Central Neighbourhood House

Orphanages and Indentures

By the mid-1800s, several orphanages had opened in the city, including the Protestant Orphan’s Home and the Female Orphan’s Home. Although these organisations provided care for children, it was often temporary. In many instances, if extended family was not available, or able to care for a child, the charities would place the child into an indenture. 

Formal indentures were binding contracts that lasted until a child was of age (18 for girls and 21 for boys). As part of the agreement, children worked as labourers or as apprentices to those who agreed to take them. “Masters” provided accommodation, clothing and wages. Although trade indentures generally started around 14 years old, “pauper apprenticeships” had no age restrictions. In 1882, a survey of labourers in the city concluded that 5% (approximately 2,200) of child indentures were between five and 14 years of age.

The experiences of indentured children varied. Some children were placed in caring homes, while others, like Elizabeth Heins, were not. Elizabeth was 11 when the House of Industry indentured her to Robert Shore in 1853. In May of 1854, she left Shore’s farm in Albion and made her way back to the House of Industry where she was found “in a very desolate state, almost naked and covered with dirt”. She told the House of her “ill usage” at Shore’s farm, but was eventually sent back to Shore, who then held her wages. After additional intervention from the Superintendent of the House of Industry, Shore eventually agreed to pay Elizabeth’s wages.

Central Neighbourhood House

Infant Care

In the early 19th century, Children under one, whose mothers could not care for them, often ended up in “baby farms”. Baby farming was a practice where a woman would care for multiple other women’s children in exchange for payment. Since baby farming was unregulated it is not clear how many of these farms existed.

In 1887, the Ontario government enacted a law that required baby farms to be licensed and reduced the number of children allowed to be “farmed” to a given woman to one (or in the case of twins, two). This was partially in part to lobbying from the Infants Home. By 1889 there were only 10 certified baby farms in the city.

The Infant’s Home opened in 1875, providing support to infants and their mothers. This included children born to unmarried women. Due to negative perceptions towards unmarried mothers at the time, they had a stricter process to be approved for help. This involved appearing in front of a committee and producing a doctor’s note certifying that the child was their first. If approved, the mother and child would stay at the home, but would not be permitted to leave the premises. This became a very isolating experience for many of the women who used the home. In 1921, the Ontario government passed legislation aimed at helping children of unwed parents. The Infant’s Home eventually amalgamated with the Toronto Children’s Aid Society in 1951.

Central Neighbourhood House

John Kelso and the Children’s Aid Society

Born in Ireland in 1864, John Joseph Kelso moved to Toronto with his family at the age of 10. During his first years in Canada, his family faced severe poverty and Kelso took odd jobs to help support them. After finishing school, he became a reporter at The Toronto World, and later The Globe, covering police matters. During this time, he often reported on the situations that many poor and orphaned children faced in the city. 

In 1887, Kelso created the Toronto Humane Society. Originally the Society aimed to help both animals and children in need. The Society also fought for prison reform for children, as they believed the current system, which sent children convicted of petty crime to adult prisons, was too focused on punishment.

In 1891, Kelso created the Children’s Aid Society, which took over the children’s welfare work that the Humane Society started. The Society provided safe short-term accommodations for children and advocated for children’s welfare. The Toronto Humane Society continues its mandate to help animals and, in 2021, helped rehome over 1,000 animals.

Central Neighbourhood House

Stronger Children's Aid Societies

In 1888, the Ontario government passed the Children’s Protection Act. This Act gave power to charities like the Children’s Aid society, allowing them to find foster homes for children. The Act also allowed charities to intervene in certain situations of neglect. 

The Act for the Prevention of Cruelty to and Better Protection of Children in 1893 further strengthened the ability of Children’s Aid Societies to intervene and “authorised the creation of Children’s Aid Societies” in the province. Kelso became the first Superintendent of the newly created Department of Neglected and Dependent Children. In this position, he helped create and organise these institutions. Children’s Aid Societies continue to play an important role in children’s welfare across the province. This is especially true in Toronto where over a quarter of children live in low-income families and child poverty is widespread.

Central Neighbourhood House

Additional Resources

Aitken, Gail, John McCullagh and Donald Bellamy, A Legacy of Caring: A History of the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2002.

Central Neighbourhood House Website, History.

Dunlop, Ted, “Toronto’s First Street Kids and the Origins of Child Welfare Systems in Canada Part 1: the early Years”,  Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care, 2007 16(3).

Toronto Children’s Aid Society. “Toronto Child and Family Poverty Report: Municipal Election Edition”, 2018.