FREE KINDERGARTEN COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 633, 9 October 1909, Page 7

FREE KINDERGARTEN COUNCIL.

ANNUAL MEETING. Tho report' of Council for. the past i'yeaf is ;an interesting and' shows thit 'the work ,of , the. council has de ; . veloped with really -amazing rapidity. At the bbginning; of ,tho: year. .Mip pliv6_ : Staco _\yas appointed headmistress .and Miss Cybele Kirk as first assitant. ' Accortllng' to: a recommendatioii from tho lnspcctor-Gcueral of Schools,.tho Minister for Education had granted the council a'BUbsidyibh' the'sanrt :Kindergarwn'; .'and during -.the -year ; JEBl'- lot had been received. . Threo new schools had been opened during the year-^one ; at Constable Street,'whioli;now has ,bver-50.:childreii ,bn : the roll,. waa .opened at. Easter :time.; -It; is' held in the'.Congregational .''Schoolroom,;'And. Miss • Cybele Kirk is in churge. ' : In. September secbnd;bra'nch, school Was opened at. Brooklyn; where the-'Baplist Schoolroom: was leht.v This 'school-;was',opened-with 33 children, andi: jiidg-, 'ihg from Jhe interest;,which: the. iuothers take iii'ity'it.'s'eeihs.likely to'be ii great.success';- Misi Dorothy Bulkley is in charge there. On October 1 a school was bpeiied at Island-Bay, with ten children,>but,'on the'following soliool day, there were 17; This. school is held in' St. porarilj; irt pharge, pEridiiiff the ; -arriral'Of , MfSaCicely Davies, 'a' younj 'lady ; ''just:-;'frbm'-"'Eng-land; who was. trained at the Erbebel liistitute, thcr«i 'The lsland;;Bay school:was started^entirely ; throughi.the - efforts':.'of' Chatfield, .who; ,had -'in <■ tho 'thbveme"nt, !o: . .(.'ri,-:.': . 1c ,lnn ■; •:yTbe'' anibuht , ' : 'c6llec{ed. ® ; aui l ing ~ - 'tlie: ^t- yi'ai', 'through - a^{^''>SMs^pMbns,® ! !iW'!>eflfcrS 9 tajnmeuts,'"amounts® W"i2tll "2s: r W/'' CbllSfttiia had been- unusually difficult dtirihg the "yeari and i this]' ambi/nt was v dii©? to' '.'the; ; ;iealbus' *fforts;.or a; few: devoted workers.;;" Reference was inatlo to the splendid wbrk 'done'iii, the.city , y i ;W<! ■ Moftodist .'.report malt<-wltii "the' absen<M v :qf;,'playgrounds '.for. , ", el ' i , ri ? tou children; and; suggested that spaces might, bo set aside in this city, ns in Dresden. ■.. J Ir, J as..Burnett, in'.tooVihg :the adoption, of •if® '-TOprt and . balance-sheet; said' that ho council should'impress' on-the Education Department tho great .difficulty of se- - pwg«.;fcaeh<*9, >d' - there' should, bo no diffiWfy J? persuading them"to institute such examinations, as .were suggested. Miss Richmond, as -pioneer or.this.kindergarten. mo'vement,' de..served ,the thanks of' the' public. ' & ;the'Training Sir pw ; •P rcs^, t officers - bo elected till Pebruajy, when .another -election would take place He expressed, his appreciation-: it done Jjy the free kmdei/artehs in Bid«i-.ttat..the record of the with tue establishment -of three how schools, ,°° e ~°. .be-proud 'of. He ' combated ;thepopular idea/that a' kindergarten is .designed to keep a. chtld from , tho: gutter, and emphaits "importance _ in' the' development and' education of; the child mind, and its indirect • value: as a means of_ impressing on'the; minds or parents the'necessity of developing a child's ktent,powers.•; He thought that the' difficulty ? kindergarten teachers 1 would .not be; with them . long,: :At the -Training' College there-:.were a ; number of. young-people wishing, t° ,<iuajify as; kindergarten' teachers, and one way. that .the council - might, secure 'its iiiin' was .bx-allying: 'itself, with .the Ediic'aHon Department and co-operating with: them until; perhaps sbmo.day it might be'possible to' estabis «?W'-..their own.'. -A' scheme'of :'co-: operation would'xibt cost so, very inuch.. They had already,:Overcbme. difficulties much greater than those. which' they hail no* to face. ' * Mr. Hursthouse seconded the resolution, which, was .carried, and' the meeting: closed' with a vote of . thanks to Mrs. Newman, the Mayoress, for presiding. ■ i •". . ■' • •' Acknowledging-this," Mrs. Newman' spoke of her deep interest, in-..the work of the free kindergartens, and -the pleasure which it : had given her to .preside. . . I' 1 ; .. V ;' Tho . balance-sheet' showbrl 'that,. during the year, subscriptions ■ had been received amohhtihg' 16s. ;od., various bhtertainments had brought in £107 Os. 4d., and the Government' subsidy had been .£Bl 10s.; had been 6pent in; salaries, and '235 ,14s. for rent.