WORLD WAR II ON THE HOMEFRONT

A PUBLIC CHILD CARE CENTER IN ER

     As mentioned in my most recent article, THE CLASS OF ’44, the effects of World War II were deeply felt here at home.  By 1944, most of the women in East Rochester were employed.  Local industries were making products for the war.  For example, at the Piano Works, aircraft bodies and wings for the Canadian Air Force were being made, and steel landing mats, pontoons, and tank treads were being made at the Carshops, as well as coal tenders for the Russian railroad.

     Our village’s Child Care Committee saw a great need for a public child care center.  Committee members included:  Daniel Malone (Justice and longtime ER activist), Mayor George Schreib, E. D. Seward (Pittsford Town Supervisor), Theodore Morgan (outgoing School Superintendent), Lewis C. Obourn (Elementary School Principal/incoming School Superintendent), H. L. Brainerd (Trustee, ER Village Board), Rev. Earl Winters (Pastor, Parkside Methodist Church), and Mrs. William Greeley.  Rooms on the second floor of the Parkside Methodist Church’s addition were selected as the appropriate location.  Mrs. Mark B. Furman, a trustee of the Church, was chosen as Chairman of the Center.  The Church was the perfect spot since it was next to the school buildings on East Avenue and bordered Edmund Lyon Park.

     Funding for the Day Care Center was provided by the federal and state governments.  Parents contributed to the cost of feeding the children.  The Lanham Act of 1940 authorized funds for child care facilities for children whose mothers were working in defense and defense-related industries.  Funding was authorized through Title II of the National Defense Housing Act.  The purpose of the Law was to assist communities with water, sewer, housing, schools, and other local facilities’ needs related to the war and war industry.  In 1943, the U.S. Senate passed the first national child care program “to provide for public care of children whose mothers were employed for the duration of World War II.   The federal government offered grants for child care services to authorize community groups that could demonstrate a war-related need for the service.  The program was justified as a war expedient necessary to allow mothers to enter the labor force and increase war production.”  The centers helped families of all incomes, and so addressed the needs of both children and parents. The New York State War Council also realized the need for child care programs.  And in 1942, organized the Committee on Child Care, Development, and Protection.

     Articles in the spring and summer editions of the East Rochester Herald newspaper describe the planning and opening of East Rochester’s Child Care Center.   The village Center was the first in Monroe County, outside of the city of Rochester.  It opened on August 14, 1944.  Government funding paid for the cost of renovating the two large playrooms and providing equipment.  A sick bay and office area were also configured, with the church kitchen to be used for serving meals.  In selecting a director for the Center, Mrs.  Furman suggested Miriam Senzel, a young woman who lived in Rochester, and had graduated in 1942 from the University of Rochester with Mrs. Furman’s daughter, Justine.  Miriam, “Mimi,” had gone on to master’s studies in social work.  Mimi worked with her father to paint chairs for the children as well as helped make cubbies out of orange crates for the children to put their coats and boots in.  The Center was open six days a week for 12 hours a day, Monday – Saturday.  Mimi rode her bicycle from Rochester to work, with her father driving her in bad weather.   A staff of eight full and part-time attendants helped run the program. The Center had a lot of community support.  In September, for example, the ER Cornell Study Club women canned 100 quarts of tomato juice for the children.  In December, children, parents, and members of the sponsoring committee were guests for a Christmas program.  Following carols and stories, all were treated to punch and cookies.  Parents were given gifts made by the children.

     I would like to thank Stephanie Harris and Mary (Clark) Hess (Mrs. Furman’s granddaughters) for their help in my being able to talk to Mimi’s daughter, Faith.  Through her I was able to connect with Mimi, who at 104 years of age, is living with her daughter in Virginia.  Mimi’s memories are very vivid of her time at the Center.  I could feel her sense of pride and joy in her thoughts of that time.  The Center provided a vital service to our community for many months.  While it closed in October 1945, following the end of the War, it provided a model for other communities to follow.  Its service was so well done that according to Mimi, the Center won an award from the State of New York.   

The attached photo shows the Parkside Methodist Church on the corner of East Avenue and Main Street.  The building is presently the Koinonia Fellowship Calvary Chapel, East Side.