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The defects which are most frequently found at the medical inspections are
bronchitis and upper respiratory catarrh, nose and throat conditions, and minor
orthopaedic defects. The great importance of medical supervision of nursery schools
lies in the opportunity to detect the earliest beginnings of disease at a stage when
remedial measures are comparatively easy to apply and may prevent the development of
more serious trouble.
Nursery schools do not give formal instruction but produce a condition of
readiness for such instruction later, and so prepare the children for the infants'
school. The aim of nursery school training is to foster by means of carefully planned
methods the fullest possible development of a child in body, mind and spirit between the
ages of two and five years. The carefully balanced diet at the midday meal, the afternoon
rest, the regular medical inspections and the frequent visits to the school of a nurse who
promptly reports any abnormality, all contribute to the physical and mental well-being
of the children. Playrooms are as light and airy as possible, and whenever weather permits
most activities take place outside in the open air. Special attention is paid to hygiene;
each child has his own comb, face flannel and towel; high standards of personal cleanliness
are set.
The nursery school is to some extent an observation centre, both medically and socially,
where the progress of health and development of character can be carefully watched and
guided in the child's best interests. Experience has shown that fears lest the removal of
these young children from the home would result in lessened parental responsibility have
little foundation. On all sides evidence is forthcoming that increased parental interest,
responsibility and co-operation for the welfare of the child are obtained. This is shown in
Increased cleanliness and nurture, both personal and domestic, a wiser dietary and in many
cases more suitable clothing. The nursery school trains the child in good personal and
social habits, and it exerts an influence for good on the standards and ideals of the home.
The nursery school frees the mother without usurping her place. The nursery school environment
greatly assists serenity of development, and saves the child much of the strain which is
Inevitable in the ordinary home where the needs of the elders constitute the central pivot of
organisation and the little one has to be fitted in as well as possible.
Facilities are given to the medical officers to visit the schools from time to time to
observe the environmental conditions and to make a critical assessment of their value in
promoting health. In can truly be said that a well planned and well run nursery school with
good open air life, plenty of space, adequate clothing for their "in-and-out" life, and a
really high standard of feeding, will ensure the well-being of the children, increase their
resistance to disease and reduce the risk of infection. Miss Grace Owen, one of the pioneers
the nursery school movement, summed up the aims of the nursery school many years ago as -
1. To provide healthy external conditions for the children - light, sunshine, space and
fresh air.
To ensure a healthy, happy, regular life for the children as well as continuous medical
supervision.
5. To assist each child to form for himself wholesome personal habits.
To give opportunity for the exercise of the imagination and the development of many interests
as well as skill of various kinds.
5. To give experience of community life on a small scale, where the children of similar, as well
as varying ages work and play with one another day by day.
6. To achieve a real unity with the life of the home.
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