The Edith B. Jackson Child Care Program, Inc. -- or EBJ, as it is commonly known -- will celebrate its 25th anniversary this month with a special presentation on the life and accomplishments of the pioneering Yale pediatrician whose name and initials it bears.
Sara Lee Silberman, a professor and historian from Connecticut College, will discuss the book she is writing on the late Dr. Edith B. Jackson during EBJ's "birthday celebration" at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, at the Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall St. The event will also feature a discussion about how the pediatrician's emphasis on the importance of nurturing youngsters is being carried on through the child care program. The public is invited to attend the free celebration.
A member of the faculty of Yale's pediatrics department 1923- 59, Dr. Jackson is best known for her efforts to humanize the delivery of services to children and families in hospitals and other institutions. She helped establish the practice of letting newborns "room in" with their mothers to promote bonding, and was responsible for many of the advances in the care of infants and children throughout the world. She died in 1977 -- five years after the founding of the child care program named after her.
EBJ was created by a group of Yale parents and faculty members to provide quality care for children of students, staff and faculty at the University. Two Yale pediatricians -- Drs. J. Deborah Ferholt and Sally Provence -- helped develop the EBJ model with the support of the Yale Child Study Center and its then-director Dr. Albert J. Solnit. The model called for the program to provide nurturing "family-setting care" by keeping group sizes small, offering continuity and consistency of care, and mixing children of different ages. These qualities continue to be part of the program's core philosophy.
In its early years, EBJ offered child care for young children whose parents lived in the graduate housing apartments at Yale's Whitehall complex. Its first director, Lola Nash, continues to be actively involved in the program as its educational consultant.
In 1989, the program was restructured, and began providing center-based care for other individuals with children ages 3 months to 5 years. Today the program, located at 407 Canner St. in New Haven, offers both winter and summer programs, vacation care, emergency early drop-off options, and a choice of full- or part-time care. EBJ works with special education services inside and outside of New Haven to provide support for special needs within the classes. It is also an observation site for Yale undergraduate students and child care providers from other programs.
For further information about EBJ, call Donna Bella, director, at 203-764-9416.