Editors: JOHN P. HUBBARD, M.D..
THE report of the Children's Bureau contained in the Annual Report of the Federal Security Agency is a useful summary of the Bureau's appraisal of some of the gains that have been made during the course of the year and the needs yet to be met for the Nation's children. It also includes a review of the Bureau's resources and planning for the further development of the health and welfare of children. The following are excerpts taken directly from this report. Those interested in a fuller description of the Bureau's activities, especially the programs which are primarily of a welfare nature, will wish to consult the report itself.
Our Nation's Children
In 1949, one-half the children of the United States lived in families with incomes of less than $3,080 a year. One-fourth were in families with incomes under $2,000. The families of the 3 million children living with only 1 parent had an average income of $1,597, half the average income of the families of the 39 million children living with both parents ($3,174).
About 1 million childrentruly the Nation's disadvantaged childrenare in families of the migrant agricultural workers.
In 1950, 1 out of 5 mothers with children under 18 years of age4.6 million mothersworked outside the home. Of these mothers, 1.7 million had children under 6 years. About 6 million children under 18 years were in homes in which both parents worked. The mothers of one-sixth of all children living with both parents were employed; the mothers of half the children in broken families were at work.