The history of organized outdoor play for children in New York goes back over 100 years, reflecting the social and cultural issues throughout.

In 1917, a New England Society committee organized what was then called " the Colony House Guild" in order to take care of the children of factory girls and women. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle documented the Colony House’s work with the borough’s children.

In 1917, a New England Society committee organized the Colony House Guild in order to take care of the children of factory girls and women. First renting a house on Atlantic Avenue and then purchasing a home on Dean Street, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle documented the Colony House’s work with the borough’s children. The facilities of the colony house included classrooms, a gymnasium, an infirmary, a billiards room, and a library, and more. The directors and volunteers would teach classes, lead activities, and organize clubs. This included everything from cooking classes to dance to violin lessons. Students from nearby universities like Pratt would lend a hand and older children would set up basketball games. Serving children from kindergarten through high school, each child would initially bring a cent every day for admission. While this would later grow, the vast majority of the Colony House’s budget came from donations as well as some from state and federal funding. A Brooklyn Daily Eagle article from 1943 described glowingly what happened when a young child entered the center: “A visit to Colony House will answer the question, “what happens to the child when of a working mother when she leaves him at the door of the child care center?” The answer is that the child has wonderful care, sometimes better care than he gets at home. After the child’s arrival at Colony House he is given a serving of fruit juice or perhaps if he needs building up cod liver oil. Some of the nursery children will rest a bit before the supervised period of play. The period is always out of doors if the weather permits. Colony House has an excellent roof, carefully screened for younger children to play in, and there is an adjoining school yard ideal for school-age youngsters. Luncheon is a complete meal and is followed by one to two-hour naps. Freshened by their sleep the children will be given fruit juice or milk, after which they again play out of doors. Shortly after 4 o’clock they are brought inside for a quiet time, which means music, story-telling, or a quiet game. In the very hot weather they will have a shower on the roof. From 5 o’clock on the parents start arriving to take their children home.” “At Colony House the children learn useful habits, such as hanging up their clothes, neatly putting away their toys after play, washing up before meals. They have dancing, singing, games, dramatics and all kinds of craft work to amuse them. Colony House provides the children with weekday excursions, such as a trip to the Brooklyn Museum or a picnic to Prospect Park. IN pre-war days this settlement sent Is children to its own camp, but because of difficulties in procuring proper supplies in a small town, other agencies are used to give the youngsters of the settlement days in the country.”

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