Table Of Content

DOCUMENT RESUME ED 342 497 PS 020 370 AUTHOR Meadows, Anne, Ed. TITLE Caring for America's Children. National Academy of Sciences - National Research INSTITUTION Council, Washington, DC. Committee on Child Development Research and Public Policy. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, SPONS AGENCY D.C.; Ford Foundation, New York, N.Y.; Foundation for Child Development, New York, N.Y. ISBN-0-30904580-0 REPORT NO PUB DATE 91 54p.; For "Who Cares for America's Children?" see ED NOTE 319 523. AVAILABLE FROM National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20418 ($6.50: U.S., Canada, and Mexico; $8.00: all other countries). PUB TYPE Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS Accreditation (Institutions); *Child Advocacy; Child Caregivers; *Day Care Centers; Early Childhood Education; Educational Policy; *Educational Quality; Family Day Care; *Federal Legislation; Federal Programs; *Public Policy; *State Standards; Tables (Data); Tax Credits; Training *Child Care and Development Block Grant; Child Care IDENTIFIERS Needs; Project Head Start ABSTRACT Information in this booklet is drawn from the 1990 report, "Who Cares for America's Children? Child Care Policy for the 1990s," which presented the recommendations of the National Research Council's Committee on Child Development Research and Public Policy. The committee consisted of a panel of tzxperts in the fields of pediatrics, public policy, business, labor, education, child care delivery, child development, economics, and other social sciences. Part I of the present booklet summarizes the panel's findings and describes the relation of the new federal Child Care and Development Block Grant program (P.L. 101-508) to the panel's work. Part II describes the aspects of child care that determine its quality and provides information on state regulation of child care services and professional standards for early childhood programs. Topics include: federal tax credits; expansion of Head Start; state grant programs; characteristics of high quality child care; and professional guidelines for quality. Discussion of structural aspects of quality covers group size, staff-to-child ratio, caregivers, qualifications, stability and :;untinuity of caregivers, structure and content of daily activities, space and facilities, and regulation of family day care homes. Contains 7 references. 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BEST COPY AVAILABLE PS CARING FOR ICA'S CHI REN Anne Meadows, Editor Panel on Child Care Policy Committee on Child Development Research and Public Policy Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education National Research Council NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS Washington, D.0 1991 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this repot t was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose in embers are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated te the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Frank Press is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National It is autonomous in its Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also spon- sors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the Aervices of eminent membeN of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to filo National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own ini- tiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Samuel 0. Thier is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to asso- date the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice chairman, respecively, of the National Research Council. Support for this publication was provided by the Foundation for Child Devdopment. The work of the l'anel on Child Care l'olicy was supported by the Ford Foundation, the Foundation for Child Development, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Library of Congress Catalog Card No, 91-62647 International Standard Book Number 0-309-04580-0 Additional copies of this report are available from: National Academy Press 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20418 S442 Printed in the United Statos of America CONTENTS Preface THE PANEL'S WORK AND NEW FEDERAL LAW PART I 1 4 Panel Findings: The Current State of Child Care 5 Panel Recommendations: Looking to the Futurc 7 New Federal Law 13 IMPROVING QUALITY PART II 16 Characteristics of Quality Child Care 18 Structural Aspects of Quality 33 Professional Guidelines for Quality 37 The Unfinished Agenda 41 Panel on Child Care Quality III PREFACE Over the past decade, child care has cmerged as a critical issue with broad implications for the well-being of children, families, and society. During this period, the significant increase in the number of mothers in the labor force, the high cost of child care, and the growing recognition of the impor- tance of a child's early experiences for future development have brought national attention to the child care debate. That debate has focused on accessibility, affordability, and quality of care. At the three major areas: responsibili- same time, state and local governments have assumed greater ty for responding to child care needs and have become the primary regula- tots of quality. In 1987 the National Research Council's Committee on Child Development Research and Public Policy convened a panel of experts from the fields of pediatrics, public policy, business, labor, education, child care delivery, child development, economics, and other social sciences to review the research and information about child care services and practices and to rec- ommend how this knowledge could be applied to improve the nation's child care policies and programs. The panel's findings, conclusions, and recommendations were published in a 1990 National Research Council report, Who Cares for America's Children? Child Care Policy for the 1990s. Later that year Congress enacted legislation (P.L. 101-508) intended to reduce the numbers of children living in povercy, to improve the quality and accessibility of child care services, and to increase the availability of It authorizes preschool education for children from low-income families. $4 billion over a 5-year period for the Child Care and Development Block Grant program and child care grants under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. States will have wide discretion in using the block-grant funds for child care services. To receive funds, providers of child care services will have to meet state standards for quality, health, and safety The new federal law reinforces state and local control in implementing child care policies and requires a renewed emphasis on upgrading the quality of services. In response to this development, state and local officials throughout the nation are setting or revising standards for child care programs. This publication is intended to provide information that may help those state and local officials, child care providers, and other interested individu- als develop or implement standards for quality child care, operate high- quality child care programs, and monitor programs for quality. Parents may also find the information useful in evaluating the relative quality of different day care arrangements. Part I of this booklet summarizes the panel's findings and recommendations and describes how the new law relates to the panel's work. Part II describes the aspects of child care that determine its quality and provides information on state regulation of child care services and professional standards for early childhood programs. The information in this booklet is drawn from the report, Who Cares for America's Children? vi The Panel's Work and New Federal Law ike many scholars and experts who have considered child , care in recent years, the panel recognized the complex and controversial nature of the issues. Because the majority of children have mothers who work outside their homes, child of services provid- care has become an important and growing component ed in an array of settings, including homes, centers, schools, businesses, and other institutions. Child care has become a large and diverse enter- prise of public and private, for-profit and not-for-profit services with annu- al revenues expected to grow to $48 billion by 1995. Child care is no longer simply a protective or remedial service for children from low-income or it is an everyday arrangement for the majority of chil- troubled families: dren in the United States. Consequently, the debate over child care policy has changed considerably over the past generation. There is general agreement that mothers are in the labor force to stay and, thus, that children need to be well cared for in safe and healthy environ- ments. There is no general agreement on how the significant economic costs of caring for children will be borne by parents, employers, governments, or a combination of these sources. 3 The Panel's Work and New Federal Law The Current State of Child Care The panel found that child care services in the United States are inadequate to meet the needs of children, parents, and society as a whole. The panel found that for some families, child care services are simply unavailable; for others, the care is unaffordable or fails to meet basic standards of quality. Research and professional practice have clearly shown that child care quality can significantly affect children's social, emotional, and cognitive development, as well as their physical health and safety. In the absence of coor- dinated public policies to ensure employed parents access to adequate, affordable, and appropriate care for their children, child care services have developed very unevenly. Existing programs, which are supported by vari- ous funding sources and which reflect varying levels of quality, do not serve all of the families who need child care services. Of ,_eatest concern to the panel was the large number of children cared for in settings that fail to protect their health and safety and to provide appropriate developmental stimulation. Low-quality care threatens the development of children, especially those from poor and minority families who may not have access to higher quality alternatives. A range of quality can be found in all types of services, whether provided in the child's home or in schools, child care centers, or family day care homes, and in all types of p:ograms, whether operated for profit or not. The panel noted that, although child care has become a necessity for a majority of American families, regardless of income, gaps in existing programs and arrangements have left many children and families without access to adequate services. Among those who have difficulty obtaining appropriate child care services are families with infants, toddlers, school- age children, or children with illnesses or special needs. In fact, preschool 4 Caring for America's! Children t