Illinois State University School of Theatre, Dance, and Film’s production of Borrowed Babies, written by Jennifer Blackmer and directed by M.F.A. in directing candidate Emily Grimany, explores the complexities of practice homes operated by home economics departments across several U.S. universities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
As part of the program’s curriculum, students, mostly women, were required to live in a practice house for weeks as a capstone project. During this period the students would apply the knowledge gained about child care, homemaking, food preparation, and nutrition in a real home setting with real babies.
Inspired by Ball State University’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences’ former practice house, Borrowed Babies examines the evolving role of women and mothers in American society over the past six decades. The play also explores the concept of practice babies in practice homes, raising ethical questions about the impact of this historical practice.
The plot of Borrowed Babies follows Wendy, an orphan and former practice baby, now an adult preparing to start her own family. In search of her birth parents, Wendy retraces her steps to the practice house once run by Professor Judy London. As she seeks answers, the play raises questions about how practice babies may have formed attachments with their practice mothers and the lasting effects of the experience on the child.
This historical practice was not unique to Ball State University. At Illinois State University, our very own practice home known as the Rambo House or Home Management House was opened in 1939. It was named after Jessie E. Rambo, the first head of the Home Economics Department. Rambo House once stood behind Fell Hall until the building was demolished in 2015, long after the program had been discontinued. The Home Economics program at the University transformed over the years to become Family and Consumer Sciences, reflecting more contemporary academic and industry needs.
Dr. Micheal Rowley, assistant professor of Family and Consumer Science teacher education at Illinois State shared his knowledge of the historical practice. “There is not a lot especially academically written about practice babies,” he said. “In my research, I found that fictional portrayals of practice houses are not always what happened historically.”
According to Rowley, some practice babies were rented from upper-class to upper-middle-class families. It was regarded as prestigious to have your baby cared for in a practice home. He added that most families would return the money paid to them to universities, often including an additional tip. He said, “The main goal of practice babies was to gather data on how to raise children to be the best.”
Speaking on whether there were controversies related to the ethics of involving minors in any form of scientific study, he noted that at the time, the debates were less about ethical concerns in the modern sense. He said, “They were more about practical issues such as maintaining quality standards in the care provided.”
Reflecting on ethical concerns about modern-day requirements for consenting to human experiments, Rowley said, “The parents consented; however, the children could not assent because they were barely over 2 years of age with some as young as 3 months.”
He also shared that there is limited follow-up research on the long-term outcomes for the children who were part of practice homes. He attributes this to the difficulty in accessing detailed information about practice babies to poor preservation of archival data. This has made retrieving comprehensive records a significant challenge.
Though little is known about real-life practice babies, the fictional world of Borrowed Babies explores the possible psychological effects of the experience. Kelsey Piche, who portrays Wendy, reflects on the likely psychological impact on the character she plays.
“Psychologically speaking, this affects Wendy by causing her to believe that she has an attachment disorder. During her long monologue, she tells Judy that the reason her foster parents didn’t love her was because she couldn’t love them back,” Piche remarked. “She believed she couldn’t love them because she was used to being cared for by a different woman every three weeks and didn’t form any proper attachment to a mother figure.”
Child care and child development studies have evolved greatly since the era of practice babies. Today, Illinois State University’s Child Care Center provides “high-quality developmental childcare services for preschool children of Illinois State University students, faculty, and staff, ages 3-5.” The center remains integral to the University’s vibrant community, ensuring that child care practices meet contemporary ethical and developmental standards.
Students interested in early childhood development can gain hands-on experience by volunteering at Illinois State University’s Child Care Center. The center continues the University’s legacy of cutting-edge research and practice in child development.
Borrowed Babies will be performed at the Westhoff Theatre on March 28 and 29 and April 2-5 at 7:30 p.m., as well as March 30 at 2 p.m. The performance run time is approximately 90 minutes without an intermission. There is a content warning of fog, haze, profanity, and explicit language.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Center for the Performing Arts Box Office on the campus of Illinois State University, by calling (309) 438-2535, or on the box office website.
If you need accommodations to fully participate in this program, please contact the Center for the Performing Arts Box Office at (309) 438-2535. Please allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.
