Kindergarten College To Have New Principal

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29800, 17 April 1962, Page 2

Kindergarten College To Have New Principal

Mrs E. B. Dalmer ha* been appointed principal of the Christchurch Free Kindergarten Training College to succeed Miss R. Wilkie. Mrs Dalmer, who will begin her new duties on May 21, has been interested in education for many years, specialising in the preSchool field. She is at present on the staff of the Child Welfare Department in Christchurch. With a B.A. degree and Diploma in Education from the University of Canterbury. Mrs Dalmer also graduated from the Christchurch Teachers’ College. Before her marriage she "was on the staff of Christchurch Girls' High School. When the Christchurch Play Centres’ Association was formed in 1941. Mrs Dalmer became a member during its first year. Since then she has held office as secretary and president. She was a member of the standing committee of the New Zealand Federation of Play Centres’ Associations and was South Island representative at the Australian Pre-School Association’s conference in Hobart last year.

Mrs Dalmer is one of the Christchurch association's delegates to the National Council of Women, and is on the council's executive. She is also a member of the liaison committee of the Christchurch Free Kindergarten Association and the Christchurch Play Centres' Association.

Some years ago Mrs Dalmer lectured in child development to homecraft teacher trainees at the Christchurch Technical College. She was twice in charge of the Avonside Girls' High School nursery school. She is the Governor-General’s representative on the Avonside Girls' High School board of governors.

Miss Wilkie has been, in charge of training kindergarten teachers for the Christchurch association for 25 years. She will retire on May 4.

Miss Wilkie trained in Dunedin as a student and director of kindergarten work, and in 1935 was granted a Carnegie fellowship to study pre-school education at Columbia University. New York. After continuing her studies in England she returned to Dunedin and gained her Diploma of Education at the University of Otago. She was appointed principal of the Christchurch association’s training college in 1937.