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GOALS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN THE FROM T R A N S I T I O N WAR TO PEACE Adopted by the C H IL D R E N S BUREAU COMMISSION O N CHILDREN IN WARTIME https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis at the start of war . . . ui C H I L D R E N ’S C H A R T E R IN WARTIME 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 parents are mobilized for war or war production. IV. Conserve, equip, and free children of every race and creed to take their part in democracy. — adopted by the Children’s Bureau COMMISSION ON CHILDREN IN WARTIME Washington, D. C. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis • March 18 , 1942 in the midst of war . , . In the spirit of the Children’s Charter in Wartime, adopted two years ago, the Commission on Chil dren in Wartime renews its call to the American people to take needed steps to assure to all children of every race and creed full protec tion amid the devastation of war, and to plan now for their welfare in the transition from war to peace. — adopted by the Children’s Bureau COMMISSION O N CHILDREN IN WARTIME Washington, D. C. 3 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis • , March 18 1944 for our children , . . THESE GAINS HAVE BEEN MADE For many families incomes have risen as a result of war employment. Through National, State, and local effort and private enterprise, homes have been provided for millions of war workers. Food-distribution policies, including school-lunch programs, have made possible for many children a higher level of nutrition than they have known before. Hospitals, schools, and recreation centers have been provided in many war communities. The maternal mortality rate in 1942 again showed substantial reduction. Infant mortality in general has decreased, although recent figures from some areas show increases. Medical, nursing, and hospital care has been made available during maternity and infancy for the families of men in the four lowest pay grades of our fighting forces without cost to the families. Youth themselves have given a great amount of volunteer war service, have brought their needs to public attention in a con structive way, and have worked out, with adult participation, sound leisure-time programs for the teen-age group. State and local governments have provided means for coordi nated planning and action to mee/: youth needs through public and private effort. 4 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis THESE PROBLEMS CO N FR O N T US As fathers enter military service many families are now required to adjust to a much lower income level. Shortages of doctors, nurses, and health and hospital facilities are affecting the quantity and quality of health protection and medical care, especially in military and war production areas and in many rural areas in which shortages existed even before the war. At least a million children are being taught by unqualified teachers replacing those with better preparation. Qualified teachers are being dismissed in areas in which school enrollment is declining. Children are working long hours, at night, at tasks beyond their strength, and often under conditions morally unsafe. Many thousands of children whose mothers are employed lack care or supervision during day or night hours. Millions of youth, feeling the restlessness, excitement, and anxiety that war brings, lack both effective means of sharing in adult concerns and opportunities for wholesome fun and com panionship. Rising juvenile delinquency, causing general concern, is a symp tom of widespread failure to meet youth needs. Girls too young for such responsibility are experiencing mater nity, frequently without the protection of an established home, often in a war community where they are strangers. Children are being born under conditions fraught with insecurity. Children in minority groups often are denied essential oppor tunities generally available to other children in the communities in which they live. 5 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis for children of other lands . . . Looking beyond our own borders, we are appalled at the suffer ing and destruction of children of allied and enemy countries. These shocking realities should strengthen our determination to extend relief to children of war-stricken areas as rapidly as possible. They should strengthen our determination to cooperate to the fullest extent in the relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction work of the United Nations, and They should strengthen our determination to lend full support to the establishment of international organizations for the main tenance of a just and lasting peace and to do everything possible to make sure that no other generation of children will have to suffer