The history of the day nursery (1870s--1930s) and its relevance to child (day) care today

The present study is from the standpoint of methodological individualism and that of idealism ("ideas" versus "interests").;There are two major "idealistic" explanatory ideas for the weakness of recent child (day) care policies in America: the idea that neither public nor private institutions should interfere in "normal families" (self-sufficient and two parent families); and the idea that "mother care" is superior to "other care," and that the children of "normal families" should cared for by "mother care" are not new but rather old and associated with the origin of day care in America. The fact that these ideas were applied only to "normal families" whereas "abnormal families" (non-self-sufficient and single-mother families) could be interfered by institutions also explains the creation and growth of day care policies.;The present study on the history of the day nursery movement (1870s--1930s) demonstrates that from a general standpoint the weakness of day care services has been a historical phenomenon. Major obstacles for the expansion of the day nursery to cover "normal families" have been the ideas of family privacy over institutional interference and the idea of "mother care" over "other care." In addition, the fact that abnormal families and their children could be interfered with by institutions also shows the rise and growth of the day nursery.;From a particular standpoint the present study shows that other obstacles for genuine day nursery work have been: the strong organized criticisms against the maternal waged labor, views regarding the day nursery as a "temporary expedient" and as a "necessary evil" and the weakness of the day nursery movement as a whole. Under these circumstances the day nursery never covered "normal families" but remained exclusively a service for some "abnormal" families.;A tentative conclusion from the present study is that as long as the idea of family privacy over institutions and the idea of "mother care" over "other care" continue to be dominant, and present images on day care are attached to the negative cultural legacy of the day nursery, it would be rather hard to anticipate genuine day care in the future in America.