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Posts Tagged ‘child care quality’

New HHS Rules Promoting Children’s Health & Safety in Child Care

Posted in Background Checks, Health and Safety, Inspections, Quality Child Care, Training, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 19, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

This past week, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, held a press conference at an early learning center in Washington, D.C.  to announce new rules to promote the health and safety of children in child care.  She said that in the absence of legislation to reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the Administration is proposing to revise current regulations to better promote the safety and healthy development of children.

HHS Press Conference May 16, 2013

HHS Press Conference May 16, 2013

In addition to the Secretary, a child care center provider and an individual licensed to operate a child care program out of her home spoke about the need for quality child care. They talked about the importance of high quality care for children to both be safe and in a setting that leads to school readiness.  For millions of children, child care is their early learning program.

One of Child Care Aware® of America’s parent leaders from Virginia, Elly Lafkin, spoke at the press conference about the death of her baby in a child care program. She told everyone how she and her husband had limited access to child care because they live in a rural area. She said this was their first baby and they were doubly anxious and cautious. A background check was conducted but it was a name check NOT a check using a fingerprint match against state and federal records. Unfortunately, the name check searched for only that particular name and it was only after the death of her baby when a police investigation was conducted that she and her husband learned of multiple aliases her provider had and the list of offenses for which her provider was convicted. She looked right at the audience and told them – if she knew that the provider had those offenses, she never would have selected her among other providers to care for her baby.  For more information about state requirements on background checks, click here to see the latest information and state tables from our research.

The proposed HHS regulations include minimum training requirements like safe sleep practices and first aid, practices to prevent shaken baby syndrome and emergency evacuation or shelter-in-place planning.  The Secretary called them common sense requirements. She talked about the importance of continuity of care.  She is concerned that frequent recertification requirements means in many states that parents are losing access to care, not because they earned more money, but because they somehow did not comply with the paperwork.  Another key component of the proposed new rules is for states to ensure that parents have more information about the quality of care so that they can be informed consumers.  The Secretary said inspection reports should be posted on the Internet and parents should receive information about child care programs through the use of quality indicators that can be easily understood by the public.  This only makes sense. Parents really can’t make informed choices if they don’t have information.

Congress has not reauthorized CCDBG in 17 years.  It makes sense for HHS to review current regulatory authority to better protect children.  The proposed regulations are posted on the Internet and HHS is inviting public comment over the next 75 days.  There are several areas in the regulations that ask for specific comments with regard to aspects of quality care such as scope and hours of training, frequency of inspections, and an appropriate time-frame during which to phase-in the new requirements.

Child Care Aware® of America will be working in the weeks ahead to promote the best quality care possible. We’ll be holding webinars and preparing summaries of various aspects of the proposed regulations. The comment period of 75 days is a long time, but it will go by fast. HHS needs to hear from us about what we believe will promote the health and safety of children in child care.

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A Child Care License Should Mean Children are Safe

Posted in Background Checks, Health and Safety, Inspections, Quality Child Care, Training, tagged , , , , , , , on April 20, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

This week, the New Republic ran an article, “The Hell of American Day Care: An Investigation into the barely regulated, unsafe business of looking after our children.”  The article reviewed the condition of child care in America today and highlighted the Texas child care program where a fire killed four of seven young children being cared for by Jessica Tata in February 2011.

In many communities throughout America, child care is hard to find, harder to afford, and too often – of questionable quality.  Quality child care matters to ensure that children are both safe and in a setting to promote their healthy development.   Underlying the New America article is the dismal state of child care policies throughout America.

Child Care Centers

Child Care Aware® of America released its 7th child care licensing report last week, “We Can Do Better: 2013 Update,” which scored and ranked the states on state child care center licensing policies and oversight.  No state earned an “A” and only the Department of Defense (DoD) earned a “B.”  The remaining top 10 states (New York, Washington, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin, Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota and Tennessee) earned a “C.”  Twenty-one states earned a “D” and the remaining 20 states earned a score of 60 or less, a failing grade.

