New sources of substantial federal and state funds for consumer education and vocational homemaking for low-income families created a change in the Family Life Education Program of Youngstown.
The main emphasis of the program concentrated on improving homemaking skills and vocational training for women of low-income families in metropolitan housing developments.
Gertrude Hendricks became the Assistant Supervisor of the program. Dr. Pauline Botty, Head of the Sociology Department at Youngstown State University, accepted the position as Evaluator. Seven teachers were hired for programs in Child Care – Day Care Aide Training, Clothing and Related (New and Renovated), Foods and Health, Upholstery and Furniture Renovation, and Leisure Time Activities/Crafts.
To recruit enrollees for participation in the classes, five “connectors” were hired. Some centers provided an apartment within the housing complex for classes. Many of the program features were adapted from the curriculum developed by Gertrude Hendricks and June Weamer in the Homemakers and Home Management Series (1965-1969). However, new sources of federal funding in the late 1960’s provided additional programs to meet the special needs of low-income families living in inner-city housing projects. On July 24, 1968, the Youngstown Vindicator, reported on the new source of funds.
“Will Upgrade 4 Housing Projects – Get $375,433 Federal Grant for 1,411 low-income Youngstown families, a $375,433 federal grant awarded Tuesday may mean a better laundry room, a larger playground for the children, or, perhaps, just another electrical socket to make the ironing easier.
The families benefiting from the grant, approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), reside in the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority’s four low-income projects: Westlake Terrace Apartments, Kimmelbrook Homes, P.L. Strait Homes and Michael J. Kirwan Homes.
Chester A. Amedia, housing authority director, views the grant as a “breakthrough” in the upgrading of low-rent housing in Youngstown because the improvements and programs are designed to “involve” the residents themselves.
Applied in April – The history of the grant traces back to April 11 when the authority applied for federal funding under a new U.S. program to improve existing housing for low-income people.
Even before that, Amedia and his staff had consulted with the various development councils to learn what improvements the residents themselves thought necessary or desirable.
… Under consideration also, Amedia says, is a plan to provide draperies for apartments. The program, which would cost about $20,000, would be worked out with the Board of Education and the sewing classes of the Adult Evening Education Program.”
In 1969, the Youngstown Board of Education would apply for its own funds for the Consumer-Homemaking Education Project under the Department of Adult and Vocational Education. The funds could only be used in economically depressed areas or areas with high rates of unemployment. Funds were granted in 1969, but the program did not commence until 1970. Dr. Botty provides the following description in her evaluation reports.
“The Consumer-Homemaking Education Project for the Youngstown area commenced in January 1970. The evaluation for pilot period of January through April of 1970 indicates that six neighborhood centers were served. The centers in the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Projects included Hagstrom House at Westlake Terrace, Hanson Center in Kimmel Brook, Victory Annex at Victory Center, and Brier Hill Annex. Centers served in non-housing projects included Clarence Robinson and Gilead House. Gilead House was sponsored by the Catholic Diocese.”
“The Youngstown Consumer-Homemaking Education Project (1969-1972) responded to an opportunity extended by the Federal government for taking home economics education programs to the people in economically depressed areas with the dual purpose of strengthening their homemaking-consumer roles and their wage-earner skills. It has been administered by the Director of the former Family Life Education Department of the Youngstown Public School System.
The specific purposes or objectives which the program was designed to reach in the local community included:
- Improvement in homemaking practices
- Better utilization of participant’s own resources
- Improvement of and meeting immediate physical-psychological needs in the home
- Helping their own children to live better and enjoy life
- Providing Day-Care Services for working mothers
- Training of Child Care Aides
- Training of Adults for Homemaking Services
These objectives were reached in a greater or lesser degree by means of the following work-training area activities:
- Furniture Repair and Upholstering
- Food Preparation and Health Services
- Leisure Time (Crafts-Hobbies) Activities
- Sewing Repairs, Alterations, and Dressmaking
- Child Care Training Activities”
The program, coordinated and supervised by Gertrude E. Hendricks, was in operation during the school years of 1970-1971, and 1971-1972. With the dissolution of the Family Life Council in 1972, and Gertrude Hendricks’ subsequent retirement as Director of the Family Life Education Program, the status of the program is unclear. (Mrs. Alfreda Croff became the coordinator of the family life program in 1972. According to Dr. Botty’s report the family life program in the schools were drastically cut by 1972.)