from the destruction of war. planning as we move frotn war to peace . . . No date can be fixed as a dividing line between war and post-war planning, even if it were possible to predict when hostilities will cease. Many families and some communities are already in the post-war period, as men have returned from military service or war workers have lost their jobs. • Many breadwinners now in military service will never return to assume their responsibility toward the children dependent on them. Many others will return as permanently disabled vet erans, with serious curtailment or complete loss of earning power. The post-war planning now under way must provide for children and youth if victory is to mean opportunity for them to share in building a world based on freedom and justice. We dare not, for them or for our future, risk another generation of transient, idle, frustrated youth, like those of the early years of the depression. Post-war planning must also provide for maintaining the free dom, integrity, and security of the family. All political parties have an obligation to pledge full support of measures needed to assure to all the children and youth of the Nation at least the minimum opportunities required to equip them to take their part in democracy and in the establishment of peace and justice among the peoples of the world. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis GOALS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH 1 Safeguarding of family life in wartime, during demobilization, • and in the post-war period, including— Strengthening and extension of special guidance, counsel ing, and rehabilitation services particularly needed in re establishing families disrupted by wartime separations, with due recognition of the spiritual, emotional, and social bases for wholesome family life. Assistance and service to families of men in the armed services facing radical readjustments of income and stand ards of living. Economic policies designed to encourage production of an abundant supply of goods to meet the needs of families and children and to provide employment opportunity for all at such wages and under such conditions as will assure an adequate economic basis for family life, with protection against discrimination in employment because of race, creed, or national origin. Extension of the coverage and benefits of social-security programs without residence restrictions. Housing policies and standards directed toward providing every family with decent housing so planned that necessary health, education, recreation, and welfare facilities and services for children are available. Extension of health service and medical care to assure access to adequate care for all mothers and children, including— Provision of health services for infants and young children through the organization of well-child health centers in every community lacking such facilities, and extension of such service where it is inadequate. Development of adequate health and medical-care pro grams, including health education for school children and employed youth, with extension of school-lunch and nutri tion programs, and enlargement of the program for crippled children to include particularly services for children with rheumatic fever and heart disease in all States. Provision of public medical care or health-insurance pro grams as needed to assure access to adequate care for all mothers and children. 7 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Planning for measures needed to assure adequate distribu tion of skilled medical and nursing care and adequate hos pital facilities for mothers and children in all parts of the country, urban and rural, including plans for demobilization of medical and nursing personnel now in the armed forces, appropriate provision for further professional training, placement in areas of need, and plans for hospital and health-center construction with provision of funds necessary for operation. o Regulation of child labor and safeguarding of youth in wartime •^’ employment; plans now for young workers demobilized from industry and for youth leaving school in the demobilization period; development of policies for the post-war period which will assure protection and educational and employment oppor tunity to youth. Specifically, these goals include— Continued emphasis upon and further implementation of the declared policy of the War Manpower Commission that in most cases youth under 18 can best contribute to the war program by continuing in school. Extension of community programs, developed with the cooperation of management, labor, and the public, for safe guarding youth who are employed in agriculture and in industry on a part-time or full-time basis. Adequate appropriations for full enforcement of Federal and State child-labor laws, with special