Key Findings from the report:

  • Only 13 states require a comprehensive background check for child care center staff (a fingerprint check against state and federal records, a check against the child abuse registry and a check against the sex offender registry).
  • State training requirements vary greatly. The reality is that most state training requirements are minimal. States sometimes specify training topics, but many do not mention the number of hours needed to complete this training. There is no assurance that topics are covered in a comprehensive or systemic way or whether an array of required topics becomes a checklist only – with little likelihood of strengthening the knowledge and behavior of child care providers.
  • Only 16 states address each of 10 basic health requirements and 10 basic safety requirements recommended by pediatric experts. (For example, only 9 states and DoD require initial training in CPR for all staff).
  • Even the strongest program requirements are undercut by ineffective monitoring. Nine states (Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Vermont) do not require inspections at least once per year.

Family Child Care Homes

Last year, Child Care Aware® of America released its 6th child care licensing report, “Leaving Children to Chance: 2012 Update,” which scored and ranked the states on state family child care home policies and oversight.   Of the top 10 scoring states, no state earned an “A.”  Only one state (Oklahoma) earned a “B.”  Three states (Washington, Kansas and Delaware) and DoD earned a “C,” four states (Maryland, Alabama, the District of Columbia and Colorado) earned a “D” and the 10th state – Massachusetts, with a score of 86 out of 150, at 57 percent, earned an “F” (as did all remaining states).

Sixteen states scored zero. Eight scored zero because they do not inspect family child care homes before licensing or regulating them  (Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia and Texas).  Another eight states scored zero because they either allow more than six children in the home before requiring a license or do not license small family child care homes (Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, South Dakota and Virginia).  For example, South Dakota allows 12 children to be in a home before requiring a licensing (the 13th child triggers the state licensing requirement).

Key Findings from the report:

  • Only 11 states require a comprehensive background check for individuals who wish to operate a child care business out of their home.
  • State training requirements are minimal with five states (Connecticut, Hawaii, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Texas) not requiring any hours of training before operating  a home child care.
  • Only 15 states address each of 10 basic health requirements and 10 basic safety requirements recommended by pediatric experts.
  • Even the strongest program requirements are undercut by ineffective monitoring. About half the states do not require at least one inspection per year.

What Can Be Done?

The Child Care and Development Block Grant, the federal law that allocates funds to states for child care and sets parameters for state child care laws, has not been reauthorized in 17 years (since 1996).  The law does not require background checks. The law does not require training for child care providers. The law does not require inspections.  That’s just wrong. It’s time to change the law.

Nearly 11 million children under age five are in some type of child care setting every week. First, children should be safe in child care.  Second, child care settings should promote their healthy development.

The President has proposed a comprehensive early learning strategy to promote safe, quality settings to foster healthy child development for young children from birth through preschool-age.  For many of the 11 million young children in child care every week, child care is their early learning setting.  As Congress considers an early learning vision for America, fixing child care should be the cornerstone.

Parents need child care in order to work and a strong economy depends on working parents.  At the same time, parents cannot be expected to monitor child care settings while they are at work.  Any early learning plan needs to build out by fixing child care so that all children are in quality settings, which begins with safety.  Parents want it; children need it.  It’s time to fix child care.

Join us by calling on Congress to fix child care as part of any early learning plan to be considered.

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Early Learning is an Economic Development Strategy

Posted in Quality Child Care, Training, tagged , , , , , on February 15, 2013 | 1 Comment »

This week in Washington, President Obama shared his vision for strengthening early learning throughout America.  In the President’s State of the Union address and also in a visit to a preschool program in Decatur, Georgia, the President talked about the importance of early learning settings and the reality that there is a direct relationship between early learning settings and school readiness, school performance, and increasing high school graduation rates.  Ultimately, this leads to stronger families, better paying jobs, and stronger communities.

Early Learning is an Economic Development Strategy.  We can talk about the need to strengthen the economy and the need for a long-term economic development strategy all we want. The current unemployment rate is 7.9 percent.  Unemployment has exceeded 5 percent since 2008 – 5 years of unemployment ranging from 7.8 percent in 2009 to a high of nearly 10 percent in 2010 back to around 8 percent today.  The fact is, while the economy is modestly improving, it’s still not as strong as we need it to be for the long-term growth of this nation.

What can we do to help promote economic growth and prosperity?  The strength of the workforce is directly related to the strength of the economy and the resilience of communities.  We can start with a better economic development strategy from birth.   We can make sure that our future workforce has the foundation they need for success in school and beyond.  Where does that start? Not in the elementary school years.   As every parent knows, early learning starts at birth. It’s time as a nation that we embrace that vision and understand the direct connection between a child’s earliest years, their school success, and the long-term strength of our economy.

