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57
DAY NURSERIES
Once again in 1970 — the ten day nurseries (596 places) in the Borough
provided a stable, secure and happy environment for several hundred children.
The demand for places was as high as in previous years and the waiting list
of priority cases reached over four hundred. In addition to admissions from the
waiting list many emergencies were dealt with, so helping to prevent the break
up of families. Emergencies are greater and more frequently occurring where there
is mental illness and stress in the family, often in the mother. It is children of
these families who benefit most from nursery stability and regular discipline.
Facilities for part-time attendance have been particularly useful for these children
by giving the mother sufficient relief without taking the child away from her for
the whole day or into residential care.
Each nursery had in its groups a proportion of handicapped children, some
severely so, but where there was mental retardation as well as physical handicap,
the aim has been to place the child in Tulse Hill Special Unit. The Unit accepts
nine children, who are able to get a great deal of attention from the three staff.
It has been very gratifying to the parents and to the nursery staff to see the
tremendous progress some of the children have made.
As always, staffing the day nurseries has not been an easy task, and much
time has been spent on selection and interviewing, as well as on maintaining good
contact with education establishments and with a staff who have left for further
experience, some of whom one hopes will return to nursery work.
The Department has an establishment of sixty nursery students gaining
practical experience in the seven training nurseries as part of the two year
National Nursery Examination Board Course and examination. Over the past
few years, as a result of widening contacts, the great improvement in the courses
themselves and in the standard of examination, it has been possible to be
selective in the choice of students, so that only one out of every three applicants
has been employed.
All students but one passed the N.N.E.B. examination during the year, and
all remained for at least a short period as staff nursery nurses. Later a few were
sent on to further training in teaching, nursing or to gain further experience.
Two matrons attended and greatly enjoyed the Annual Conference of the
National Association of Nursery Matrons.
Several staff were able to go to refresher courses at Southwark Day College,
and benefitted from the courses and discussion of new ideas amongst staff from
various nursery establishments.