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(3) In assessing applications for admission, an over-riding consideration to be that
the parent(s) is/are unable to make other satisfactory arrangements for caring forthe child.
(4) A review of the circumstances of the parents of all children admitted to day
nurseries, including, where appropriate, verification of parents' incomes, to be made at
six-monthly intervals from the date of admission and parents to be required to withdraw
their children from nurseries after reasonable notice as and when the cases no longer
fall within the approved priority classes.
(5) Arrangements for all admissions to be made by the divisional medical officer
and not by individual nurseries.
The number of children on the priority waiting lists was 4,797, 1,932, 977 and
1,130 at the end of 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1952 respectively.
The Council's standard charge for a child in a day nursery was 1s. a day in 1948.
This was subsequently raised to 2s. a day, assessable according to means, and as from
1st January, 1953, was increased to 4s. a day (the charge for the second and subsequent
children of the same parents or parent is 2s. a day).
As a result of the comprehensive enquiry into the day nursery service undertaken
in the latter part of 1950 the following action was taken :
(i) In an endeavour to secure maximum occupation, extra children were
allowed on the registers up to 25 per cent. above the number of approved places.
This was done to offset absences due to illness, etc.
(ii) A new ratio was adopted of non-domestic staff to children of 1:3 and 1:8
for children aged 0-2 and 2-5 years, respectively. This ratio was based on the
number of approved places in each of these age groups, with a relaxation of the
standard in day nurseries catering for children aged 2-5 years only. The ratio was
subject to the over-riding consideration that in no day nursery should there be fewer
than five places for children of all ages to one unit of non-domestic staff.
(iii) The former ratio of three nursery students to one staff place was replaced
by a ratio of 2:1.
(iv) The number of training nurseries has been gradually reduced by approximately
one-third.
(v) It was decided that overalls or dungarees should be provided, washed and
kept in good repair by the mothers of children attending the day nurseries. A
small stock of a simple type apron is held in each day nursery for use in emergency
or in cases of genuine hardship.
(vi) The hours of day nurseries generally were fixed as 7.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
on Mondays to Fridays, with provision for remaining open until 6 p.m. when
local conditions so required. Nurseries which were previously opening later than
7.30 a.m. have continued to do so as far as practicable. Approval was given, in
principle, to all day nurseries being closed on Saturdays, and only two are now open
on Saturday mornings.
(vii) Experiments were instituted 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 nurserv articles.
Occasional
creches
The limited number of sessions in occasional creches (nursery play centres) which
the Council took over on 5th July, 1948, has remained substantially unchanged. Consideration
was given to the possibility of extending the facilities, but no further action
was taken in view of the opinion of the Minister of Health that the time was inappropriate
for such expansion, having regard to the national financial position.
Private day
nurseries