As long as most mothers were able to stay at home and personally care
for their babies, the care of children remained an individual matter.
But, present economic conditions which force so many young mothers to
earn a living away from their homes and babies, present this problem.
How shall these babies be adequately cared for, in their mother’s
absence?
The public nurseries are charitable institutions for the children of the
poor. The middle-class working women, who earn enough to pay a little
for the care of their babies, are not permitted to leave their little
ones in them. But, even if they are permitted to do so, no intelligent
mother would be willing to do so. For these nurseries attempt to
minister only to physical wants. Although the needs of the child at
infancy seem to be largely physical, we know, that from the day of its
birth, the infant is getting impressions and forming habits. The manner
in which we satisfy his needs, the habits which he forms under our care,
shape his future character,—and yet, the training of the so-called
trained nurses in charge of the average nursery, enables them to attend
to the physical needs only. We all realize the need of professionally
trained teachers for the kindergarten and school age. Is it not equally
important to have trained specialists at infancy, the most important
stage of Childhood?
Though the present day nurseries need improvement, their charges fare
better than those left at home, to the mercy of hired servants. The
collective work of an institution carries with it a sense of social
responsibility for those entrusted to its care. What sense of
responsibility can we expect from an ignorant hired servant? The
self-supporting mother of moderate means has no alternative. She must
either give up her work and sometimes deprive her family of the
necessities of existence or else abandon her babe to the hands of an
ignorant servant.
Women of means can hire trained specialists for their babies. The poor
are helped by settlement nurseries, but the intelligent self-supporting
mothers, such as school-teachers and journalists, are utterly helpless,
each groping blindly with her own individual problem that can no longer
be solved individually. These women, while compelled to do a man’s work,
never can have that singleness of mind that a man has while attending to
his business.
The problem faced by these mothers can be solved only by social
co-operative measures. The establishment of a new type of public nursery
to meet the demands of intelligent mothers is now under way. To
distinguish it from the prevailing nurseries it is to be called “the
baby garden.” The children are to be divided into the following groups
according to age: Infants of one year or less; babies from a year to two
years; those from two to four years. Only experts in baby culture
specially trained to meet the needs of each of these individual groups
are to be placed in charge. The baby garden will be surrounded by
open-air balconies so that the children may be out of doors the greater
part of the day. Mothers who are so tied up that they cannot go to the
doctor or the dentist or attend to their necessary shopping for the
family without dragging baby along, will be permitted to bring their
babies for a few hours each day.
It is hoped that in time such baby gardens will become either
self-supporting or public institutions. The plan here outlined has been
approved by a number of public-spirited people who have promised to
temporarily subsidize this baby garden provided fifty mothers endorse
the scheme by their readiness to enroll their babies. The amount to be
paid for the care of these babies will be decided at a meeting of the
mothers who endorse the plan. All who are interested may communicate
with me at 516 East 78th Street.
[MRS.] A. LEVITAS.
New York.