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Occasional creches
These three-hour play sessions are extremely popular with
mothers and children and meet a very real social need. The
recruitment of suitable part-time staff to supervise these sessions
continued to be a problem.
Day nurseries
The demand for day nursery places continues to exceed the
number available and it has been possible to admit only priority
cases at most nurseries. There have been many short-term admissions
during family emergencies which have relieved the anxieties
of parents and often prevented children being taken into the care
of the Council.
Increasingly, requests are made by hospital consultants for parttime
admission of children on the grounds of physical, mental or
social ill-health of children or their parents. It is difficult to fit all
such requests into our day nurseries, as handicapped children
require more time from staff for care and supervision.
Again, as in previous years, the nurseries have suffered from
shortage of staff in all grades—cooks and domestic helps as well
as nursery nurses and assistants. On occasions it has been necessary
to limit admissions to the nurseries because of staffing
difficulties. Great credit must be given to all the staff who have
maintained the service even during very difficult periods, but even
so considerable strain has fallen on the matrons, the deputies and
other senior staff.
Special Unit
The special unit at Summerley day nursery, which provides
places for up to six children who show signs of mental handicap,
continues to provide a very valuable service. The training and
care given to these children helps them to make maximum progress
before a decision has to be made concerning their future
educational needs.