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Day Accommodation for Children
Council Day Nurseries
The Council took over five day nurseries. One of these (Springdale) was located
just across the Borough Boundary in the neighbouring Borough of Hackney, but by
agreement between the two Councils, its administration fell to Islington, where most
of its children resided. The five nurseries provided a total of 299 places for
children under five years of age. Admission was regulated by a scale of priorities
(see Appendix C ) and payment assessed by a scale of charge related to income.
During the year there was continuous pressure on the accommodation, the average daily
attendance being 294 during the period 1st April to 31st December 1965. The high
average rate of occupation (over 98%) placed a heavy load on the matrons and their
staff. The Council agreed to provide one extra nursery nurse at each nursery to
release the matron for some administrative duties. In more recent years pressure on
the nurseries has increased through the children of immigrants coming into the Borough.
A permanent waiting list existed in the order of 250. The obvious remedy to build
more nurseries would be a long term measure. Meantime, there were repercussions on
child-minding arrangements, to which reference is made in this report below.
A few handicapped children were admitted to each nursery, including deaf and
mentally handicapped who would benefit from nursery care in the company of normal
children. In most instances attendance was for part of the day only either free or
at a reduced charge. In addition, three occasional creches were held weekly at welfare
centres for children under 5 years for short periods to allow their mothers some free
time, e.g. to attend hospital or clinic, to go shopping etc. A charge of Is. 9d. a
session was made in these cases, but where the mother attended an educational activity
at the centre no charge was made. 527 attendances were made between 1st April and
31st December, 1965.
Supplementary to the day nursery service were the various arrangements for the
daily minding of children. Because of the shortage of places in the Council's day
nurseries many mothers who wanted to go to work or otherwise needed to have their
children looked after during the day, were obliged to use private minders. The Council
had two official means of regulating private minding. Under the Nurseries and Child
Minders Act, 1948, persons minding three or more children would be registered by the
Council through its Personal Health Committee, providing their homes were suitable and
they complied with the prescribed number and ages of children. The minder subsequently
became subject to regular visitation by the Council's officers. At 31st
December, 1965, there were 18 registered minders authorised to mind a total of 103
children. There were also three private day nurseries with a total of 46 children
registered under the same Act. For persons who minded less than three children the
Council adopted a voluntary scheme of registration under which the minder, if
considered suitable, received a weekly fee of 6s., in return for which she agreed to
be visited by the health visitor and to take the children regularly to the welfare
centre. 58 persons were registered in this way to mind 98 children. Detailed
arrangements for each child were a matter to be decided between the parents and the
private minders, including payment; but the Council was able to recommend mothers to
minders on its register.
The official schemes provided for the care of 550 children by nurseries and
minders. This failed to meet the needs of the population as a whole. Many mothers
made what arrangements they could with "unofficial minders'. Many of these women,
either through ignorance or in defiance of the statutory regulations for child minding,
took in bhildren in such numbers and under such conditions as were unsuitable for the
care of children. Unfortunately the exceptions in the Act, which were intended to
safeguard arrangements within the same family or household, provided loopholes for
those who did not wish to conform to the regulations, and at the same time made it
difficult for the Council's officers to enforce these regulations. There was much
concern about the standard of minding by "unofficial minders', especially for the
children of immigrants, and every effort was made by visiting, publicity, and legal
action to put a stop to unsatisfactory minding. One person was prosecuted by the
Council for failing to apply for registration as a child-minder and was fined. A full
report was submitted to the Minister of Health in reply to his circular No. 5/65 on
the day care of children in nurseries and in private homes.
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