In the United States, the first day nursery was opened in
1854. Nurseries were established in various areas during the (51)
half of the 19th century; most of (52) were
charitable. Both in Europe and in the U. S. , the day nursery movement received
great (53) during the First World War, when (54)
of manpower caused the industrial employment of unprecedented numbers
of women. In some European countries nurseries were established (55)
in munitions plants, under direct government sponsorship.
(56) the number of nurseries in the U. S. also rose
(57) , this rise was accomplished without government aid of any
kind. During the years following the First World War, (58)
, federal, State, and local governments gradually began to exercise a
measure of control (59) the day nurseries, chiefly by
(60) them and by inspecting and regulating the condition within
the nurseries. The (61) of the Second World
War was quickly followed by an increase in the number of day nurseries in almost
all countries, as women were (62) called up on to replace men
in the factories. On this (63) the U.S. government
immediately came to the support of the nursery schools, (64)
$6,000,000 in July, 1942,for a nursery school program for the children
of working mothers. Many States and local communities (65)
this Federal aid. By the end of the war, in August, 1945, more than
100,000 children were being cared (66) in daycare centers
receiving Federal (67) Soon afterward, the Federal
government (68) cut down its expenditures for this purpose
and later (69) them, causing a sharp drop in the number of
nursery schools in operation. However, the expectation that most employed
mothers would leave their (70) at the end of the war was only
partly fulfilled.