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technic Each student attends the polytechnic
on two days a week during the term-time to
receive the instruction required to prepare her
for the N N E B examination at the end of her
two year s training Close liaison is maintained
between members of my staff concerned in the
training and those of Chiswick Polytechnic and
it is pleasing to record that the co operation
is of the highest order All students passed
their final examinations entitling them to the
N N E B certificate I would like to take this
opportunity to thank the Principal of Chiswick
Polytechnic and his staff for their particular
contribution to this success
The main purpose of the nurseries however
is to provide day care for children aged six
weeks to five years whose mothers need to
work to support them or who by reason of ill
health or the home environment are unable to
provide their children with adequate care or
stimulation These categories continue to
represent the bulk of admissions In addition,
however children with handicaps are admitted
in order to provide them with facilities to
help them to reach their full potential as well
as to afford some relief to mothers who are
often over burdened In addition to the relief
given from the strain of caring for a handicapped
child it has been found that the mothers
benefit also from the experience of others and
the informal discussion of progress or problems
as they arise The reports from our matrons to
the specialists in charge of handicapped
children are also extremely useful in helping
them in their task of recommending for future
management and schooling The importance of
day nursery provision cannot be over
emphasised for children learn a great deal in
their early years This comes from all they
see hear feel and do in these years. Hence
it is vital to provide children with sensory
stimulation with body activities and with
interpersonal contacts If home circumstances
or other reasons have meant that parents fail
to provide all the care and stimulation needed
by young children it is the rewarding function
of the day nurseries to enable chiIdren to
return to the life at home enriched by all the
lively and enjoyable experiences, which
varied play experience offers them and with
firm foundations laid for the whole of the
children s future development
The attendances made by children were
Feltham Day Nursery 10 676
Portsdown House Nursery 6 947
Nantly House Nursery 11 489
During 1968, one of the deputy matrons attended
a week s refresher course arranged by the London
Boroughs Training Committee Dr Christie and a
matron attended a one day conference in London
arranged by the National Society of Children s
Nurseries Observation visits were again paid to
all the day nurseries by students from Chiswick
Polytechnic being prepared for various disciplines
of social work as also by many nurses in training
for a variety of different future roles in the
nursery services.
Nurseries and Child Minders Regulation Act 1948
The following were registered at the end of the
year
Private day nurseries
24 with accommodation for 573 children
Child minders
24 approved for the care of 180 chi Idren
The continued rapid development of the above
services was forecast and commented on at some
length in my last annual report As long as there
is a shortage of day nursery and nursery school
provision other day care facilities for children
under 5 years are likely to expand Generally
speaking, child minders accept children from babyhood
to school age and aim to give the children
the care which they would otherwise receive from
their working mothers. Registered as private day
nurseries are the more recent development of preschool
playgroups These are the result of the
initiative on the part of mothers who do not go to
work but who recognise the limited scope modern
urban life allows for chi ldren!s emotional physical
and intellectual development, through their natural
birthright of free play activity Playgroups vary in
the number of trained helpers available though
they are becoming increasingly aware of the value
of some form of trained help or advice One of the
major organisations that has been formed to help
people in playgroups is the Pre-School Playgroups
Association which operates now on a national
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