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Children in W artime No. 2 Bureau P u blication N o . 283 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis dA' Children’s Charter in W artime We are in total war against the aggressor nations. We are fighting again for human freedom and especially for the future of our children in a free world. Children must be safeguarded—and they can be safeguarded in the midst of this total war so that they can live and share in that future. They must be nour ished, sheltered, and protected even in the stress of war production so that they will be strong to carry forward a just and lasting peace. Our American Republics sprang from a sturdy yearning for tolerance, independ ence, and self-government. The American home has emerged from the search for freedom. Within it the child lives and learns through his own efforts the meaning and responsibilities of freedom. We have faith in the children of the New World—faith that if our generation does its part now, they will renew the living principles in our common life and make the most of them. Both as a wartime responsibility and as stepping-stones to our future—and to theirs—we call upon citizens, young and old, to join together to— I. Guard children from injury in danger zones. II. Protect children from neglect, exploitation, and undue strain in defense areas. III. Strengthen the home life of children whose par ents are mobilized for war or war production. IV. Conserve, equip, and free children of every race and creed to take their part in democracy. 1 6 -279X2-1 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis A Children’s Charter in Wartime — Put in terms of the children of the United States I. DANGER ZONES “Guard children from injury in danger zones” These danger zones line our coasts along the A tlantic, the Pacific, and the Gulf—especially where there are military targets, industrial plants, business centers, oil tanks, or the like; also, closely built home areas which might be bombed in an effort to break the morale of defense production workers. These zones are a first charge on our Civilian Defense program but there is no certainty that inland districts and communities w ill not be subject to air raids or other forms of attack. C h ild re n f ir s t in all plans for protection. The first step is their registration and identification. E v a c u a tio n o f c h ild re n fro m su c h zones, if needed, as a sound precaution; advance plans for adequate reception and care in their places of refuge. Mothers to go with their children whenever possible. “ W a r v a c a tio n s” f o r c ity c h ild re n .— By the expansion of summer vacation camps conducted under proper supervision, staffed in part by volunteers, and utilizing surplus commodities and other aids, great numbers of children can be removed from exposed dis- II. DEFENSE tricts at relatively little expense. These camp demonstrations would be an admirable test of evacuation methods and an investment for health. A p p ro p ria te im m u n iz a tio n of all children against communicable disease. H e lp in g c h ild re n t o m e e t t h e a n tic ip a tio n s a n d re a litie s o f w a r tim e .— Childhood anxiety can be as devastating as disease. Not only parents, but doctors, nurses, teachers, recreation leaders, settlement workers, child-welfare and child-guidance workers can help to preserve the child’s sense of security, which is his greatest need. AREAS “Protect children from neglect, exploitation,a nd undue strain V ital to the cause of the United Nations is an ever-increasing stream of guns, tanks, and planes and other war equipment and materials from the United States. A thousand communities are involved in their production. Broken working time, due to sickness of the worker, or his w ife or child, or to disturbed family life, handicaps production at countless points. Therefore, the following are essential : A d e q u a te h e a lth , e d u c a tio n , a n d w e lf a re serv ices must be maintained for children and their parents in each of the thousand communities where war production or military camps are established. To accomplish this will require proper staffing with doctors, health officers, nurses, social workers, teachers, recreation leaders, and librarians. It will call for adequate hospitals, clinics, schools, playgrounds, recreational facilities, and day-care centers. Each of these communities will need to mobilize all of its resources within a coordinated plan. Many will need assistance to supple ment existing staff and equipment. T h e assig n m en t o f o b ste tric ia n s a n d p e d ia tric ia n s to d efen se areas should be given special consideration. C h ild -g u id an ce clinics should be provided wherever possible III. HOMES IN to help parents and children overcome insecurity associated w ith dislocations in family life. Such dislocations exaggerate the normal anxieties of children and create situations that require special service. School o p p o rtu n itie s must be expanded to meet the new demands of expanding populations. This should include nursery schools for young children. R e c r e a tio n leaders, g ro u p w o r k e r s , a n d c h ild -w e lfa re w o r k e r s are urgently needed in defense communities, where crowded conditions mean overtaxing of facilities for play of little children and of recreation centers for older boys and girls; increase in harmful employment of children; and mounting juvenile delin quency. WARTIME “Strengthen the home life of children whose parents are mobilized fo r war or war production ” T o children in wartime the home is vital as a center of security and hope and love. To our fighting men the safety and protection of their families is the center of what they fight for. T o men on the production front the welfare of their families and homes is basic to morale. M igration to new and crowded communities, the absence of the father in military service, priorities unemploy ment on the one hand, and the employment of mothers on the other, are creating problems in homes that affect Digitized forevery FRASER member of the family. