Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140
MS 292
United States. Federal Emergency Relief Administration. Mason City (Iowa) Central Nursery School
Scrapbook, 1935, n.d.
Descriptive summary
| creator: | United States. Federal Emergency Relief Administration. Mason City (Iowa) Central Nursery School |
| title: | Scrapbook |
| dates: | 1935, n.d. |
| extent: | 1.42 linear ft. (1 oversized box ) |
| collection number: | MS 292 |
| repository: | Special Collections Department, Iowa State University. |
Administrative information
| access: | Open for research |
| publication rights: | Consult Head, Special Collections Department |
| preferred citation: | United States. Federal Emergency Relief Administration. Mason City (Iowa) Central Nursery School, MS 292, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library. |
Historical note
| The nursery school in Mason City, Iowa was a Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) project. FERA (May 1933- December 1935) was the first direct relief program under the New Deal and was created in order to alleviate unemployment during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The nursery school in Mason City was run by trained supervisor F.J. Crawford and her assistant, Annabell Lyke. The school also had a part time nurse, Kathryn Heard. Twenty to thirty children between the ages of two and four attended the school where they played games, had free time, learned etiquette, took naps, and had a story hour. For a few months during the school year, home economics students from the local school prepared the meal as a part of their coursework. In addition to preparing lunch, the home economics students also had the opportunity to observe the children at the nursery school as a part of the child training of their home economics course. |
Collection description
| The scrapbook (1935, n.d.) contains newspaper clippings, photographs, and text describing the daily activities of the nursery school. A detailed description of the activities and resources at the nursery school is included in the scrapbook, and was probably written by someone working at the school. The newspaper clippings give brief descriptions of the events the nursery school hosted with parents, as well as the activities and opportunities the nursery school offered to the children and community. The photographs depict the children taking part in a variety of activities including playing games, eating meals, washing up, and attending the family events. Also included are photographs of the nursery school staff. |
Container list
Box |
Folder |
Title |
Dates |
1 |
1 |
Scrapbook: photographs, newspaper clippings, description of daily activities |
1935, n.d. |