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The Need for Child Care
To shed light on the need for child care, a group of prominent New York philanthropists led by Josephine Jewell Dodge set up a Model Day Nursery in the Children’s Building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. -
The Beginnings of Child Care Reform
New York philanthropist, Josephine Jewell Dodge, founds the National Federation of Day Nurseries which was the first national organization devoted to child care due to the conditions mothers were forced to leave their children in. -
The U.S. Children’s Bureau
Instead of the Child's Bureau advocating for federal support for child care for mothers with a low-income, they worked to strengthen mothers’ pensions so that more mothers could stay at home and care for their child. -
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The Effects of the Depression and WW2
as unemployment rose due to the depression and WW2, day nursery enrollments fell sharply and charitable donations also declined, forcing 200 day nurseries to close down -
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The New Deal’s Effect on Child Care
The Works Progress Administration (WPA), a key New Deal agency, established a program of Emergency Nursery Schools (ENS). The WPA intended to offer employment opportunities to unemployed teachers who lost their jobs due to the economic downturn. Nearly 3,000 schools, enrolling more than 64,000 children, were started. -
After World War II
Congress passed the child care tax reduction which would deduct up to $600 per child from taxes for childcare purposes. -
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Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)
Two welfare reform bills were passed by Congress to provide federal support for child care policies designed to encourage poor and low-income women to enter training programs or take employment outside the home. -
The Reagan Era and Welfare Reform
Congress combined CCDBG, along with several smaller programs, into a single block grant which created the Child Care and Development Fund to better support lower-income families.
