M 1 SECTION I *WHATIS NURSERY-SCHOOLEDUCATION? 5 The nursery-schoolday _ _ _ __ _ 1- ............._____ 5 .* Parent participation 10 Records andreports 7/ J. 12 Research innursery education 14 Objectives ofnursery-schooleducation 16 SECTION II ASURVEY OF THE ORGANIZATIONAND OPERATIONOF X4NURSERYSCHOOLS.. 19 A summaryof thesurvey 19 Control___ ...... 20 Purposes fororganization . 20 ,. Enrollments _ 21 , Length ofprogram 21 The staff 22 Scope of thesurvey does o .. AND MO MA IM Am AM om dO 22 -10 Location of nurseryschools 22 Dates of estabLihmControl , nt 2,5 Controlofnursery: hools lb Colleges and AM universities_.. _ _ . _ ... I. 26 Private schools IM. SI ID fa 27 Philanthropicorganizations_ , , 28 State andcity public-schoolsystems 29 Whynursery schoolsare organized 30 Enrollments andages of the children _______________._ _ _ ______._ 31 Continuity ofschoolexperience . 35 . Length of the nursery-schoolprogram . 36 The schoolyear___ . 36 The schoolweek do , . 36 : The schoolday_. 38 Teaching and consultation staffs, 40 Professional b preparation of theteaching stair_ 40 Personnel ofthe consultatiot staff .."6 42 Sources ofconsultationservice 44 Financialsupport_ Mw 45 Sources of . income 2 45 Tuitions_.. 46 Annual cost figures for 1.1nursery schools . _ 47 IV CONTENTS 47 SECTION III Page ORGANI1 kTIOk ANDADMINISTRATIONOF FIVEREPRESENTATIVENURSERY SCHOOLS 51 A schoplorganized chiefly for theeducation ofyoupg children__ _ 51 A schoolorganized forthe reliefof employed parehtsfromdaytime care of theirchildren _______ _ 53 Alaboratory forthepreparation ofteachers 55 A laboratoryforstudents of home economics_ 41M .. ____ 41 __ ..... al4.4is 58 A laboratoryfor research in childdevelopment____._ _ _ _IlMe 0.1*0411, ., ...._ _ 61 SECTION IV NURSERY % SCHOOLS INPUBLIC-SCHOOLSYSTEMS ANDPUBpCLYSUPPORTED WELFAREINSTITUTIONS _ 1 ...... OM =I 65 i Nurseryschools inpublic-school systems WI OM Awm. 65 Nursery 'schoolsas a part of the kindergarten-primarydepart- 4 L ment__ , _ 1 67 i Anursery school laboratory forhigh-schoolstudents 69 it Anurseryschool in , acity schoolprogram in child development ,] andparent education .mw .... m. ..m. 73 A unitofa 1.ralb... department ofeducationalcounsel...____._ __ _ _ _ 76 I A demonstrationin scientificchildcareunder thedivision of 1 research ..... _.M. -.. .. ... 81 5. State units innursery education 84 i A State schoolfor dependentchildren........_ _ _... .... _ ......_ 85 A unit in the training schoolofaState teachmcollege____ _ 87 Nursery schools in countyand municipal welfareprograms _ WM IND 89 t-.. A county societyfor theprevention ofcruelty to children . - 89 . The socialservice divisionofacity departmentof public ) , Nelfare... 90 A city hospital ......_ op a.m. .... ZO M. 41. 4w .IM... 40 II IM IND We OD NO U. gip so map , 91 I ow. 4 0 LETTER OFTRANSMITTAL . DEPARTMENTOF THE INTERIOR, OFFICEOF EDUCATION, December,1932, Washington,D. C. SIR: The attachedmanuscriptdeals withnurseryschools.Thisis rea11y1newinstitution inthe UnitedStatesalthough ithas received much attention inGreat Britain.In otircountry thenursery-school movement has becomeafocal poifitfor thework ofboth general educators concernedwith thegrowth anddevelopmentofyoung children and ofspecialists inpsychology,mentalhygiene,medicine, nutrition, sociology,and alliedfields.FroiilthesemanypOints of view,parentsarehelpedto make themost of theremarkablepossi- bilities of growth'characteristicof children2 to 4yearsofage.Parent education, therefóre,isnaturallyalargeshare ofthenursery-school program,which isactuallyapart of the wholeadulteducationmove- ment.Crimepreventionthroughcheckingdelinquency isalso closely' relatedto nursery-schoolwork,where carefulguidance isgiven for family andindividualchildadjustments.The child'sright ofcitizen- ship recentlyoutlined inthe charterof theWhite HouseConference onChild Healthand Protectionincludesnurseryschoolsand kinder- gartens foryoungchildrento supplementhomecare.Thisbulletin O maybe saidto give thestatus ofnursery-schooleducationat the end of its firstdecade inthe UnitedStates. As laboratories,nurseryschoolsserve as centers of r6searchin the' manyphases of childdevelopment.Theyprovidefacilitiesfor intro- ducingteachers ,ofolderchildrento thestages of growthpreceding school.Theyarealso beingusedto givepublic-healthnurseR ideas of righthabitdevelopment inphysicallywell children.In public t. educationthenurseryschoolwilldoubtlesscontinueto actas alabora- tory, untilalargerproportionof5-year-oldchildrenareenrolled