In University of Virginia study: Child-care ratings are often not connected to learning outcomes moi wrote: Child-care and preschool apparently fall into the category of we know good child-care when we see the effect. The National Network for Child Care says in INGREDIENTS FOR QUALITY CHILD CARE:
ENVIRONMENT
A quality environment is well planned and invites children to learn and grow. Centers and family day care homes that had a “neat, clean, orderly physical setting, organized into activity areas and oriented to the child’s activity” were found to have good child development (Clarke-Stewart, 1987, p. 113). Most states require 36 square feet of room per child for indoor areas, while 100 square feet per child is recommended outside (Gotts, 1988). There should be enough materials and equipment available that are developmentally appropriate for children of different age levels. Activities planned by the caregivers must also be developmentally appropriate and allow for imaginative play. Play opportunities that enhance children’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development are another indicator of high quality programs (Bridgman, 1988). Children need to be given time to play and explore using concrete materials in order to enhance their natural curiosity and intellectual development. http://www.nncc.org/Choose.Quality.Care/ingredients.html
A University of Virginia study finds that many rating systems don’t aid in finding quality child-care. https://drwilda.com/tag/child-care/
S. Jhoanna Robledo described the difference between preschool and daycare in the Baby Center article, daycare centers:
Preschools and daycare centers can be quite similar. “People tend to use the word ‘daycare’ in a derogatory way, but that’s a misconception,” says Leslie Roffman, director of San Francisco’s Little School. Daycare centers and preschools must meet the same licensing and accreditation requirements, they cost about the same, and you can evaluate them using many of the same criteria.
The biggest difference is how early they accept children. The term “preschool” refers to programs designed for children from the age of about 21/2 to 5 or 6. Daycare centers may serve a much wider age range. Some accept infants as young as 6 to 8 weeks old, young toddlers, and even elementary school children for after-school care.
Preschools may also have more limited hours than daycare centers — for instance, a few hours a day, two to five times a week. A growing number, however, offer extended hours so working parents can leave their kids for an entire day.
Curriculum may be one reason to go with a preschool. Many are organized around a specific educational theory or approach, such as Montessori or Waldorf. “If a large opinion survey were conducted on the difference between schools and childcare for preschool children, school-based programs (nursery schools and kindergartens) would be described as more educationally focused while childcare programs would be seen as more custodial,” writes Ellen Galinsky, co-president of the Families and Work Institute in New York, in her book The Preschool Years.
But the very best daycare centers also feature curricula carefully designed to encourage children’s cognitive, social, and physical development. If you have your child enrolled in one already, it might be better to sit pretty until regular school starts rather than switch in midstream.
Watch out for preschools or daycare centers that have stringent academic programs. “Be wary of programs that claim to teach academic skills or ‘speed up’ children’s intellectual development,” says the American Academy of Pediatrics in Caring for Your Baby and Young Child. “From a developmental standpoint, most preschoolers are not yet ready to begin formal education.” http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-preschools-differ-from-daycare-centers_64643.bc
Bill Chappell of NPR wrote the article, Child Care Costs, Already High, Outpace Family Income Gains.
According to Chappell:
In 2012, the cost of child care in the U.S. grew up to eight times faster than family income, according to a new study of the average fees paid to child care centers and family child care homes.
“Child care is an increasingly difficult financial burden for working families to bear,” said Lynette M. Fraga, executive director of Child Care Aware of America, a nonprofit research and advocacy group. “Unlike all other areas of education investment, including higher education, families pay the majority of costs for early education.”
According to the new findings, some families are spending more on child care than on food or rent, as NPR’s Jennifer Ludden reports for our Newscast unit:
“In most states, average child care center fees for an infant are higher than a year’s tuition and fees at a public college. …
“Factor in two kids, and the study finds average fees higher than the median rent in all states, and higher than the average food bill in all regions.”
In compiling its report, Child Care Aware of America looked at the costs of child care centers, including those run by religious organizations and family care homes. The findings don’t include other options such as nannies, or friends and relatives who look after children.
