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Child's Play
As World War II raged on, some 35,000 Connecticut women entered the work force for the first time. Although it addressed the country’s labor shortage, their employment created a new problem: caring for children from families with two working parents. In the early 1940s, the federal Lanham Act was amended to fund the creation of child care centers to serve these children. In 1942, Southern — then known as New Haven State Teachers College (NHSTC) — established the first two such federally funded child care centers in Connecticut. A nursery school, for children age two to five, was created on Dwight Street, and a second program was established at the Scranton School to care for older children after school and on vacation days.More than a half a century later, Southern remains a state leader in the field of early childhood education. Supported by a $200,000 grant from the State Department of Education, the university recently partnered with Leila Day Nursery School in New Haven to create a statewide “model preschool.” For more on this developing program, see page 3.) Southern in 1942 Minimum wage: 30 cents an hour; Cost of first-class postage stamp: 3 cents. Southern introduces an accelerated program that allows students to graduate in three years so that they can join the defense effort a year sooner. “ Casablanca” premieres in theaters; Bing Crosby releases “White Christmas.” College life punctuated by air raid drills, “victory” book drives, and a course in first aid. Students learn to roll bandages and send and receive Morse code.Historical information and photo from “Southern Connecticut State University, A Centennial History,” by Thomas J. Farnham |