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 18— 27912-1 C h ild re n o f o u r fig h tin g m e n .—Full provision must be made for the economic needs of children whose fathers are in the service and for medical and hospital care for wives and children. A G o v e rn m e n t in s u ra n c e p ro g ra m for civilians injured or killed as a result of war activities should supplement our social' security program. A d e q u a te h o u sin g is essential to the protection of home life. In housing projects, facilities should be provided for health services and group activities for children. E m p lo y m e n t o f m o th e rs a n d d a y ca re o f c h ild re n .— As plans develop for the participation of women in war industry, it must be recognised that the care of young children is the first responsibility of mothers. For children whose mothers are employed or planning to enter employment, it is the responsibility of the com' munity, through adequate planning and support, to see that parents have assistance in planning for their needs and that the children have the best possible care—not forgetting health supervision, oppor' tunity for nursery education and play for the youngest, recreation outside of school hours for those who attend school. D a y c a re f o r c h ild re n i n c ro w d e d areas w h e r e h o m e facilities a re lim ite d .—Such children should have opportunities similar to those provided for children of working mothers. E conom ic s e c u rity .— To all parents economically unable to maintain a home for their children, Government help should be ex' tended through such measures as aid to dependent children, general assistance, and benefits for temporary and permanent disability. School a n d w o r k .— I t is essential that children and youth be sound and well prepared in body and mind for the tasks of todhy and tomorrow. Their right to schooling should not be scrapped for the duration. Demands for the employment of children as a necessary war measure should be analyzed to determine whether full use has been made of available adult manpower and to distinguish between actual labor shortage and the desire to obtain cheap labor. The education and wholesome development of boys and girls should be the first consideration in making decisions with regard to their em' ployment or other contribution to our war effort. This means that no boy or girl shall be employed at wages that undermine the wages for adult labor; none under 14 years of age shall be part of the labor force; none under 16 shall be employed in manufacturing and mining occupations; none under 18 in hazardous occupations. H e a lth a n d e d u c a tio n .—A measure urgently needed at this time is complete médical examinations of all boys and girls of high' school age at regular intervals, with provision for correction of remediable defects. Provision should be made for a N ationw ide extension of health services for school children, including medical care as needed and health instruction, developed through the CO' operation of health and education authorities. The need for health supervision and medical care for youth has been demonstrated until there is no longer any possibility of disregarding it. Y o u n g c h ild re n .— In the war period special consideration should be given to the needs of all young children for security in the home and for opportunity to grow through association w ith other children in play and through the reassurance given by adults who have learned to understand their needs. Opportunity for nursery education should be made increasingly available to help meet situa' tions created by the war. C h ild re n i n r u r a l areas.— More than half of the children of the Nation live in country districts. Far more than city children they are likely to be handicapped by early and harmful employment, inadequate schools, and lack of other community facilities. The war effort must not increase these handicaps. P a rtic ip a tio n i n c i v i l i a n - m o b i l i z a t i o n . p ro g ram s.