1 20 1 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/34455/archive/files/3cf3612bf17139621d0c0f6f61659376.pdf?Expires=1787788800&Signature=jFiPw4oifYxxYjVGusoHKa8MHSUX7bDlxSLRHc3yNyK0oI2cgbs7qVslNBSd40ZAmNFtLN99zOMSSGymF2cX7rk3TuhDVqeSnftpfrhUBDZD0dzVtCuHOfFc47wdB99bMa9P4CJMbzPdA6AnDGxw896Qa0M7FAxKmw2ScS8OIYmxJuXn-t%7EOfJXu6LstCQNQC1-lzf9loAI6qkiZH1n-RwF0W2i6NQ5xFYji49DUfNtrJ3MCI-5A7BAyx1fNCDburjlhl58PjHe60DXwz--LCAsV3vCcx5DhSApwJeoqma2F7sJzZsXR4vL5c44KG4rLqmKlbE504Tqk0XNLTIPM2w__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 96d2a50f799ccea960145bd34839e8f5 PDF Text Text Re port of the Nursery School - February, 1941 The purposes of too Nursery School, as operated at the Jewish Children's Home , 1135 South 1st Street, by the Joint Connnittee of the Council of Jewish omen, and the Jewish Welfare Federation, are based on the latest developments in the knowledge of children, and their needs . It bas been said that the foundation of personality is already firmly established by the time tba child reaches primary school age . Assuming this to be only partially true, the importance , of providing suitable opportunities for personal growth for children under the age of 6 is obvious . Public School systems thru Kinder- gartens accept children from the age of 5 and some few have lowered this to include children of 4 because of falling enrollments . However, generally speaking, the public schools have not yet acc~pted the obligation of providing adequately supervised learning opportunities for children 2½ to 5 years of age . As in the case of tbe development of public schools for older children, the values to be derived probably will have to be demons t rated by private schools for a considerable time . The modern nursery school is a combination nursery and school as tbs name implies. It offers the child the good physical care of the good old-style day nursery, plus the opportunities for learning , social adjustment, creative experience, and personality gro~~h. Play is the child ' s work . It is thru supervised play that the child is helped to establish basic habits of work, friendliness , order, etc; that is, is helped to develop his own abilities in relation to other people . The teacher of this type of school must ba.ve special skills . Increasing tre confidence of the child in his own ability and at the same time developing the ability to cooperate constructively with other children is no easy task. The teacher helps the de - velopment of routine habits such as washi ng , eating, sleeping , �- 2 - toilet habits which should be performed with a minimum of attention . Conventional habits of courtesy are taken as a matter of course, and soon are adopted by the children who learn more by example than by being told what to do. uentering attention on The teacher uses her knowledge of children, worthwhile behavior, ignoring negative be- havior, using authority only when necessary in cases of anti-social behavior, disturbing the group or other children, or when children are in danger and above all remaining ca lm and collected under all situations no matter how trying they might be (for that is how the child learns that calnmess is more effective than anger . ) At the risk of boring you, this brief background of nursery school principles has been recited in order to emphasize that the most important function of too nursery school is what it does for the child as well as the release of the mother for other activities such as work, social opportunities, and physical betterment . Some parents cannot afford tm tuition of expensive private nursery schools and do not want to use second-rate cheaper schools operated on nonprogressive and non-constructive lines. Of course, many, if not most, parents still set public school entrance age as the time to send children to school. Because of this parents themselves are reluctant to use exi sting facilities for younger children, particularly if it means inconvenience in terms of taking the child to school and bringing him home . We have found that in the instances where the child most needed the experience provided at the school, the parents were least aware of this need, and in some cases antagonistic to the idea. parents is an important part of the work of slow process . Education of the the school. This is a Mother's meetings now being held regularly is one step in thi s direction; another consists of individual conferences with mothers and fathers . Actual demonstration of the school is the most successful means of teaching what it accomplishes with �- 3 childre n. All are encour aged to visit and see it in operat ion . As sone of you know, tm school was started as a result of an initia l letter sent to the Jewish Welfare Federa tion by the fore sighted and connnun ity- niinded Americ anizati on Commi ttee of the Louisv ille Sectio n of the Nation al Counci l of Jewish ~,omen , Chair.:A -- man , Mrs . Selma Kling , and Vice-C hairma n, Mrs . Kather ine Bottig he i mer . This letter reads in part, 0 I t has been brough t to the attenti on of the Americ anizati on commit tee ••• that a distin ct need bas arisen for a nurser y school to serve section s of the city ' s popula tion in which the Counci l has a natura l intere st . school would serve : This 1 . Pre-sch ool childre n living in the South- Centra l part of the c ty to whom other nurser y schools are not availab le . 2. Childr en whom social worker s have recommended and who are not being cared for by any other nurser y school . 