In summary, the most pressing needs in securing properly qualified teachers are selection of candidates for teacher education, preparation in the basic sciences, educational methods, certification that requires preparation in health and physical education and assures healthy teachers, adequate supervision, and adequate compensation. PART III-IMPLEMENTATION A picture of the health or fitness needs of school children has been drawn and data presented to show that the needs are not being met. A program which effectively meets the needs of the school-age child is complex. This complexity results in part from the fact that the school-age child is subject to the concern and influence of numerous agencies, professional groups, and indiduals who are interested, officially or unofficially, in programs which affect the health of the community in general and frequently the health of the child in particular. The two official agencies most likely to sponsor health programs for children are the State health and education departments. Not all but many features of the community health program which affect the school-age child can be more easily and efficiently carried out while he is in school than is possible outside the school. These health activities within the school include examination, immunization, and follow-up leading to corrective services, plus the provision for a safe, sanitary, and healthful school environment. In addition there must be services and faciilties in the community. The teaching of health principles and practices and a well-rounded physical activity and recreational program are essential to a well-developed school health program, which in addition to other school activities should contribute to the best welfare of the school child. Since all experiences of the child condition his behavior, his experiences in the home, the school, and the community must provide opportunities for active pupil participation. An efficient, effective health program for all children of a community will result only when 1. The public departments of health and of education as well as specialized personnel within each department agree to the principle of coordination of health programs for school children, including the health program of the community and the health aspects of school programs. 2. Each agency and profession respects the contribution of the others. 3. The agencies agree to an administrative plan which will promote the most efficient and cooperative direction of the several phases of the program and the supervision of the several types of professional workers. 4. The professional workers of each agency are permitted to perform services in their professional fields for the best interest of all children. 5. Sufficient funds become available to carry out the program. The following specific proposals are made: 26 On the Federal level.-The United States Office of Education, Children's Bureau, and the United States Public Health Service should form a committee to plan cooperatively the activities of the Federal Government in school health including the existing programs, the planning for any extension of these programs, the formulation of over-all policies, and the establishment of regulations governing the administration of any funds that may be made available. On the State and local level.-1. Committees comparable to the coordinating committee on the Federal level should be established at the State and local levels between departments of public education and health. These committes may include representatives from professional educational institutions and other agencies and professional groups concerned with the health of the school child. 2. In the departments responsible for health instruction, physical education, and health services there should be qualified professional personnel such as physicians, nurses, and educators all of whom have been trained in school health. 3. A comprehensive program to meet the health needs of school children in any State should provide for (a) Development or extension of programs in teacher-education institutions to prepare administrators and teachers so that they can participate effectively in the school health program. 26 Dr. Katherine Bain, Director, Division of Research in Child Development, Children's Bureau Dr. Mayhew Derryberry, Chief of Field Activities and Health Education, U. S. Public Health Service; and Frank S. Stafford, Health and Physical Education Service, U. S. Office of Education, have been appointed as such a committee by the administrators of the respective agencies. (b) Appropriate pre-service and in-service education for school health administrators, teachers, nurses, physicians, dentists, nutritionists, and other specialized health personnel serving the schools. (c) Adequate time allotment for health instruction and physical education of children and for their participation in solving individual and community health problems. (d) Planning for construction and inspection of the school plant and its sanitary provisions and a planned program to insure and utilize a safe and sanitary school environment including transportation. (e) Thorough school medical examinations including necessary immiunization and laboratory procedures. (f) Special testing programs and treatment as needed for abnormalities such as those of vision, hearing, and speech. (g) Cumulative health records including record of nutritional status. (h) A school lunch program developed as part of the total educational program. (i) Dental care. (j) Mental hygiene. (k) Care for children with crippling diseases, especially rheumatic fever. (1) Treatment as needed for other adverse health conditions. (m) Demonstration areas for the development of improved techniques, to meet the needs with respect to the school health programs of the individual States. (n) Organized program of parent participation and education. (0) Health services for school personnel. ADDITIONAL REFERENCES Association for ehildhood Education. Healthful Living for Children. What are the Characteristics of an Individual Growing Toward Optimum Health, by Rose Lammel. Washington, D. C., The Association, 1944. Preparation of Teachers for the Program of Physical Fitness Through Health Education. Education for Victory, 1:32, June 13, 1943. Society of State Directors of Health and Physical Education. Present Day State Programs in Physical Education. Committee report by Ray Duncan. New York, April 1944. Senator CLAUDE E. PEPPER, EXHIBIT 80 THE HURON VALLEY CHILDREN'S CENTER, INC., United States Senate, Washington, D. C. DEAR