Class for the Study of Child Nature meeting minutes, 1909

The collection contains the administrative and financial records of the Child Study Association of Maryland as well as documents related to activities of the society. These records provide a clear picture of the functions of both the overseeing organization and the individual chapters. They also illustrate the changing nature of the association and show its evolution from a parenting education society to a social support group for parents, primarily mothers.

Records such as the newsletters highlight the educational and legislative initiatives supported by C.S.A., including education television programming and state-supported daycares and preschools. The newsletters also provided updates on the daily functions of the group and announcements on kid-friendly events and newly released children’s books. Other records that may be of particular in interest in the collection are the C.S.A. radio show transcripts. The weekly program, which aired from 1944-1946, would focus on issues such as child health, psychology, and other parenting related topics, and reflects the parenting philosophies of the era. A decade later, C.S.A. created a television show which followed a similar format.