3 . Immigr ant childre n of pre - school age who will use the school in learnin g Englis h and genera l orient ation. • • • • There is availab le a trained nurser y school teache r whom the Counci l is willing to sponso r in the establ sbment of the above describ ed school if the Jewish Welfar e Federa tion sees fit to accede to the f ollowin g reques t : That the Counci l of Jewish Women be permit ted to use the facilit ies of the playroo m, small dining room, lavato ry and outdoo r playgro und with equipm ent of the Jev1ish Childr en's Home . The 8ounci l expect s to meet any additio nal expens e incurre d in the prepar ation of lunche s for tm childre n plus a per capita sum to the Home to cover the cost of food • • • • • The locatio n of the HonB and the facili ties afford ed are so ideal and invest igation has r evealed an urgent and increa sing need in this community for this type of service . We believe that vrith your co- �- 4 operation a l"eal service can be rende l:'ed the connnunity • •• " This letter is truly worthy of the fine tl"adition s of social service developed by the Louisvill e Section r£ tbe National Council of Jewish Women . The willingne ss to pioneer in a com- paratively new field cannot be praised too highly. Continued negotiatio ns between the Council and Federatio n led to establishm ent of a Joint Committee to operate the Nursery School with the agreement that the Federatio n would provide tbe space and general facilities arrl the Council would meet any expenses in excess of the tuition fees. The initial nursery school equipment was to be furnished by the Council . On February 5 , 1940, the Nursery School was opened with brave hopes for the future . really too soon to tell . tremendou sly. Hgve these hopes become realities? It is We know we have helped individua l children In our opinion, this makes the school worthwhil e . We know we ba.ve helped some mothers to undel:'stan d better the needs of their children . Working mothers have been relieved of worry about theil" children' s care . We have helped children shy and uncertain when they entered school to become confident and self-asse rtive . We have helped children to learn to get along with other children, to engage in cooperativ e undertaki ngs, to eat properly, to dress themselve s, to use their abilities in c r eative experienc e in painting, clay modeling, block buil ing, music and rhythm, to speak English. The school is open from 9 to 2 :30 daily from Monday thru Friday. The children play and work indoors and outdoors , rest , have fruit juice an:l cod liver oi l , listen to music and rhythms, tell stories , have discussion s , eat lunch arrl have a two hour nap, milk and crackers and dress themselve s to go home . is followed carefully . Each child's developme nt Children have and use their own clothes cupboard am shelf for pe:rsonal belonging s such as cup and comb. �A tuition fee of $1 . 75 per week was charged the first semester from February to June. There was no school during the SUil1Iller . Since September 9, when too 2nd semester started, a tuition fee of $2 . 00 per week ms been charged. Originally it was thought tba.t a maximum at- tendance of 10 children daily was all that could be accommodated . After the schoo+ had been in existence several months, the Connnittee then decided that tbs attendance should be enlarged to 15, for with adequate space ar.d facilities it seemed that more children should be given the opportunity to benefit from this training . maximum attendance ms not been attained . As yet this we believe that the school is still in a period of development and tbat success with thEfhildren we have will bring new enrollments . in a few instances. This has already been demonstrated Tentative applications have been made for several children when they reach the Nursery School age. transportatio n is a difficult one . The problem of Children in other neighborhood s would come if transportatio n could be arranged. The committee is still working for a solution of this problem. From February to June 1940, there was an enrollment of 18 different children who c ame for varying lengths of time. From September thl'u December, 16 different children were enrolled. The major reasons for the enrollment in the spring semester were as follows {some children are listed under two reasons) Social and personality adjustment - 12 {This means the parents wanted the children to learn personal habits, play with other children, etc.) Poor neighborhood and playmates - 2 Speak English - 3 Working mother - 8 Health problem - 3 In the fall semester these were as follows: Social and personality adjustment - 7 �- 6 - Poor neighborhood and playmates - 2 Working mother - 6 Health problem - 2 Children who left school, did so for the following reasons: Entering 1st grade public school - 1 Entering kindergarten - 4 Lack of transportation - 3 Temporary enrollment due to illness of parents - 2 Each instance in which we have helped children is. a separate story. A few will serve to illustrate : J . entered school at the age of 4 in February, 1940 . Her mother, who has been very cooperative in carrying out plans for J . helped in the family store . The neighborhood in which the family lived was chiefly colored. When J . first came to school, she was shy and had a strong feeling of insecurity. She had trouble dressing herself , refused to talk with people she did not know well, was a feeding and sleeping problem at home . She now has lost most of her shyness, eats well , sleeps better and takes care of herself completely. She is much more sure of herself and is ready to