in kindergartens. Reportsof thecost ofnursery-schooleducationaregiven inthis bulletin.Many peopleneedto be convincedof thevalue ofetrly childhoodeducation.Schoolcosts have to-dayrunbeyondpresent schemes oftaxation andit isimportant,therefore,thatasuperintend- ent knowwhat thecost is likelyto be beforeheattemptsa nursery schoolin hiscommunity.At thesametime heshould kn6wof the , advantageswhichsuchanadditionwould bringto his schoglsystem. Irecommendthat thismanuscriptbe printedasa'bulletin ofthis office. Respectfullysubmitted. WM. JOHNCOOPER,Commissioner. TheSECRETARYOF THE INTERIOR. -a ( .a V 40' '10 NURSERYSCHOOLS TheirDevelopment ndCurrentPractices in theUnited States INTRODUCTION During the decade1920-1930 thenumber ofnursetryschoolsre- ported to the UnitedStates Officeof Educationincreasedfrom3 to 262.This lastnumber doesnot comprise thetotalnumber ofnurs- eryschools in theUnited States,but theincrease from3 to 262 in the number reportedindicatestheir rapidgrowth.This evident interest innurseryschools ischanging thegeneralconception ofschool age.Anewunitat the foot ofthe ladder ofthe educationalprogram is being accepted.This unit reaChesastep lower than the 9 kinder- garten in meeting the needsofachild's developmentand isone agswer to the recurrent question,Wherecan welearnmoreabout the,care and educationofyoungchildren? Two generaltrendsarelargely responsiblefor the developmentof nurseryschools duringthepast decade.First, thegeneral concern that each individualbe givenopportunity%to start life fortifiedwith adequate emotionalcontrols andsocial adjustmentsthatmayobviate manyof thepresent difficultiesin adolescentawladult life.That this is possiblehas beenshown inthe markedincrease inknowledge of the potentiallearningabilities ofypungchildren and inthe develop- ment of techniquesfor the conditioniiigof behavior.The preschool years arebeingrecógnizedasofmoredevelopmentalimportancethan anysucceedingperiod of -life.Systematiccareis neededto 'assure adequategrowth anddevelopment forthemany.and variedphases of theyoungchild's mentaland physicalbeing. Second, themovement of populatiodtoward citieshas placedcer- tain socialand economiclim*tionsuponfamily life.There isa largerproportiono"only" childrenand of smallfamilies.The childrenneeda sutitute forthe wholesomegive and takewhich livingwith other dren affords.Playspaceis limited andan un; tesirableamount of adult *supervisionis foundnecessary.The excite- ments of citylifeareoverstimulating foryoungchildren.Women %reseekingemploymentoutside thehome bothto add to the family incomeandtocarry onvocationsoravocations.Parentswant the bestenvironmentfor their childrenandareseeking guidancein their professionof parenthoodandcooperation in thesupervision of their children'sdevelopment. 2 NURSERY SCHOOLS C Active interest innurseryeducation is beingexpressed bya con- stantly in-creasing nurriberof agenciesorganized forawide variety ofpurposes:Colleges anduniversities,public schools, Welfareagen- cies, chambersóficommerce,health bureaus,'civic, .patriotic,profes- sional, and labororganizations, foundations, libraries',publishing houses, consultationand correspondenceagencieswant to know what nursery-school educationis, whosponsorit, and howitoperates.It is inanswerto their manyr questions thatthis bulletin hasbeenpre- pared.The opportunityis also tfikento 'summarize thepresent tatus of nursery-schooleducation in theUnited Statesat the close of tire first decadeof its initial developmentin thiscountry. Thet'firstdeclaration of the needfornurseryeducationcamefrom Plato when heptzcribedacommunitynursery as aproper partof anidefilstate.Centuries lateradefinite philosophyandprogram of educationforparents and hildren andeveninfants,wasdeveloped by Froebel. During the IndustrialRevolution in England,when acceptedchild Jabot:. overshadowedinterest in childeducation, RobertOwenspon- sorednurseryeducation andincorporated it inacommunity lifeex- periment which.he establishedin Americaat New Harmony, Ind. Interestaroseagain in Englandthrough the effortsoftwo outstandihg leaders innurseryeducation,Margaret McMillanand GraceOwen, whose majorpurposewasto meet the health and socialneeds for youngchildren in the slums ofLondon.Nursery schoolsin England weregiven alestamp of official approval 13gthe Fisher Education Act of1918. About1919or teachers who hadworked with MissMcMillan and MissOwenwereinvitedto this countryto demonstrate the En 1ii3hidea ofnurseryeducation.Nursery schoolswerestartedat Teachers