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4-8
Day Nurseries
Applications for day nursery admissions far exceeded available places, even in the
priority categories. At the end of the year, 70 in the accepted categories were on
the waiting list, a high proportion of these being in the 0-2 age group. The
closure of Plevna Day Nursery and transfer to limited and smaller premises where it
was only possible to cater for children over two years of age, was only partially
responsible for the increased waiting list. The greatest demand is from mothers
solely supporting their children and immigrants.
In some instances, because of financial pressure mothers have placed their
children with unsuitable daily minders. These arrangements not infrequently break
down, which must inevitably have repercussions on the children. Other mothers, in
spite of financial hardships, prefer to wait until a vacancy occurs, because they
consider that day nursery care more adequately meets the need of their children.
186 admissions were arranged during the year and approximately one third of these
admissions were children of immigrants. Of the 186 admissions, a high proportion,
because of the different needs, stayed in the nursery for varying lengths of time,
from a few days to several months. This continual change-over requires patience and
understanding on the part of the staff helping the children to settle in their new
surroundings.
Plevna Day Nursery
This nursery was closed in the middle of February and the majority of the
children under two years of age were transferred to Park Lane Nursery. It was
necessary for transport arrangements to be made for these children because of the
increased distance of travelling involved. Parents were given adequate warning of
the new arrangements which went forward without difficulty. The remainder of the
children were transferred to the Cornwall Road premises which had been adapted to
accommodate 32 children over two years of age. Due to the admirable efforts on the
part of the nursery staff, only one week elapsed between the closing of Plevna Nursery
and the admission of the children to the Cornwall Road Nursery. To avoid any
unnecessary hardship as much warning as possible was given to the parents to enable
them to make alternative arrangements.
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Training of Nursery Nurses
The six students who completed their two-year training in September were
successful in obtaining the certificate of the Nursery Nurses Examination Board.
Due to the limited facilities at Cornwall Road Nursery, only four students were
accepted for training as against six in previous years. Once again, two students were
accepted for one year's practical training under the pilot scheme organised by the
Tottenham Technical College.
Attendances
The following table shows the attendances at individual nurseries during the
years -