Description
Book SynopsisA revealing study of early child care political action and advocates in California
Trade Review"A gripping tale of California politics, working women's activism, and the welfare state. Fousekis introduces readers to a remarkable cast of characters: ordinary women who recognized that to support their families they needed the peace of mind that quality child care could provide; visionary educators and teachers who understood child care as part of public education, and not social assistance; and male allies in the legislature and public service who were instrumental in policymaking."
--Eileen Boris, coeditor of The Practice of U.S. Women's History: Narratives, Dialogues, and Intersections
"Fousekis unearths an important skirmish in another of America's yet-to-be won battles. . . . [She] reminds us of the far-reaching consequences of a withered labor movement and the absence of a broad-based coalition fighting for child care."--
Women's Review of Books "A lively story of an enlightened service to working women . . . . a contribution to the history of child care; the history of American women."--
American Historical Review"A delightful book of interest to students and scholars of the welfare state, second-wave feminism, social reformers, the history of education, and the anti-Communist movement. Fousekis does an exemplary job of integrating women's personal stories into the childcare movement."--Robyn Muncy, author of
Creating a Female Dominion in American Reform, 1890–1935Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: War and Its Aftermath 1: Californians Secure Wartime Child Care 2: Postwar Hopes: The Fight for Permanent Child Care, 1945-47 Part II: Mobilizing During the Cold War 3: "Child Care Is a State Problem": Working Mothers and Educators Take Action, 1947-51 4: "We Need to Stand Together": Theresa Mahler, Mary Young, and the Coalition's Victory in the 1950s Part III: The War on Poverty and the Age of Protest 5: "We Do Not Consider Ourselves Welfare Cases": Education-Based Child Care and Low-Income Working Families, 1958-1965 6: A Different Kind of Welfare State: The Coalition in the Age of Protest, 1966-71 Conclusion