start in kindergarten. This case is typical of several others, shy, uncertain, ill-at-ease , with feelings of inferiority who have been helped considerably at school . A scholarship case is R. who entered school for a short tim in May and then returned this fall . standards. R. is 3½- years old , from a home of poor He had no playmates and no possibility for outdoor play when first admitted. Since then the family have moved to better quarters . R. is a very nervous overactive child , very rough in his behavior. At home he has no restrictions and practically all the timeo gets his own way His mother is lazy and does not want to be bothered carrying out any plans for him. Until transportation thru a friend was arranged, she did not bothar to send him even tho be was very anxious to go and she was anxious to have him go . R. needed to �- 7 learn how to get along with other children , presenting numerous pro- blems of social adjustment and cooperation. ·jumping from one thing to anothel:'. He was very flighty , He is now much quieter and able to stick to one thing for a longer period of time . He still needs close supervision as he easily hurts himself and others. without help at this time, he would present a serious problem by the time he got to public school. Several of the children present this type of problem. Their best help can come at this early age . The cases of most interest to the Council are, of course, those of the refugee children attending the school . c. a 4 year old boy attended school in February as a scholarship case shortly after his arrival in this country. leader and well adjusted child . and American ways . He was a natural He needed help in learning English He learned in an amazingly quick period of time and now attends kindergarten where he is doing extremely well . K. is a 3 year old scholarship girl who entered school in February, 1940. She was a baby in every respect when she started school baving been accepted at too earliest admiss~on age. She would not eat un- less fed by someone, she could not dress herself, she spoke no English and practically none was spoken at home . Now she She was shy and timid . takes care of herself completely , feeds herself , dresses her- self, speaks English, ms a mind of her own, assumes responsibilities , and can be considered a normal happy 3 year old . M. is now a 4 year old child who entered school in February, 1940. She was otll' most serious !ll'Oblem at the time of her admission. She and her family have been thru some rather terrifying experiences and the effects on her were particularly marked. frightened , insecur e and unsure of herself . to doing anything by or for herself . She was extremely She was not accustomed She refused to talk ( even in German) am would lie on the floor or stand in the co:rner for an �- 8 - entire morning . She was afraid of other children . slightest protest she would pennit other children away f !'om her . 7fithout the to take things If another child so much as looked in her direction , she ro uld s brink and hide in a co rner . plays by herself a good deal . Now she is still quiet and However, she plays with other children occasiona lly, arrl enjoys it . She builds very well and likes to tell tbe other children what s he has built (which is part of the school program); sbe tolls stories at story time, telling about her summer vacation, things at home , and sometimes mentions the country f r om which she came . She speaks English well . would consider her a good pup i l who gets along well . We we believe the scbool has saved her from many serious personali ty difficult ies . These cases are enough to illustrate the work of the school and its beneficia l effects . In addition, the teacher at the . School is a German refugee who obtained kindergar ten training in Germany and additiona l nursery school training in this country. We feel that the provision of employmen t for b.Gr tbru the establishm ent of the Nursery school is in line with the aims of the Council in relation to work with New Americans . This fine work of t he school bas cost the Council to January 1st, 1941 as f ollows: $107 . 00 approxima tely for capital outlay to get the school started . This includes all major equipment not at the Home orig inally, and will not have to be replaced . lf, ;{$ 63 . 55 scholarsh ips February to June scholarsh ips September to .J~l:la-r., ~ ,....,,~-·~" Scholarsh ips i 54-.41 0 4~ •.9& Operating deficit of school to ~fiQ~-...a. ir ~ ... / · , A~.;5$~ Total cost to Council of school to J_anu,ap 1st in excess ·1 of original capital outlay. C) _ .-00. I l}t,S~ ~ . - - A present the operating expenses of the school are per week : Salary of teacher •••••••••• ••••••••o $12. 50 N.Y.A. girl carfare ••••••••• •••••••• 1. 00 (approxim ately) �- 9 - Food@ 10¢ a meal ••••••••••••• ••••••• $ 6 . 00 (approximate ly) Incidentals •••••• ••• ••••••••••••• •••• . 50 $2o.W These figures would vary according to the number of children at tend ing school and obtaining meals . 20 Figuring approximatel y two wee k semesters, the budget for the school for this period would be apprad.mately $800.00. We are asking the Council for a definite allocation of $100. 00 for each of these two semesters which will total $ 200 . 00 to carry the Nursery School to February , 1942 . remainder will be provided by the tuition at the School. The The money allocated by the Council will be used to provide scholarships for children who other-wise could not attend the school . Preference for scholarships , as in the past , will be given to refugee children. Report submitted by JffiINm COMMITTEE OF THE COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN AND TI-IE J EW I SH WELFARE FEDERATION t Mrs . M1~ . VMrs • Mrs . Mrs . _ Mrs . l Mrs . 