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28
Throughout the year continued pressure for places in the
nurseries was experienced and a considerable waiting list was
compiled for children of each age group taken. Most of these
applicants were in urgent need of the accommodation, because of
some special hardship which necessitated the mother going to
work to keep or help to keep the family.
In filling vacancies priority was given to hardship cases
as far as possible. At the 30th. June, 1948, there were 78
children on the waiting list requiring admission.
Notwithstanding the granting of priority of admission to the
most urgent cases there was a time interval before admission, of
weeks in the urgent cases, and of months in other cases.
The total attendance figures up to July 5th. and estimated
figures to the end of the year, show that there was a slight
increase in the number of attendances in 1948 as compared with
1947, at the three Day Nurseries, Surrey Villa, Kilnwood and
Kingston Day Nursery. This shows that the increased demand
for nursery places noted in the report for 1947 has been maintained.
When on July 5th. the responsibility for Day Nurseries
passed to the Surrey County Council certain minor alterations
of day to day administration were introduced.
It is a pleasure to record that since 1941 when War-Time
Nurseries were called for, the Maternity and Child Welfare
Committee have successfully accomplished the task of providing
and maintaining several day nurseries, increasing the number
as the need was proved.
In the beginning, of necessity, quick adaptations had to
be employed, so in 1941 "Surrey Villa" (50 places) was taken
over, and part of St. Peter's School (60 places). In 1942
Kilnwood (60 places) in Richmond Road was also taken and
adapted. In 1943 an appropriately designed prefabricated
building was quickly erected in Fairfield and occupied as a
War-Time Nursery of 60 places.
In that year also Messrs. Bentail's Ltd. increased their
existing Nursery School to admit children of a younger age group
and adapted the Nursery accommodation to suit the new admissions,
which arrangements were recognised by the Ministry of Health as
a War-time Nursery and became eligible for grant and supervision
alongside the Municipal War-time Nurseries.
From 1943 until 1945 inclusive all six nurseries were in
full operation sustaining 51,453, 56,037 and 56,818 attendances
respectively. In 1945, in view of the better accommodation
in the other nurseries it was found possible to close down
the adapted nursery in St. Peter's school. In the following
year 1946, due to the operating of the Education Act of 1945,
the Fairfield War-time Nursery was passed on the Surrey
Education Authority as a Nursery School for children under
five years of age.
These changes left, operating in 1947 and 1948, the three
Kingston Corporation Day Nurseries, plus the privately owned
Bentalls Nursery, and provided for 46,804 actual, and an
estimated 45,708, attendances.
At the transfer of the Nurseries in July, 1948 they were
fully occupied and had resistant waiting lists, evidence of a
strong demand for places.