— Boys and girls should participate in home and community efforts for the war through activities appropriate to their age and ability. Every city county, and State should review the needs of its children and youth in the light of these principles through a children’s wartime commission or council or an existing o r g a i t o K S S * and should devise means to meet evident needs through the cooperative action of Federal, State, and local govern merits and private agencies. f . r r i .11 Everv effort should be made to keep the public informed of activities and needs in all phases of service for children and to provide for participation of professional associations organised labor, farm groups, and other organisations o f citizens concerned w ith children, in the planning and development of these programs. Provision should be made as rapidly as possible for tou ting the professional workers needed to provide for extension of community programs to increasing numbers of children. ¿r There should be no State lines nor barriers of race or creed impeding what w e do for children in our war effort. They may not live in danger sones or defense areas; they w ill still be subject to the strains of these times. They should not be forgotten Americans. Their future is our future, IV. CHILDREN “ THE COUNTRY OVER Conserve, equip, and free children o f every race and creed to take thetr part tn democracy The Children’s Charter drawn up at the W hite House Conference in 1930 and the recommendations of the 1940C o 5 « en ce are still a challenge to the people. Here it is only in point to single out certain factors that take on new significance in the present war crisis. H e a lth a n d c h ild re n .— Good health in childhood lays the oundation for good health in later life. Children should have health upervision from the prenatal period through adolescence, special banning is needed to overcome present and future shortages of don ■ors and nurses. As soon as possible every county in the United states should have public'health'nursing service, prenatal clinics, delivery care, child'health conferences, and clinic and hospital service :or sick children. F ood fo r c h ild re n .— The needs of children must be considered arst in the event of national or local shortages of foods, especially or milk and the other protective foods. If our country is to be strong, all children must have the food they need for buoyant health and normal growth, and information must be available to parents con' ceming the family food requirements. Family incomes should be Digitized for sufficient FRASER to assure to each member of the family the right amounts https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the right kinds of food. School meals are an effective means of supplementing home nutrition and educating children and their families in good food habits. The extension of penny milk to all children is an important aid in assuring to them their full share ot this essential food. Social serv ices f o r c h ild re n .—C o m m u n i t i e s s h o u l d b e equipped to supplement the care and training given by home and school when the welfare of the child demands it. Child'welfare and child'guidance resources of the State, county, and city governments should be expanded to provide appropriate service and care tor all children w ith special needs. T h e r i g h t t o p la y .—More than ever in wartime, recreation must be assured for children and youth through the full use and expansion, as needed, of all public and private leisure'time activities. ___0 *7 0 1 0 —1 Children’s Bureau Commission on Children in Wartime The Commission held its first m eeting March 16-18, 1942, adopted the Charter, and made plans for continuing work to make it effective [Members of the Commission as of March 1942 Chairman, Leonard W. Mayo, Cleveland, Ohio. Edith Abbott, Chicago, HI. Fred L. Adair, M. D., Chicago, HI. David C. Adie, Albany, N. Y. Frederick H. Allen, M. D., Phila delphia, Pa. Mrs. Rose H. Alschuler, Wash ington, D. C. Mildred Arnold, Indianapolis, Ind. Reginald M. Atwater, M. D., New York, N. Y. Leona Baumgartner, M. D., New York, N. Y. M. O. Bousfield, M. D., Chicago, HI. John Brophy, Washington, D. C. Robin C. Buerki, M. D., Philadel phia, Pa. Charlotte Carr, Chicago, 111. Henry P. Carstensen, Seattle, Wash. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Children’s Bureau Horton Casparis, M. D., Nashville, Tenn. Elizabeth Woodruff Clark, New York, N. Y. Grace L. Coyle, Cleveland, Ohio. Courtenay Dinwiddie, New York, N. Y. Loula Dunn, Montgomery, Ala. Mrs. Gladys Talbott Edwards, Jamestown, N. Dak. Marshall Field, New York, N. Y. Homer Folks, New York, N. Y. Willard E. Givens, Washington, D. C. Mrs. Sidonie M. Gruenberg, New York, N. Y. Percy F. Guy, M. D., Seattle, Wash. Henry F. Helmholz, M. D., Mayo Clime, Rochester, Minn. Fred K. Hoehler, Chicago, 111. M rs. Anne Sarachon Hooley, Washington, D. C. Howard W. Hopkirk, New York, Mrs. Horace B. Ritchie, Athens. N. Y. Ga. Mrs. Harriet Houdlette, Wash Mrs. Charles W. Sewell, Chicago, I ington, D. C. Iff. Ruth Houlton, New York, N. Y. DeWitt Smith, Washington, D. C. Mrs. J. Horton Ijams, New York, Richard M. Smith, M. D., Boston, N .Y . ‘ Charles S. Johnson, Nashville, J. Edward Sproul, New York, N. Y. Tenn. George S. Stevenson, M. D., New Paul U. Kellogg, New York, N. Y. York, N. Y. Mrs. William Kletzer, Portland, Mrs. Nathan Straus, New York, Oreg. N. Y. Mrs. Clara Savage Littledale, New Carroll P. Streeter, Philadelphia, York, N. Y. Pa. Mrs. Betty Eckhardt May, New Linton Swift, New York, N. Y. York, N. Y. Felix J. Underwood, M. D., JackFrieda Miller, New York, N. Y. son, Miss. Neville Miller, Washington, D. C. Robert J. Watt, Washington, D. C. Ellen C. Potter, M. D., Trenton, Albert W. Whitney, New York, N. J. N. Y. Emma C. Puschner, Indianapolis, Herbert D. Williams, Warwick, Ind. N .Y . Floyd W. Reeves, Washington, Archibald B. Young, Pasadena, Calif. United States Department of Labor - For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. Price 5 cents each. Washington, 1942
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