To compare the costs of caring for two children, the organization used data from the price of care for an infant and a 4-year-old.
The study ranked U.S. states according to the affordability of child care (as a share of median income for single or married parents), not by the overall cost of child care.
“The dollar cost of center-based care for infants was actually highest in Massachusetts” at nearly $16,500 yearly, according to the report, “compared to just over $13,450 per year in Oregon; however, as a percentage of median income for married couples with children, care was least affordable in Oregon.”
Oregon was also found to be the least affordable state for center-based care for a married couple with a 4-year-old, ahead of New York, Minnesota and Vermont.
The overall price of raising kids has also risen, according to government figures. Parents who had a child in 2012 can expect to pay $241,080 to raise him or her for the next 17 years, as Eyder reported for The Two-Way this past summer.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/11/04/243005358/child-care-costs-already-high-outpace-family-income-gains?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=share&utm_campaign=
Here is the press release from Childcare Aware of America:leases
Report: Child care costs exceed many household expenses
November 4, 2013
REPORT
The cost of child care continues to rise while families struggle to afford quality care, according to a new report from Child Care Aware® of America.
Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2013 Report, released today, reveals that families are paying more for child care, and are paying a significant part of their earnings for this care. In the last year, the cost of child care increased at up to eight times the rate of increases in family income.
In 2012, the average annual cost of full-time care for an infant in center-based care ranged from $4,863 in Mississippi to $16,430 in Massachusetts. For an infant in a family child care home, the average cost ranged from $3,930 in Mississippi to $11,046 in New York.
“Child care is an increasingly difficult financial burden for working families to bear,” said Lynette M. Fraga, Ph.D., Executive Director of Child Care Aware® of America. “Unlike all other areas of education investment, including higher education, families pay the majority of costs for early education. Too many families are finding it impossible to access and afford quality child care that doesn’t jeopardize children’s safety and healthy development.”
Read the full report here. http://www.usa.childcareaware.org/costofcare
Contact: Tracey Schaefer
703-341-4148
Tracey.Schaefer@usa.childcareware.org
Child Care Costs in the U.S.: Expensive and Rising
Quality care difficult to afford for working families as increases in the cost of child care outpace increases in family
incomeArlington, VA, November 4, 2013 – The cost of child care continues to rise while families struggle to afford quality care, according to a new report from Child Care Aware® of America.
Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2013 Report reveals that families are paying more for child care, and are paying a significant part of their earnings for this care. In the last year, the cost of child care increased at up to eight times the rate of increases in family income.
“Child care is an increasingly difficult financial burden for working families to bear,” said Lynette M. Fraga, Ph.D.,
Executive Director of Child Care Aware® of America. “Unlike all other areas of education investment, including higher
education, families pay the majority of costs for early education. Too many families are finding it impossible to access
and afford quality child care that doesn’t jeopardize children’s safety and healthy development.”In 2012, the average annual cost of full-time care for an infant in center-based care ranged from $4,863 in Mississippi to $16,430 in Massachusetts. For an infant in a family child care home, the average cost ranged from $3,930 in Mississippi to $11,046 in New York.
For a 4-year-old, the average annual cost for center-based care ranged from $4,312 in Mississippi to $12,355 in New
York. The average annual cost for a 4-year-old in a family child care home ranged from $3,704 in Mississippi to $10,259 in New York.Findings in the report about the high cost of child care in 2012 include:
-Child care fees for two children (an infant and a 4-year-old) in a child care center exceeded annual median rent
payments in every state.
-In every region of the United States, average child care fees for an infant in a child care center were higher than the
average amount that families spent on food.
-In 31 states and the District of Columbia, the average annual average cost for an infant in center-based care was higher than a year’s tuition and fees at a four-year public college.The report uses 2012 data from a survey of Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) State Networks and local agencies to show the average fees families are charged for child care centers and family child care homes in every state and the District of Columbia. Cost data is provided for infants, 4-year-old children and school-age children. This year, the report also examines why child care is so expensive, why it’s more expensive in some states than others, and families’ options for paying for child care.
