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WPA JXCHNICAL SERI ES
Public Activities Circular No. 21
Education Circular No. 7
Jj£DERAL WORKS AGENCY
^QRK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION
Division of Community Service Programs
Washington, D. C.
A29SI
*
August lu, 19^1
A2981
FOBEWORD
This circular provides a suggested operating
technique for the establishment and operation of Child
Development Group Units in Defense Areas in connection vdth
the Family Life Education Program,
Local conditions and special requirements may
necessitate minor changes, but in general, procedure
should be in accordance with the outline herein presented,
ITothing in this circular is to be construed as
affecting or modifying in any way administrative procedures
of the Work Projects Administration,
Howard 0, Hunter
Commissioner of Work Projects
A2981
Education Circular No, 7
Sections 1, 2
CHILD DEVELOPMENT GROUP UNITS IN DEFENSE AREAS
Section 1, General A supplementary educational activity is suggested
to provide for the educational care of young children in areas where dislocated
populations are concentrated because of defense preparations and where educational
facilities are not available for young children. These activities shall be
designated as Child Development Group Units in Defense Areas and shall operate as
a supplement to the present Nursery School Program under the same plan of
sponsorship, though the present Nursery School Program should not be curtailed
to provide Child Development Group Units, It must be understood that Child
Development Group Units are a temporary emergency service.
Child Development Group Units may be organized (l) in areas adjacent to
army camps, naval bases, aviation fields, and in any other area whore families of
enlisted men are concentrated; and (2) in areas where industrial workers are at
work on some specific project directly related to defense preparations.
Being part of the Education Program, Child Development Group Units shall
be sponsored in accordance with the regulations governing sponsorship of all
other Education Program activities.
Section 2, Objectives Child Development Group Units shall be operated
as a supplement to the WPA nursery schools, for the following purposes:
A, To provide for the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of young
children in areas where dislocations of population have occurred because of
defense preparations,
B, To assist parents in recognizing and meeting the nutritional, physical,
educational, and social needs of young children of enlisted men and industrial
workers in areas where defense preparations axe going on and where such assis¬
tance is not otherwise available,
C» To contribute to total national defense by providing protection for
young children of enlisted men and industrial workers in defense industries
during a period of family stress and by insuring to them the opportunity for
experiences in x^hich democratic ways of living can be learned.
A2981
Education Circular No. 7
Sections 3, 4
Section 3. Supervision As a supplement to nursery schools, Child
Development Group Units Shall "bo supervised in the same manner and by the same
person as the nursery schools. When the number of Child Development Group
Units in any given State makes it necessary to provide an assistant for the
State supervisor of nursery schools, such an assistant should present the same
qualifications as those required for other assistants to the State supervisor
of nursery schools in accordance with section 23, "Education Projects •— Educa¬
tional Supervision and Personnel Requirements," of Operating Procedure No, G—5.
Section 4. Pro.iect Personnel All project personnel, except volunteer
assistants and assistants furnished by the National Youth Administration, shall
be assigned in accordance with the provisions of Operating Procedure No, 9.
The same care should bo observed in selecting workers for the Child Development
Group Units in Defense Areas as for the nursery schools,
A. Staff There should be the equivalent of one teacher or assistant for
every 10 children enrolled, with a minimum of one teacher for each group.
Where the staff includes two or more teachers, one teacher should be designated
as in charge of the group. The teacher in charge of the group should be pro¬
vided by the Work Projects Administration. Provision should bo ma.de for cooking
to be done, for health care to be given, for janitorial services, and for assis¬
tance to the teacher, and so far as possible this should be supplied through
local_contribution — either by volunteer service or by contributing funds,
B. Qualifications of Teachers Persons assigned as teachers should present
the qualifications set forth for "Teacher (Nursery School Education)" in accor¬
dance with the provisions of Appendix A of Operating Procedure No. E-9.
C. Qualifications of Assistants Assistants shall be selected from persons
volunteering their services for this purpose and from those offered by the
National Youth Administration. So far as possible it is desirable that the
volunteer assistants should be parents of children enrolled in the Child Develop¬
ment Group Units. Preference shall be given to persons who have had training
and/or experience in working with young children either in the field of educa¬
tion, social work, or public health. Persons selected should give evidence of
good physical health,
NYA helpers, both boys and girls, may be used in the Child Development
Group Units under the same conditions as those pertaining to nursery schools.
(See Technical Scries, Education Circular No, 3, "Scope and Activities of the
Nursery School Program," section 5.)
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Education Circular No. 7
Section 4
Page 2
D. Training In-service training shall he provided, and assistants as
well as teachers shall he expected to avail themselves of all training oppor¬
tunities. There should he an understanding to this effect with persons volun¬
teering to servo as assistants before final selection is made. Training pro¬
vided will vary from State to State and probably from place to place and should
bo worked out through a study of the particular needs cf the members of the
staff and available local facilities. In-service training of workers in Child
Development Group Units is the direct responsibility of the State technical
supervisor of nursery schools, but it should be planned in cooperation with
established educational institutions and any services available from those or
other agencies should be utilized to provide as rich a training as possible.