Gertrude Hendricks’ Descriptions
“Program sponsored by the Consumer-Homemaking Project, Youngstown Public Schools in cooperation with the Associated Neighborhood Centers and Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority.
Child Care (Day-Care) experience – Manpower or College trained. To assist Nursery Schools and Day-Care Centers … on-the-job training for personnel. Act as an advisor to Centers …work and train in centers.
Foods and Health – Teach good nutrition and food preparation using low-cost foods … menus, recipes, better buy-manship techniques, etc. … special diets … easily made articles when illness comes to the home.Leisure and Activities – Attractive inexpensive items for the individual and for the home …dollar stretching ideas. Crocheting, knitting, rug making, millinery, fancy foods, gift items, cake decorating, etc. Sr. Citizens and Young Homemakers find real learning experiences.
Leisure and Activities – Attractive inexpensive items for the individual and for the home …dollar stretching ideas. Crocheting, knitting, rug making, millinery, fancy foods, gift items, cake decorating, etc. Sr. Citizens and Young Homemakers find real learning experiences.
Sewing, Draperies, and Relating Areas – Material selection, wise and appropriate buy-manship skills are taught. One can learn the necessary skills for making New garments and Renovation of old items into attractive new garments. Selection, buy-manship, and construction of draperies were also taught.
Upholstery and Furniture Renovation – Refinishing the wood … Material selection using wise and appropriate buy-manship techniques are stressed … tieing springs, webbing, padding, laying out and cutting material, sewing, tacking, tufting, etc., are part of the learning skills found in upholstering the simplest chair.”
“The Youngstown Family Life Education Program includes among its many offerings a course for Home Assistants or Home Attendants. Twenty-four graduates of this course have become employed in private homes or as Aides in hospitals.
The ten-week course is held six hours a day, five days a week, and enrollment is limited to twenty-five students per section.
The course content and experiences include:
- Orientation to the job
- Qualifications of the employee (grooming, dress, personal relationships, work skills, job applications, etc.)
- Understanding of people: aged, senile, children, the sick or convalescent, physically handicapped, emotionally disturbed, etc.)
- Field trip to County Home
- Work in classroom kitchen (use of tools, utensils, management principles)
- Food preparation service (meals, diets for patients)
- Appliances (range, refrigerator, laundry, small appliances, etc.)
- Laundering procedures
- Safety
- Housekeeping practices
- Patient Care
- Child Development
Another course prepares Nursery School Aides. Of the sixteen persons completing this course thus far, six were immediately absorbed in nursery schools operated by the Associated Neighborhood Centers located in their area and economically deprived areas. Others were employed by local private agencies. Two are caring for children in bowling alleys, and two are hospital attendants working in the children’s ward.
This 16-week course includes observation of children in nursery schools and in other situations, films, demonstrations, interviews, attendance at parent meetings, field trips (e.g., to children’s librar, hospital), guest speakers (e.g., speech therapist), reading, and written reports.”
(Summary of the Program prepared by Gertrude Hendricks for publication in Illinois Teacher of Home Economics, Adult Education: Preparation for Employment, Home Economics Education, University of Illinois, (Vol. VIII, No. 5, 1964-1965).
Acquiring federal funds required extensive compilation and documentation of statistical data and activity records. Teachers and Connectors were required to utilize standardized reporting formats for attendance and daily activities. These reports were handwritten entries onto standardized forms and submitted to the Supervisor, Gertrude Hendricks. The reports were then summarized and formally submitted to the Youngstown Board of Education. In addition, Dr. Botty used information from these reports in her evaluation reports for the federal government.