Observation and Theory
Although the first two aims of repairing and preventing damage were paramount under the war conditions, the nurseries provided a tremendous opportunity for research and teaching. In particular, the children presented the possibilities for longitudinal studies of child development. To this end, Anna Freud trained her staff to become observers. All staff members meticulously recorded their observations of children's behaviour on index cards and these observations were pooled (A.Freud, 1973a). Developmental charts were constructed for each child based on the observations that focussed on key areas: feeding, sleep, bodily development, intellectual development and object relations. This method of recording observations that Anna Freud had introduced to the Jackson Nursery in Vienna, developed into an important research tool in psychoanalytic child observation (Hellman, 1983).
Above: A meal at the Children's Rest Centre
Training The Staff
In November 1941, Anna Freud and Dorothy Burlingham decided to offer 20 young staff members an informal training course. While the demanding work which allowed little time off or holiday breaks typically led to a rapid staff turnover in other nurseries, Anna Freud and Dorothy Burlingham's training course ensured that their nursery never lacked working students. There was a long list of applicants eager to fill any vacancies that arose. The younger staff used their rest hours to attend a series of courses prepared by the older members of staff. They also rotated departments in the nursery to gain experience with babies, toddlers, nursery children and ill children. The training scheme's value extended far beyond its practical wartime value in that it created an opportunity to test the possibility of an all-round training of workers with children and offered the opportunity to observe the impact of the war on young children.
Above: In the staff room at New Barn.