Women and the WPA (part 6 of 10): Nursery schools

The WPA operated nursery schools for many American children. If, for example, a single parent had a job, or the child's parents were in the military or war industries, the WPA was there to help. Women operating WPA nurseries helped the war effort, helped Americans in need, and helped care for the children of America's Greatest Generation. Out of the problem of unemployment came a great, effective idea.      

Above: A woman who works in the war industry brings her child to a WPA nursery in Pennsylvania before heading off to her job. Photo courtesy of the National Archives and New Deal Network.

Above: Children enjoying music at a WPA nursery school in Buffalo, New York. Photo courtesy of the National Archives and New Deal Network.

Above: A WPA teacher prepares children for mealtime, at a nursery school in Yakima, Washington, 1941. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. 

Above: The carefree days of youth, at a WPA nursery school in Arizona. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Above: Eleanor Roosevelt visits a WPA nursery in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1936. Note the WPA sign behind the woman on the right. Photo courtesy of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum. 

Above: Two children paint at a WPA nursery school in San Francisco, 1938. Photo courtesy of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum. 

Above: This undated photo is described as a National Youth Administration (NYA) nursery school in Baltimore City. The NYA started out as a subdivision of the WPA, offering work and training opportunities for teens and young adults. Photo courtesy of the University of Maryland College Park Archives.