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57
on Saturdays as soon as this could be achieved, and, by the end of 1951, only
three were open on Saturday mornings.
(vii) Priorities for admission.—The priorities for admission of children to
day nurseries were revised, and the new rules brought into operation on 1st
April, 1951. The rules were applicable to children already in the nurseries, and
the provision for a six-monthly review of the circumstances of parents of children
attending day nurseries was continued.
(viii) Provisions and laundry services.—Experiments were instituted during
the year in selected day nurseries with a view to determining whether economies
could be effected in the relatively high expenditure on provisions and in the
method of laundering day nursery articles. The results of these experiments
were awaited at the end of the year.
(ix) Future day nursery provision.—The total day nursery provision for the
County was to remain substantially at its January, 1951, level. Any indication
of redundancy was to be kept under review, and steps taken to deal with it by
closing or amalgamating nurseries. During 1951, four full-time day nurseries
and one part time nursery creche were closed, and one day nursery transferred
to new premises.
The number of places provided in the Council's maintained (106) and grant
aided (6) day nurseries was 6,216 on 31st December, 1951, as compared with 6,462
in 117 day nurseries on 31st December, 1950. The priority waiting lists for admission
to day nurseries stood at 977 at the end of the year, compared with 1,932 on 31st
December, 1950.
Nursery play centre facilities remained unaltered during the year.
Nutritional
Investigation
at day
nurseries
Facilities were granted to professor John Yudkin, Department of Physiology,
King's College of Household and Social Science (University of London) to carry out a
nutritional investigation at four day nurseries in one of the divisions. The main
purpose of the investigation was to determine whether the present day diet contains
all the nutritional factors necessary for the best growth and development of childen
and was designed to ascertain the effect on the height and weight of young children
of the daily administration (in chocolate) of a Vitamin B preparation. The results
of the investigation are still awaited.
Nurseries and Child-Minders Regulation Act, 1948
There was a small increase in the number of private day nurseries statutorily
registered under the Nurseries and Child-Minders Regulation Act, 1948. The number
of these nurseries and the places provided were:—
At 31.12.50 At 31.12.51
Number of private day nurseries
statutorily registered 41 49
Number of places provided 1,294 1,583
Child-
minders
service
There were small decreases in the number of child-minders statutorily and
voluntarily registered but the reductions are, however, so small as to suggest that the
service has now found its level, and that supply keeps pace with demand. The childminders
who are statutorily registered under the Act are persons—other than
relatives—who, for reward, look after during the day more than two children under
the age of five years from different households. Voluntarily registered child-minders
are women who look after one or two children and voluntarily register with the Council,
receiving a weekly registration fee in return for which they are subject to inspection
by the Council.