In cere 5—year-old children are enrolled in the Child Development Group Units
special attention should be given in training to provide for the needs of that
age level.
A2981
Education Circular No, ?
Section 5
Section 5, Physical Facilities and Materials Provision shall ha made
for physical facilities, food, and similar items as follows:
A, Housing Child Development Group Units shall be housed in buildings
which are publicly owned or which have been leased by or officially loaned to
the sponsoring agency* Under these conditions they may be housed in privately
owned buildings if these are provided with adequate facilities, with the under¬
standing that the program is at all times under the control and supervision of
the sponsoring agency. All buildings used for Child Development Group Units
shall be inspected and certified as safe by the WPA Safety Division and all
necessary fire precautions shall be taken.
Pood Food shall be provided in sufficient amounts to insure adequate
diet for all children. Menus shall be prepared under the direction of the State
technical supervisor, checked by her, and approved by a competent nutritionist.
Surplus commodities may be used when the children enrolled are eligible for
receiving such commodities. It is expected that as high a percentage of the
food costs as possible will be provided through local contribution,
C, Sponsor's Contribution Sponsor's contribution shall include space,
heat, light, janitorial service, health service, some assistance to the
teacher, fuel for cooking, play equipment and other equipment needed, provision
for laundering of bedding, towels, and wash cloths, and such other services
as may be needed,
D« Fees Fees may be charged in accordance with the ability of the various
families to pay. It is pointed out that a sliding scale of fees provides for
varying income levels. The amount of the fees to bo charged shall be determined
by the sponsor, the Work Projects Administration, and a recognized social service
agency and shall be in accordance with fees charged for normal services of
similar nature carried on by other agencies in the State, All fees shall be
collected and disbursed by the sponsoring agency or by the person or agency
designated by the sponsor to represent him in performing this function. All
fees collected shall be used for carrying on the project. In setting foes,
care should be taken that the policy established is in accord, with and in no
way conflicts with that of any local or State social service agency.
A2981
Education Circular No. 7
Section 6, rage 1
Section 6. Pro.iect Operation The following regulations and require¬
ments shall govern the operation of tho Child Development Groups Units in De¬
fense Areas:
A. Enrollment Children from the families of enlisted men actively
engaged in defense activities and living in concentrated areas, or from tho
families of industrial workers concentrated for tho express purpose cf work on
some specific project directly rela-ted to defense operations arc eligible for
enrollment in Child Development Group Units provided no other similar provision
in the community is available for their care. Children normally eligible for
enrollment in UP A nursery schools, as specified in Technical Series, Education
Circular No. 3,* may also bo enrolled in Child Development Group Units if living
in the immediate vicinity. These groups, like nursery schools, shall be estab¬
lished only when there is an assured enrollment of not less than 25 children;
no group shall continue to operate when the average daily attendance falls below
20 for a period of 30 consecutive days except in cases in which such decrease
in attendance is caused by protracted epidemic illness in the community. The
selection of children not in defense areas shall be determined by the sponsor,
Work Projects Administration, and some recognised social service agency, or by
some agency or group agreed upon by the above-mentioned groups to represent
them in this respect.
B. Age Range Child Development Group Units, like the nursery schools,
are designed for the age range 2 to 4 years inclusive. They may include 5-year-
old children (a) when and if there has been no provision for 5-year-olds made
by the regular public school system serving the area within the 12 months prior
to the concentration of population giving rise to the need for a Child Develop¬
ment Group Units; (b) when and if there is no provision made by the regular
public school system which can include children in the concentrated area. At
no time should the number of 5—year—old children enrolled exceed 50 percent
of the total enrollment.
C. Length of Dav Child Development Group Units shall operate on an all-day
schedule. The day should bo not loss than 6 hours, and should include morning
play, noonday meal, and afternoon rest. The hours may be extended to meet
local needs.
D» Health Care Health care shall be the same as that required for
nursery schools. It shall include provision for physical examination, vaccina^-
tion ana immunization, and such daily health inspection as is necessary to
detect symptoms of illness endangering either tho child's own health or that
of others.
E, Standards of Operation It is recognized that there will bo variation
in standards of operation among Child Development Group Units. Nevertheless,
they should be maintained only where tho minimum conditions of plant equipment
and playground, safety, and staff services are met at the beginning of the
program and where there is indisputable evidence of continuous effort toward
improvement.
* Technical Series, Education Circular No. 3, "Scope and A-ctivities of the
Nursery School Program."
12981 Education Circular No, 7
Section 6, Page 2
P. Parent. Education Parent education shall "be considered as integral
a part of every Child Development Group Unit as is the case in nursery schools.