SENATOR PEPPER: In response to the request for suggestions from your committee on juvenile delinquency, I am enclosing a brief description of the child guidance clinical system in Michigan. The children's centers have been established in strategic points throughout the State to provide treatment, guidance, and counseling services to those children who have been or are in danger of becoming delinquent. An equally important part of our program is to serve as a spearhead in a widespread educational program toward prevention at early levels. Thus, many popular talks are designed to break down faulty conceptions about child development. For instance, the idea that parents should bring pressure upon children to become independent at infantile stage is a rather widespread hoax which has caused untold misery. We attempt to break down such fraudulent notions and develop more wholesome attitudes in our talks with educators, social and recreational agencies, juvenile courts, and parent groups. A basic viewpoint is to help children develop their psycho-social equipment to the point where they can make their way through life and its difficulties. Michigan is one of the States which provides a vigorous and realistic program. I would suggest that grants-in-aid be used to stimulate and encourage other States to develop similar programs geared to their particular needs. I think you will agree that there is little sense in paying millions for treatment and institutions without doing something about the source of the trouble. We don't handle the problem of mararia today simply by treating the individual who is afflicted. We go to the swamps. Well then, let us get to the swamps in dealing with social problems. I will be very much interested in having your reactions about the above suggestions. Sincerely yours, SAM WHITMAN, Acting Director. HURON VALLEY CHILDREN'S CENTER, A GUIDANCE SERVICE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH PURPOSE The Huron Valley Children's Center is a public resource for the study, guidance, and treatment of educational, personality, and conduct disorders of children from birth through high school age. One of the goals in treating the problems of children is the prevention of serious psychological and social maladjustment which, if not arrested early, may ultimately require treatment in a mental or correctional institution. Since prevention is a keynote, the center staff is available for public talks and discussions to local groups interested either in deepening their own understanding about children or in spreading what is known to be sound and up-to-date practices in dealing with children. PART OF STATE HOSPITAL COMMISSION PROGRAM The State hospital commission has a twofold program. One is the care and treatment of the mentally ill in institutions and outpatient clinics. The other is a preventive program, the major part of which has been delegated to child-guidance centers in the State. The Huron Valley Children's Center is one of these centers. HOW ARE THE CENTERS FINANCED? The professional staff of the centers, usually consisting of a psychiatrist, one or more psychiatric social workers, and a psychologist, is provided by the hospital commission in accordance with civil-service requirements. Office space, secretarial help, supplies, and other costs incidental to operation of the center are borne by the locality which is served. The location of the Huron Valley Children's Center in Welch Hall in Ypsilanti is fortunate especially from the financial standpoint because it is a State-owned building. Since space was provided without cost, the local communities were relieved of the necessity of providing additional funds for housing. Although it is located in Ypsilanti, the center serves Washtenaw, Lenawee, Monroe, and a small part of Wayne. An advisory board serves as liaison body between the community and the center. WHAT CHILDREN ARE REFERRED? The problems of children are revealed by certain symptoms which, for the sake of simplicity, may be grouped as follows: Conduct disorders.-Truancy, running away, stealing, lying, sexual misbehavior, etc. Personality disorders.-Feelings of inferiority and unpopularity, overaggressiveness, fighting, destructiveness, day-dreaming, violent temper, disobedience, unreasonable fears, etc. Habit disorders.-Thumb sucking, nail biting, bed wetting, masturbation, food fads, etc. Educational problems.-Refusal to go to school, inability to learn, repeated school failures, reading disability. It is not unusual to find overlapping in the above groups. It should be emphasized that the disorders listed above are usually symptoms of poor psychological, physical, or social adjustment, the causes of which are studied by members of the clinical staff. Parents often request a cure for a symptom but can usually relinquish this in favor of doing something about the causes which produce the symptom. Thus we find there are no bad children. But we do find unhappy, sick, or confused children who need help toward readjustment. HOW ARE REFERRALS MADE? Since we believe that no one person or agency has a monopoly over the care and guidance of children, we welcome the participation of the individual or agency who has taken the responsibility of referring a child. Ideally, the parent would recognize the beginning of maladjustment in a child and would take the step of coming to the center to discuss the problem informally. However, a parent doesn't always see his child as others do and needs help from the school, children's worker, visiting teacher, county health nurse, physician, or minister in making the referral. Where a social, health, or character-building agency has already established a relationship with a child, the center will work out cooperative treatment plans when so indicated. Early recognition and referral of a problem to a suitable agency is a valuable contribution towards a solution. Frequently parents have failed to take the suggestion of bringing their child to the center, because they thought the child "would grow out of" his shyness or destructive behavior. When the trouble becomes very acute they will come to the center feeling upset that they did not apply for help sooner. Parents should be assured that the attitude of the staff, at all times, is, “We have a problem now; let us plan from this point." PREPARATION OF THE CHILD Implicit in our theory of the treatment process is our belief that most children have, to more or less degree, the capacity to grow psychologically as well as physically and to make an adequate social adjustment. We