emphasis upon elimination of child labor under detrimental conditions, for excessive hours, and at night. Planning now for the guidance and counseling service of youth when they are demobilized from industry; develop ment of educational programs suited to their needs, with student aid as required; retraining and placement in private industry or public employment; broadening opportunities for training through apprenticeship; extension of mini mum-wage protection for minors; and other youth services as needed. More experiments with guided work-study programs con ducted cooperatively by schools, employers, public conser vation agencies, and camps, to permit youth to experience work appropriate to their age as a planned part of their education. 8 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Increased financial support by local, State, and Federal governments for the further improvement of education without discrimination on account of race, creed, or national origin. Establishment of adequate post-war child-labor and schoolattendance standards developed in the light of wartime experience and extending to areas not now fully covered, through State child-labor and school-attendance laws and Federal child-labor legislation. Development of policies relating to health, schooling, em ployment opportunities, and recreation for the post-war period which will assure to youth opportunity for full de velopment and to the Nation at all times generations of both sexes physically and educationally equipped and morally prepared for whatever service the Nation’s safety and wel fare may require, whether in peace or in war. A Development of community recreation and leisure-time services \* for young people, with participation in planning and manage ment by youths themselves, including— Full use ol school buildings and playground for after-school, vacation, and adult-education programs and extension of school camps. Mobilization of all community recreation resources with special attention to joint planning by public and private agencies. V Development of continuing provision for joint Federal and State services for the stimulation and encouragement of community recreation programs, especially needed in the period of demobilization. Extension of responsibility for planning and management of programs for youth through youth councils and committees, parent councils, and parent-youth community councils. r C Development of State and local public child-welfare programs ü and the work of private agencies to assure social services to every child whose home conditions or individual difficulties require special attention, including— Extension of child-welfare services, with Federal assistance as needed, to all counties and local areas in all States. Such services should include adequate legal and social protection 9 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and care for children whose parents are dead or whose homes are broken, children of illegitimate birth, children who are neglected or delinquent, and children suffering from other social handicaps. Enlargement and improvement of community programs of child care with Federal assistance to State departments of welfare and of education to provide adequate services to children whose mothers are employed. Development of closer relationships between social agen cies and schools, health agencies, recreational agencies, courts, and police. /Z Review and revision of legislative safeguards and standards relating to children in preparation for the 1945 sessions of State legis latures, in the light of these goals for children. Sharing of the public responsibility for the health, education, and 7• welfare of children by Federal, State, and local authorities, with recognition of the primary responsibility of the State and local units, and of the importance of providing Federal funds for local services through grants-in-aid to appropriate State agencies, and with removal of residence restrictions in the selection of personnel for such programs. O Provision for training professional personnel required for services to children and youth and for preparing volunteers to assist in rendering such services. Increased opportunities for youth to share in the planning and 9* development of programs— local, State, National, and interna tional— for the benefit of youth. Education of parents, youth, and all citizens concerning the 0* importance of providing full security and opportunity for chil dren for the sake of their own happiness and well-being and for the future of the Nation. T he realization of these goals w ill require the highest order of leadership, substantial sacrifice, and a sustained and coordi nated effort on the part of a ll groups throughout the Nation. 