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Council Day Nurseries
Throughout the year the demand for day care of young pre-school
children gave rise to some concern regarding the waiting list of
children in the priority groups, A survey of the available day
nursery accommodation made it possible to increase the approved number
of places from 302 to 312, and the numbers on the "weighted registers"
from 329 to 347. At the same time, the allocation of accommodation
as between age groups was revised to meet the need to organise the
care of children in mixed age groups. This system provides for very
young babies to be segregated into separate nursery rooms and later
assimilated into groups of older children according to their developmental
needs. The allocations became 30 places for babies and 282
for mixed age groups weighted to 317. The re-organisation took
effect from the beginning of 1968.
The average daily attendance during the year was 243. compared
with 239 during 1966, and the total of daily attendances was 61,691
compared with 59,27l.
The special arrangements were continued for children with aural
or visual handicaps to attend day nurseries for the purpose of
assisting them to adapt to a normal environment with other children.
During the year, two children with aural and two with visual defects
were admitted.
Staff
Kensal House Day Nursery was approved by the Ministry of Health
for the training of student nursery nurses with effect from 1st April,
1967. This brought the number of nurseries so approved in the
borough to three, and provided an additional stabilising element
in nursery staffing.
The number of staff nursery nurses on duty during the year
fluctuated but was always lower than was desirable, All of the
students sponsored by the Council were successful at the National
Nursery Examination Board examination held during the year.
Occasional Creches
At child welfare centres, the Council provide occasional creches
where children can be cared for while the mothers attend hospitals or
clinics, or do their shopping, etc.
At the beginning of the year, a total of nineteen sessions was
held each week at four Centres (including the Violet Melchett Centre),
At the end of the year, the service was extended to two more Centres
and increased to a total of twenty-three weekly sessions.
The number of sessions in 1967 was 1,009, compared with 907 in
1966, and the total attendances was 12,308 in the year, compared
with 10,288 in 1966.
Private Day Nurseries and Child Minders
During the year, the proprietors of some private day nurseries
and nursery schools have made increased provision for the care of
children, with the result that the overall number of places available
in premises registered with the Council under the Nursery and Child
Minders Regulation Act, 1948, has increased considerably. On the
other hand, there has been a decrease in the number of children
authorised for reception by child minders because some have moved
out of the borough area and others have taken up employment. Further,
child minders newly registered during the year have been approved
for smaller groups of children.