The Barrett Day Care Center, formerly the Janie Porter Barrett Day Nursery, is the oldest day care center in the State of Virginia. It was organized in the fall of 1935 by Daisy V. Green, a registered nurse of Petersburg, Virginia and former employee of the Charlottesville City Health Department; it was supported by the Works Project Administration of the Education Department. The Nursery was originally located in a building owned by Courtney D. Goodloe at 126 4th Street, N. W. This small facility served as the Nursery's home until August 1940 when it closed upon Mrs. Greene's departure. During these early years, many friends made donations, and the children were admitted free of charge.

In January 1941 the Nursery re-opened under the same name and still under the support of the Works Project Administration. A December 23, 1942 letter from Mrs. Frances Cromwell, State Supervisor of the Child Protection Program, stated that by order of the President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, all W. P. A. projects would be liquidated as of January 16, 1943. On December 31, 1942, Douglas Edwardsand Otelia L. Jackson, members of the Nursery, along with members of the Belmont Day Nursery, met with the Charlottesville City School Board. Board members of both nurseries were in favor of continuing the Janie Porter Barrett Day Nursery and closing the Belmont Day Nursery. Following this meeting, during which the School Board informed the Nursery that it was not its sponsor, an appeal was made directly to the State. This advisory committee succeeded in getting the Department of Public Welfare to sponsor the program. This could be done under the provisions of the State Child Care Committee appointed the previous fall, if the program was classified as "day nursery" rather than "nursery school." On January 13, 1943, the Nursery was given permission to continue. Responses from volunteers and local organizations were good. The Child Welfare Associationpaid salaries of teachers following the first month when teachers had given their service free. Rent had also been donated that first month. The Nursery continued operation through 1943 without interruption under the supervision of a group of Charlottesville citizens with funds raised entirely in Charlottesville. In becoming a day nursery, it had extended its services by taking care of children for ten hours rather than only from nine to three; it also took the five-to-six-year-olds who had been excluded under the former plan. The Nursery struggled to maintain its existence until the organization of the Community Chestand its acceptance of the Nursery as one of its agencies.

There was a regular tuition charge of one dollar a week per child. A plan was worked out whereby the mother and the employer were asked to share this tuition as each benefitted from the care of the child. Response from employers was chiefly favorable. A few mothers paid the entire tuition themselves. A few others were unable to pay any because of financial obligations. For such cases, there was a scholarship committee which investigated the case; and, on the basis of their recommendation, whole or partial scholarships were granted.

In addition to tuition fees, the Board of the Nursery sought other sources of income. It was granted an appropriation of seventy-five dollars per month by the City Council, which was given as an increased appropriation to the Department of Public Welfare, the official sponsor of the Nursery. The local Child Welfare Association was the next largest contributor with $700 per year. There were also individual and group contributions.

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the Nursery inhabited several locations until moving to its present location of 410 Ridge Street in the late 1950s. During its first few years, the Nursery lacked the requirements to meet the needs of the community, such as not having an outdoor play area or the services of a trained director. From July 1950 until July 1951, the Nursery secured the services of Miss Velma Branch, a graduate of Hampton Institute and College with a year's experience in the Nursery School at Hampton Institute. The board members and staff gained valuable information on the needs and management of a nursery school from Miss Branch, and used this knowledge to the Nursery's best advantage. Immediately prior to Miss Branch's resignation there had been a reduction of the budget by the Community Chest.

During the 1960s, the Janie Porter Barrett Day Nursery moved from the sponsorship of the Community Chest to the sponsorship of the United Givers Fund. It continued to grow under their sponsorship. In the 1960s, the Nursery provided a unique service to Charlottesvilleand Albemarle Countyas the only day-care center for children in the community. It provided day care for children of low-income families thereby enabling parents to hold full-time jobs, thus increasing the family's income and keeping it off welfare. The community also benefitted from the productivity of these families and the availability of additional workers for its businesses, industries, and personal services.

Present day management of the Nursery by a Board of Directors came into existence during this time. The Board of Directors consists of citizens from all areas of the community with an interest in pre-school children and who demonstrate leadership qualities. The Board determines the policies of the Nursery and supervises its finances. The Nursery program is based upon standards established by the Virginia Department of Welfare and Institutionsfor day-care centers.

During the 1960s, about 70% of the Nursery's operating expenses were provided through the United Givers Fund. Most of the other 30% came from tuition fees paid by parents. There were also surplus food items and gifts of services from a local business and physician. Tuition was paid by the parents of all children in the Nursery. Fees charged were based on the income of the family and the number of independent children with a minimum of $2.50 and a maximum of $8.50 per child per week. A small scholarship fund was available to assist families of children who may have become financially distressed through loss of job, loss of a parent, or extended illness.

The building located at 410 Ridge Street in which the Barrett Day Care Center operates was owned and operated by the United Givers Fund throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The building was deeded to the Barrett Day Care Center, Inc.in 1977 by the United Givers Fund, now the United Way, with the stipulation that it be used as a day care center. As of 1989, the Day Care Center operated solely on donations and tuition fees and was the only non-profit day care center in Charlottesvillethat did not have an underwriting sponsor to help pay for such expenses as utility or maintenance costs. Donations were not as strong as they needed to be; and, although United Way assisted ten children at the center with scholarships, there was still a waiting list for children whose families needed financial assistance for tuition. Working with the Board of Directors of the Day Care Center and a representative of the Monticello Area Community Action Agency, the center's director, Cynthia Stratton, helped to set up a committee of individuals to raise the money necessary for the most pressing needs at the center and to continue the operation of the Barrett Day Care Center. Within two months, donations from Charlottesville-area businesses and individuals helped push a state-mandated project through at the center. They also boosted revenue for refurbishing the seventy-two-year-old building at 410 Ridge Street.

The Nursery is licensed by the Department of Public Welfare(formerly the Department of Welfare and Institutions) of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This license certifies that the Nursery meets health and safety regulations, has adequate space and equipment, has sufficient staff, and conducts a program that is beneficial to the age children admitted to the Nursery. In the past, the Nursery was a participating agency of the United Givers Fund of Charlottesville and Albemarle, Inc.It was also a member of the National Committee for the Day Care of Children, Inc., a non-profit agency which promoted adequate day-care centers and good standards for centers and which disseminated information in this field.

A digital exhibition drawn from these papers is available online.