2500 City Children At 31 Kindergartens

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28700, 25 September 1958, Page 2

2500 City Children At 31 Kindergartens

The bright new kindergarten at North New Brighton is a shining example of the vast expansion plans of the Christchurch Free Kindergarten Association. Two and a half thousand children in Christchurch , were attending 31 kindergartens but there were about as many children waiting for vacancies, said Mrs A. F. Johnson, president of the association. Many more were probably not listed because of the long waiting lists. Kindergarten buildings of the required standard and their equipment cost a lot of money. A kindergarten committee must raise ’approximately £2OOO before government permission and financial aid are forthcoming. The kindergarten street appeal last year raised £l9OO. Tomorrow is daffodil day, when association helpers will sell spring flowers at points around the city, as well as produce and handwork from a central stall and at 699 Colombo street, where a special feature will be the sale of day-old chicks. Kindergartens will be closed so that their staffs can man the campaign.

First Contacts The tremendous value of free kindergartens in laying a sound foundation for children’s first contact with the world outside the home was emphasised by Mrs Johnson yesterday. “A child's adjustment to life will depend largely on how these contacts are made,” she said. “The value of kindergarten service in the modern world is widely recognised. As we get to know more about children, we understand more and more the importance of understanding their needs—learning through experience. Learning is an emotional business and living in a modern society is very complicated. We live so much more closely together.” It was a time tor more discipline, not less, Mrs Johnson said, but discipline must be of the right kind and come from within. Self-discipline, encouraged in kindergarten life among the children, was an aid to living peacefully together. Countries all over the world were awakening to the tremendous importance of fostering early in a child’s life proper means of expression, Mrs Johnson said. Kindergarten life taught children to share experiences, take their turns and adjust themselves to one another. Teachers were specially trained to appreciate the individuality of each child and take heed of the emotional climate. Kindergartens provided facilities for children to learn and develop at their own unhurried pace, and space in which to do it. The World Council of Early Childhood Education had just met in Paris, and the Australian Pre-school Association had met in Sydney. The World Health Organisation made reference to the need for children in our world of rapid change to develop greater self-reliance and emotional maturity. All recognised the vital influence of the home in children’s lives but next to that came early adjustments in a community of children of the same age group, said Mrs Johnson. Creative Play

An adult only needed to watch the creative activity at a kindergarten to see how satisfying the service was to a child. Under supervision children worked freely. It would hardly be called play, the way small children earnestly simulated all phases of home life; bathing, dressing and putting to bed baby-dolls, rolling dough and cooking in a miniature oven, washing up dishes at a tiny sink, setting tables and pouring tea were all part of the day’s intense work for many busy little fingers; telephoning grocery orders like mother, painting the concrete like father; shopping with baskets and toy produce; working puppets and talking to them as human beings; lots of activity with water and music and singing—all these outlets were provided at modern kindergartens with first-class equipment and supervision for the children.

Mrs Johnson said mothers were amazed on open days to see how earnest their children were and how well they had adjusted to their environment. Fathers too, were not forgotten and Saturday mornings were specially arranged so that he could be in on his children’s kindergarten life. There is no doubt that the kindergarten service provides a favourable environment for children at a most important formative period, to develop confidence, self-reliance and balance. The voluntary effort needed to provide this service is neverending. In addition to the extensive building programme and renovation of worn amenities, the association needs to provide extra facilities for the Christchurch kindergarten training college so that more students may be trained as kindergarten teachers. They are urgently needed, and only public support can help make the achievements possible. Daffodil Day is the annual street day when the public can give support for the children of Christchurch.