cannot "grow children up" and we cannot socialize them. We have to help them release their potentialities for growing up and for social adaptation. We must, therefore, enlist their participation, even prior to arrival at the clinic. To accomplish this, preparation is essential. To propose the center to the child in the heat of a clash over misbehavior is not as effective as waiting until the incident has cooled. In talking with the child, every effort should be made to prevent a child from feeling that he is going to the center because he is "bad." Parents should explain that the child is unhappy and not getting along well, and mother and father are unhappy about it. "We will be going to the children's center where we may be helped to get along better." THE STUDY AND TREATMENT PROCESS It has been known for some time that human behavior is complex and many sided. Problems have been traced to physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and cultural causes. Hence, the study and treatment of human behavior requires a many-sided approach. The child may be seen by the psychologist who attempts to appraise a child's intellectual abilities and disabilities. For instance, the question as to whether a child is failing in school because of inadequate mental equipment or because of emotional or environmental factors is soon discovered. If the child's physical condition is a possible factor contributing to his condition, medical reports are sought. The staff physician will evaluate the emotional and medical findings to determine what bearing it has upon the presenting problem. When medical problems are found or suspected, the child is referred to the family physician for treatment. The psychiatric social worker will make an effort to evaluate social history, personalities, and intrafamily relationships as well as other family tensions. After a preliminary study, a staff conference is held to determine the best course of action to pursue with regard to the particular child. The center does not employ one method of treatment exclusively. The type of treatment varies with the needs and seriousness of the problem. Some children who cannot describe their problems in words may be helped to work out their problems through the medium of play in an atmosphere of warmth and acceptance. Others will talk about their problems directly and still others will respond best to a combination of techniques. Children are usually seen 1 hour a week until improvement takes place or until it seems apparent that they cannot profit from further help. ROLE OF THE PARENT While the child is being seen by a member of the staff, the parent is usually talking things over with another member of the staff. This offers the parent an opportunity to unburden himself, to share in the treatment plans, and to report on the child's progress from week to week. Some parents require only few suggestions; others might be so bewildered and frustrated by the child's behavior as to need continuous guidance and support. Others may have erroneous concepts which have been carried down from one generation to another. Some parents have been able to gain sufficient reassurance from a few interviews in which they learn about the methods which have worked and those which have not worked so well. The staff member tries to help the parent discover not only the causes of the child's behavior but, at times, helps the parent toward a deeper awareness of those aspects of his or her own personality which may be preventing growth in the parent-child relationship. Basic in our approach to parents is our conviction that they generally have the capacity to find a solution to their problem, but are in need of sympathetic noncritical counseling toward the release of this capacity. Staff. Samuel Whitman, psychiatric social worker, acting director; Jane L. Winninghan, clinical psychologist; Marion Iddings, M. D., visiting staff yhpsician. Available for consultation to staff, Dr. T. Raphael, psychiatrist. Board of directors.-F. E. Lord, chairman; G. T. Cantrict, vice chairman; M. E. Tripp, vice chairman; E. H. Chapelle, treasurer; J. L. Anderson, Walter Geske, Clark Tibbetts, William Eiker, Rex B. Forrister. The Honorable CLAUDE PEPPER, EXHIBIT 81 LAW SCHOOL OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY, United States Senate, Washington, D. C. DEAR SENATOR PEPPER: Dr. Glueck and I think you may be interested in the enclosed newspaper account of our research into the causes of juvenile delinquency. Mr. Lyons' description of our project in its present status is essentially correct. Sincerely yours, Enclosure. ELEANOR T. GLUECK, Research Associate. GLUECKS STUDYING 1,000 YOUTHS FROM SAME KIND OF HOMES, SAME KIND OF FAMILIES, TO GET THE ANSWER: WHY 500 TURNED OUT GOOD, 500 BAD (By Louis M. Lyons) "Give us 2 years and we'll give you some answers to delinquency," say Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck, of Cambridge. This is an extraordinary thing for a pair of top-rated and cautious scientists to say, with their studies still unfinished. But these are the top experts in America in this field and, when they say they have something, the people who deal with crime and delinquency are in the habit of lending an ear. They have produced the most important studies of delinquents and their behavior that have been done in America in the past 20 years. By 1948 the Gluecks will have finished a 10-year study that is delving deeper and more systematically into the causes of delinquency than has ever been done. They are far enough along so that they can see the direction of their results. The reason they feel justified in asking people to wait for them is that juvenile delinquency now has many a community by the ear. With crime rates rising after the war, committees are being formed, commissions are being appointed. From the research laboratory, where they are surrounded by the cataloged records of hundreds of delinquents gathered by a corps of assistants, Mrs. Glueck declares: "Our study will show that, out of hundreds of suspected factors, only certain proven ones are the villains to aim at to reduce delinquency. Neither headlines nor commissions will solve delinquency. Before you can wage an effective campaign on tuberculosis or infantile paralysis you have to have research to find the causes. "It takes the same ingenuity and patient research to get at the causes of delinquency. When we have isolated the causes we can determine the preventive program that will be useful, and also the effective treatment for each individual case." 88975-46- -24 |