Dr. Robert Reznicek

The attitude toward child care agencies in the United States was significantly changed during the second half of the nineteenth century. A review of the social and child welfare climate during the latter stage of the nineteenth century is a requisite for obtaining a deeper understanding of how and why new child care agencies were founded. In the last decade of the nineteenth century, growing concerns about the care being provided to children led agencies and child care providers to provide relief to these children and their families. One of the trends was the establishment of institutions for children and the placement of children in adoption and foster care. The state of Nebraska, during the nineteenth century, did not have adoption agencies that would provide private placement for either foster children or children who were wards of the state. The Nebraska Children's Home Society was created to address the concerns and issues facing family and child care in Nebraska during the late nineteenth century. The purpose of this dissertation was to trace the historic evolution of the Nebraska Children's Home Society from the Society's beginning through its first 100 years of development. The study was restricted to the historical, administrative, leadership, and financial issues of the Children's Home Society. After data were collected and reviewed, a schema was developed consisting of time periods and topics within each respective period. The time periods evolved around critical events and developments of the Children's Home Society. Special emphasis was given to administrative, leadership, and financial issues faced by the Children's Home Society throughout the Society's growth. Significant local and state events as well as trends were also noted.