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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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We also made a very great change in the planning and thinking of the Children's Eureau, which was then in the Department of Labor, recognizing, as I've already said, from the beginning that in case of prolonged war in Europe, and a prolonged sucking of women into the industrial life of America, there would be a great increase in the necessity for some community care of children—not just relying upon each individual family's provision for its children. That would involve schools, nurseries, all kinds of private as well as public institutions and instrumentalities for the care and feeding of children. We had the President emphasize from the very beginning that whatever else went short in this country, the children must never go short, that they must always be fed, always be cared for, must always be given shelter and education. That was an investment for the future. If there was any short supply, it would be taken by the adults. We did assert that pretty well. Very early the President came out with some such comment in some speech.

As I've said, among other things that we thought up very early was also a plan for partial evacuation of children if necessary, which really meant not evacuation. into a remote section of the country, but the moving of





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