GANS, BIRD STEIN

GANS, BIRD STEIN (1868–1944), U.S. educator. Gans was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. In 1896 she became director of the Society for the Study of Child Nature in New York, the first organization in the U.S. engaged in the field of parent education. With the growth of similar societies in other cities, the organization changed its name to the Federation for Child Study in 1898 and Bird Gans was elected its first president. In 1924 the organization became the Child Study Association of America. Gans organized similar groups in Japan (1924) and England (1929). By 1941 the association was conducting extensive experiments and research in child psychology and providing its results to approximately 100 groups   throughout the country. Gans was president of the organization until 1933 and honorary president for the next six years. She served on the National Board of Review and the film censorship organization, and she was associated with several organizations devoted to the investigation and solution of youth welfare problems.