1 Mr . Edgar Bottigheimer lbl' w David Johan \ L. W. Cole ,~~~ ·' J Arthur Kling \ S. H. Starr Hugo '.i1aust1ne David Traub Alexo.nder w. Er Mr s . Herman Handmaker, Ex Officia l ( Mr . Victor Burger, Ex Officio) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Holocaust and the Ohio Valley, 1920, 1933-1990s Description An account of the resource This collection consists of documents and photographs related to Jewish experiences in the Holocaust and World War II, Jewish American efforts to support refugees, and historical memory of the Holocaust in Kentucky and Southern Indiana. This digitization project is in partnership with the Louisville Ballet's <em><a href="https://www.louisvilleballet.org/a-time-remembered/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A Time Remembered</a> </em>performance, which marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. <div><br />Holocaust-era family documents center on the Wolff, Levy, and Ackermann families who escaped to the United States from France and Austria, and ultimately settled in Louisville. Passports provide photographs of the family members and track their movements through countries. Letters document their efforts to navigate the administrative barriers to passage, and the tragic fate of relatives who were not approved to leave.<br /><br />Records from the National Council of Jewish Women, Louisville Section document the organization's activist work in fundraising for and directly serving refugees in the city, and political organizing around national immigration policies and economic boycotts of German-made goods. The collection includes sample correspondence from national organizations and individuals who supported and were against Zionism in response to the violent antisemitism of the Holocaust. <br /><br />The final items in the collection document Holocaust memorial events in the 1990s. Invitations, photographs, scripts, press releases, and articles represent the memorialization work of the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Community Federation of Louisville, <span>Louisville Ballet, Louisville Orchestra, and other  organizations.</span></div> <br />This project was generously supported by the Jewish Heritage Fund.<br /><br /><a href="https://jewishheritagefund.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://jewishheritagefund.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/jhfe-logo-leftaligned-color@2x.png" alt="jhfe-logo-leftaligned-color@2x.png" width="306" height="58" /></a> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920, 1933-1990s Type The nature or genre of the resource Collection Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 20th century Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Mss. BJ N277a Folder 015 1941-02 Title A name given to the resource Report of the Nursery School, February 1941 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Joint Committee of the Council of Jewish Women and the Jewish Welfare Federation (Louisville, Ky.) National Council of Jewish Women. Louisville Section Jewish Welfare Federation (Louisville, Ky.) Description An account of the resource 9-page, typed report on the Nursery School operated by the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Louisville Section and the Jewish Welfare Federation of Louisville, Kentucky. The document begins with the need for, purpose, and principles of the "combination nursery and school" for "children 2 1/2 to 5 years of age." It outlines how Selma Kling and Katherine Bottigheimer of the NCJW Americanization Committee spearheaded the creation of the school in part to serve "Immigrant children of pre-school age who will use the school in learning English and general orientation." The school opened on February 5, 1940. The report profiles the initial behavior and improvements of some of the students, including three refugee children. The document notes that "the teacher at the School is a German refugee who obtained kindergarten training in Germany and additional nursery school training in this country. We feel that the provision of employment for her thru the establishment of the Nursery School is in line with the aims of the Council in relation to work with New Americans." Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-02 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 20th century 1940s Subject The topic of the resource National Council of Jewish Women. Louisville Section Jewish Welfare Federation (Louisville, Ky.) Jews Jewish women Women Kentucky--Louisville Kentucky--Jefferson County Louisville (Ky.) Children Education Immigrants Emigration and immigration Jewish refugees Refugees Schools World War, 1939-1945 Germans Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource report Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Mss. BJ N277a, Folder 015, National Council of Jewish Women. Louisville Section Records, 1906-2020, The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. for other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ Property rights in the collection belong to The Filson Historical Society. The Filson Historical Society can provide high-resolution scans of original source materials from its holdings for non-commercial and commercial use. To learn about this process, visit https://Filsonhistorical.org/collections/order-reproductions/