10 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CHILDREN’S BUREAU COMMISSION O N CHILDREN IN WARTIME Officers and Members Chairman, Leonard W. Mayo, Cleveland, Ohio First Vice Chairman, Mrs. Harriet A. Houdlette, Washington, D. C Second Vice Chairman, Boris Shishkin, Washington, D. C Secretary, Edith Kockwood, Washington, D. G Edith Abbott, Chicago, 111. Fred L. Adair, M. D., Chicago, 111. Cyrü Ainsworth, New York, N. Y. Frederick H. Allen, M. D., Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Robert A. Angelo, York, Pa. Reginald M. Atwater, M. D., New York, N. Y. Kenzie S. Bagshaw, Holidaysburg, Pa. Leona Baumgartner, M. D., New York, N. Y. Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune, Washington, D. C. Alice Drew Chenoweth, M. D., Louisville, Ky. . Nathan E. Cohen, New York, N. Y. William L. Connolly, Providence, R. I. Paul B. Comely, M. D., Washington, D. C. Grace L. Coyle, Cleveland, Ohio. A. W . Dent, New Orleans, La. Loula Dunn, Montgomery, Ala. Nicholson J. Eastman, M. D., Baltimore, Md. John W . Edelman, Washington, D. C. Mrs. Gladys Talbott Edwards, Denver, Colo. Marshall Field, New York, N. Y. Homer Folks, New York, N. Y. Franklin P. Gengenbach, M. D., Denver, Colo. Willard E. Givens, Washington, D. C. Lester B. Granger, New York, N. Y. Mrs. Sidonie M. Gruenberg, New York, N. Y. Mrs. William A. Hastings, Madison, Wis. Marion Hathway, Pittsburgh, Pa. Henry F. Helmholz, M. D., Rochester, Minn. Mrs. Kate Bullock Helms, Columbia, S. C. Harold W . Herman, Chicago, 111. George Hjelte, Los Angeles, Calif. Anne Sarachon Hooley, Washington, D. C. Howard W . Hopkirk, New York, N. Y. Ruth Houlton, R. N., New York, N. Y . Mrs. Henry A. Ingraham, New York, N. Y. Charles S. Johnson, Nashville, Tenn. Mary Alice Jones, Chicago, 111. Mrs. Robert M. Jones, Seattle, Wash. Paul U. Kellogg, New York, N. Y. Rev. C. E. Krumbholz, New York, N. Y. Mary E. Leeper, Washington, D. C. N. S. Light, Hartford, Conn. Mrs. Clara Savage Littledale, New York, N. Y. Oscar L. Miller, M. D., Charlotte, N. C. Rhoda J. Milliken, Washington, D. C. Broadus Mitchell, New York, N. Y. Emory W . Morris, D. D. S., Battle Creek, Mich. Mrs. Rose Norwood, Boston, Mass. Monsignor John O’Grady, Washington, D. C. E. W . Palmer, Kingsport, Tenn. J. Milton Patterson, Baltimore, Md. Ellen C. Potter, M. D., Trenton, N. J. Emma C. Puschner, Indianapolis, Ind. Grace A. Reeder, Albany, N. Y. Floyd W . Reeves, Chicago, 111. Mrs. Horace B. Ritchie, Athens, Ga. Howard L. Russell, Chicago, 111. J. Harold Ryan, Washington, D. C. DeWitt Smith, Washington, D. C. Roy Sorenson, Chicago, 111. J. Edward Sproul, New York, N. Y. William H. Stauffer, Richmond, Va. Mrs. Mabel K. Staupers, R. N., New York, N. Y. Mrs. Faye Stephenson, Cleveland, Ohio. George S. Stevenson, M. D., New York, N. Y. Mrs. Anna M. P. Strong, Marianna, Ark. Linton B. Swift, New York, N. Y. Felix J. Underwood, M. D., Jackson, Miss. Joseph S. Wall, M. D., Washington, D. C. J. Raymond Walsh, Washington, D. C. Mrs. Roy C. F. Weagly, Hagerstown, Md. Herbert D. Williams, Warwick, N. Y. Mrs. Gertrude Folks Zimand, New York, N. Y. 11 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CHILDREN’S BUREAU PUBLICATIONS related to programs of the Commission Single copies may be obtained free of charge from the Children’s Bureau. Purchase orders should be sent to the Superintendent of Documents, Washington 25, D. C. A Children’s Charter in W artim e. Children in Wartime No. 2. Pub. 283. 5 cents. For O ur Children in W artim e—A P rogram of State A ction; Child, October 1942. Community A ction for Children in W artime. Pub. 295. Controlling Juvenile Delinquency. Pub. 301. 28 pp. Reprint from The 10 pp. 1943. 1942. 1943. 5 cents. 10 cents. To Mothers and Fathers of the Nation’s Wartime Children; a letter from the Chief of the Children’s Bureau. 4 pp. 1943. Legislation for the Protection of Children in Wartime. 36 pp. 1943. Children in a Democracy; general report adopted by the White House Conference on Children in a Democracy, January 19, 1940. 86 pp. 20 cents. White House Conference on Children in a Democracy— Final Report. 392 pp. 1943. 65 cents. Pub. 272 Standards of Child Health, Education, and Social Welfare, based on recommenda tions of the White House Conference on Children in a Democracy. Pub 287 21 dd 1942. 10 cents. ’ ' Our Concern— Every Child; State and community planning for wartime and post-war security of children, by Emma O. Lundberg. Pub. 303. 84 pp. 1944. 15 cents. U . S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Frances Perkins, Secretary Children in Wartime N o. 5 U . S . G O V E R N M E N T P R IN T IN G O F F I C E CHILDREN’S BUREAU F. Lenroot, C h ief Katharine Bureau Publication 306 16— 4 0 2 0 8 -2 For sale by the Superintendent o f Documents, Washington 25, D. C. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis : Price 5 cents.
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