“We call on federal and state policymakers to make child care a top priority when working on budgets, particularly in
light of looming January cuts,” said Fraga. “We also call on parents, concerned citizens and early care and education
professionals to urge federal and state legislators to address the high cost of child care.”To download a copy of Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2013 Report, please visit http://www.usa.childcareaware.org
Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2013 Report
Key Findings and RecommendationsKey findings:
-The cost of full-time center-based care for two children is the highest single household expense in the Northeast,
Midwest and South. In the West, the cost of child care for two children is surpassed only by the cost of housing in the
average family budget.
-The cost of child care fees for two children exceeded housing costs for homeowners with a mortgage in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
-Center-based child care fees for an infant exceeded annual median rent payments in 21 states and the District of
Columbia.
-Child care fees for two children (an infant and a 4-year-old) in a child care center exceeded annual median rent
payments in every state.
-In every region of the United States, average child care fees for an infant in a child care center were higher than the
average amount that families spent on food.
-In 2012, in 31 states and the District of Columbia, the average annual average cost for an infant in center-based care
was higher than a year’s tuition and fees at a four-year public college.
-Even the annual average cost of care for a 4-year-old, which is less expensive than care for an infant, was higher than public college costs in 19 states and the District of Columbia.The 10 least-affordable states in 2012 for center-based care based on the cost of child care as a percentage of state
median income for a two-parent family (in ranked order):For full-time center-based infant care: Oregon, New York, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Colorado, California, Illinois,
Hawaii, Washington and Kansas.For full-time center-based care for a 4-year-old: Oregon, New York, Minnesota, Vermont, Colorado, Maine,
Massachusetts, Washington, Rhode Island and Illinois.Recommendations:
-A national discussion about the impact of the high cost of child care. This discussion should explore federal and state options; innovative, low-cost solutions that have shown success; and what has worked in other industries.-Congress to require the National Academy of Sciences to produce a study on the true cost of quality child care and to offer recommendations to Congress for financing that supports families in accessing affordable, quality child care.
-Congress to reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to ensure all children in low-income
working families have access to affordable, quality child care.-Congress to reauthorize CCDBG to include investing in Child Care Resource and Referral agencies to assist providers in becoming licensed and in maintaining compliance with licensing standards and help parents identify quality settings.
-The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to require states to eliminate barriers that prevent families from
easily accessing child care fee assistance, maintaining eligibility and identifying quality settings.Child Care Aware® of America, our nation’s leading voice for child care, works with more than 600 state and local Child Care Resource and Referral agencies to ensure that families in every local community have access to quality, affordable child care. To achieve our mission, we lead projects that increase the quality and availability of child care, offer comprehensive training to child care professionals, undertake groundbreaking research and advocate for child care policies that positively impact the lives of children and families. To learn more about Child Care Aware® of America and how you can join us in ensuring access to quality child care for all families, visit http://www.usa.childcareaware.org.
Kayla Webley wrote an excellent report in Time magazine about Pew Charitable Trusts’ findings on a studies of preschool. In Rethinking Pre-K:5 Ways to Fix Preschool http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2094847,00.html
Our goals should be: A healthy child in a healthy family who attends a healthy school in a healthy neighborhood. ©
Think small, Not small minded ©
Money spent on early childhood programs is akin to yeast for bread. The whole society will rise.
Related:
The state of preschool education is dire https://drwilda.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/the-state-of-preschool-education-is-dire/
Oregon State University study: Ability to pay attention in preschool may predict college success https://drwilda.com/2012/08/08/oregon-state-university-study-ability-to-pay-attention-in-preschool-may-predict-college-success/
Pre-kindergarten programs help at-risk students prepare for school https://drwilda.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/pre-kindergarten-programs-help-at-risk-students-prepare-for-school/
What is the Educare preschool model? https://drwilda.com/2012/11/09/what-is-the-educare-preschool-model/
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