York Day Nursery, turning 90 this year, was a trailblazer in York County child care

“Nursery School Outstanding Project on State Emergency Educational Program in York.” (Gazette and Daily, 1935)

“York Nursery School aids working parents” (Gazette and Daily, 1946)

“Nursery More than Just a Babysitter” (York Daily Record, 1976)

To mark the 90th anniversary of York Day Nursery, I have had the pleasure of compiling research on the role York Day Nursery played in the evolution of childcare in York County. It is remarkable how many headlines dating back nearly a century would still count as newsworthy today. While the Great Depression and the World War that followed were the first time that childcare was recognized as an emergency solution to a nationwide economic crisis, it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

What we now know as York Day Nursery was founded in 1932 by Netta Ford, Director of the York Visiting Nurse Association. Miss Ford was inspired by her time visiting Temple University’s Early Childhood Education Laboratory to start a nursery school in York in order to help the children affected by the Great Depression.

Originally caring for fifteen students and operating out of the carriage house of the VNA building at 218 East Market Street, the experimental school was funded entirely by donations and staffed with volunteers from the Junior League of York. After one summer of operation, the school closed due to lack of funding. Never one to be deterred, Miss Ford persevered.

By 1934 her efforts had paid off. Miss Ford found a willing ally in Dr. Victoria Lyles of the local public school and together they petitioned for support from the Works Progress Administration, a federal program aimed at bolstering the economy during the Great Depression. With the WPA backing, the school reopened to serve twenty-five children ages two to four whose parents were either unemployed or working with the WPA. The school was staffed by teachers whose salary was supported by federal funding.

When the United States entered WWII, a new stream of federal funding helped to sustain the school. The Lanham Act provided funds for nursery schools across the country to provide care to children so their mothers could work in factories. York had an even larger role to play in the war effort due to its significant contribution to defense manufacturing, otherwise known as The York Plan.

With the conclusion of WWII and the loss of federal funding, in 1946 a group of committed citizens came together to form the York Nursery School Association. That the school continued at all is largely due to the dedication of Arthur Thomas, the Director of the York Family Services Bureau. Throughout his tenure, he had become convinced that agencies like York Nursery School were a crucial lifeline for lifting families out of poverty. Under Mr. Thomas’s leadership, and with support from the York Welfare Federation, the school was able to move to a new location at 628 East Market Street and significantly expand the number of students they could serve.

In 1982, what was now known as York Day Nursery & Kindergarten became the first childcare center in York to accept infants. A major public education initiative helped dispel myths and allay fears about the effects of group care settings on infants. This would be just one of the many times when York Day Nursery blazed new trails in modeling effective childcare while also educating the community on its importance. To this day, York Day Nursery is one of only a few childcare centers that enroll infants.

By 1996, the school had once again outgrown its demand and moved to a new facility at 450 East Philadelphia Street. Under the leadership of Cathy Repman, York Day Nursery Director from 1985 to 2015, the school saw significant success. A successful Capital Campaign in 2012 added the Helen Pfaltzgraff Appell Fitness Center and the J. William Warehime Foundation Nature Center. The center achieved accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and a 4 STAR Status by Pennsylvania Keystone STARS.

With demand continuing to grow, and despite the global pandemic, York Day Nursery was able to open a satellite location at York County School of Technology in 2021. The partnership satisfied the dual goals of expanding access to high-quality childcare while also training high school students interested in a career in early childhood education.

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Ninety years after its founding York Day Nursery now serves 180 children, ages 6 months to 5 years, from two locations and remains committed to the same ideals on which it was founded.It is important to note that since 1932, what was originally the VNA School, and became the York Nursery School, and later York Day Nursery, never once enrolled children based on race, background, or their family’s ability to pay. Nine decades of photographs show children of all races playing and learning together. A clipping from 1943 reports on a black father questioning why another local childcare center refused to enroll his son, even though the VNA school accepted children of all races. A photograph from 1936 shows black and white students having a drink together, sitting side by side in the sunshine.

While York County has a deeply troubled history marred by racism and prejudice, this school has always known that the true enemy is poverty. No matter their skin color, the children whose parents need to go to work each day deserve to be safe, well-cared for, and educated. This is not a radical belief, just one that recognizes the humanity in every child, and one York Day Nursery upholds every day.

My takeaway from this research is that the success of this organization is really owed to the relay-race of individuals who passed this baton from decade to decade, and whose trailblazing ideals, while always ahead of their time, changed the lives of hundreds of families across multiple generations. Please join me in celebrating the 90th anniversary of York Day Nursery by lending your voice in supporting high-quality, affordable childcare for all. It is not a new idea, just one whose time has come.

Laura O’Grady is vice president of Advancement & Communications for York Day Nursery, Inc.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: York Day Nursery turning 90 this year