CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS WORK

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 14, 12 October 1942, Page 4

CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS WORK

Problem Of Supervision hobbies and games for LEISURE TIME Between 10 and 27 per cent, of children attending Wellington- and Hutt Valley schools have parents both of whom are working. Of these children approximately 60 iper cent, are aged nine or more and little or no provision is made for their cafe out of school hours. The remaining children, under nine, are generally looked after 'by a neighbour or relative. Information to this effect, was placed before a meeting of interested organizations convened recently by the Minister of Education, Mr. -Mason, to discuss the problem. Plans were made for the supervision of childrens out-of-schoul hours, the Education- Department undertaking to provide a full-time organizer and, if necessary, -to make buildings and grounds available. Interested organizations are to be asked to appoint representatives to assist in the formation of district committees and the support of headmasters and chairmen of school committees is to be sought. Meetings of parents may also be called. The Director of Education, Dr. Beeby, who was .present, said that the children . concerned fell into three classes: the pre-school child, the child of school age and the adolescent child. It was the child of school age with whom he was at the moment most concerned. It was a local community problem and he hoped that out of the present wartime need somethin* might arise which would prove of permanent value.

It was reported that, as a result of a meeting held in June under the chairmanship of Professor Gould, arrangements had been made for the formation of hobtoy groups, suitable picture screenings and radio programmes and organized games. The Y.M.C.A. was already catering for 150 children from five city schools on two nights a week. It was also conducting classes at which about 80 adults were being trained iu leadership with the idea of forming boys ’and girls’ clubs in connexion with the churches. •

Dr. BeCby suggested the formation of youth community centres. At one city school he thought there were three or four rooms which might be fitted up for recreational purposes. One room might be a hobbies room, with suitable tools and materials; the second, a gymnasium ; the third, a games room, with necessary apparatus; the fourth, perhaps, a library, with facilities for drama presentation. The meeting agreed that the children’s activities should be entirely divorced from school work. The president of the Wellington School Committees and- Educational Association, Mr. N. E. Dalmer, said that the child should be permitted to carry on normal activities. If it wanted to read, or engage in a hobby or play games it should be enabled and encouraged to do so.