The President’s early learning plan announced this week is an economic development strategy for every state.  The President’s plan is outlined in a White House fact sheet posted this week.

High Quality Preschool for Every Child:

  • Cost Sharing for preschool in all 50 states
  • For 4-year-old children at 200 percent  of poverty or below
  • Sliding fee scale for families with higher income at state option
  • Quality benchmarks to ensure accountable investments
    • State level standards for early learning
    • Qualified teachers in every classroom paid on par with public school teachers
    • Comprehensive data and assessment systems
    • Rigorous curriculum with health and related services
    • Small class sizes and low adult child ratios
    • Effective evaluation and review

Fewer than 3 in 10 four-year-olds are enrolled in high quality preschool programs.  For poor children who need it the most, the lack of access to a great preschool education can affect their whole lives.

Only 6 out of 10 kindergarten students have access to full day programs. States can use funding to extend part-day kindergarten to full-day once their goals to reach children below 200 percent of poverty are met.

Quality Early Learning Settings for Our Youngest Children:

  • New Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships
  • Funds allocated based on competitive grants
  • Expands the supply of quality child care to children from birth through age three

The fact is that too many children today do not have access to quality child care. State laws vary greatly, not just with regard to state preschool initiatives but also with regard to state child care programs and the training and education of the early childhood workforce. The President’s plan will challenge states and communities to do their best for children so that children can do their best when they enter school.

Extending and Expanding Evidence-Based, Voluntary Home Visiting

  • Expanding home visiting models that work
  • Nurses, social workers, and other professionals to work with at-risk families in their homes
  • Connecting families to assistance that affects a child’s health, development and ability to learn.

Home visiting programs have been successful in improving the lives of families with young children leaving long-lasting effects on the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of children.

The Roadmap from Here:

We don’t know a lot of details, but we know the framework.  And, it’s exciting!  The path to achieve the President’s agenda will need to be worked out between Congress and the Administration.  Exactly how much detail will be in legislation and how much will be subject to state innovation through applications to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education we don’t know at this point.

It is time for everyone to start thinking about how we can achieve this early learning vision. We invite you to think about this over the next several weeks and send us your thoughts, comment on this blog. It’s important for us all to be engaged as policy is shaped.  What works in your community to promote quality child care for young children? What ideas do you have?  What do you think are key points to be addressed?  We have a historic opportunity. Let’s not let partisan politics get in the way.  Affordable, quality child care, quality preschool, and ultimately children’s school success should not be partisan issues.  Join us by telling Congress today that it’s time for a comprehensive birth through kindergarten strategy for our children!  Our nation’s economic development depends on it.

To take action, click here to visit our action center!

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Affordable, Quality Child Care Campaign

Posted in Background Checks, Health and Safety, Inspections, Quality Child Care, Training, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 13, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Child Care Aware® of America’s Affordable, Quality Child Care Campaign

We’re building a nationwide movement, a campaign to expand access to affordable, quality child care.  Every week, nearly 11 million children are in some type of child care setting – on average for about 35 hours.  Our studies show that the quality of child care varies greatly, not just between states but also within states – among different types of child care settings.  Children should be safe while their parents work.  Child care should offer an environment that promotes the healthy development of children.  Policymakers at the state and federal levels call for all children to start school ready to learn. They call for reducing the achievement gap among low income and other children as well as between children of different races. They call for strategies to better meet the challenges faced by children with special needs.  Most also call for increasing the high school graduation rate.

All of these goals have merit.  But, to reach them, we simply can’t ignore a child’s earliest years and the settings young children are in.  There is no magic wand to reduce the achievement gap and increase high school graduation rates.  However, we can strengthen child care settings to ensure that more children start school ready to succeed.

The cost of child care is unaffordable for most families.  If we are going to strengthen the quality of care, we need to design a better system to finance child care in this country.

Below are the top 10 reasons to join our movement.  Any one of them alone is enough to unite. But, together, they paint a picture policymakers can no longer ignore.  Join us and together we can make a difference!

Top 10 List

1)      The annual cost of center-based infant care exceeds the cost of college in 36 states.

2)      Eight states license or regulate child care without first conducting an on-site inspection.

3)      Only 13 states require comprehensive background checks on staff hired to work in a child care center.  A comprehensive background check includes a fingerprint check against state and federal records, a check of the child abuse registry and a check of the sex offender registry.

4)      Only 11 states require a comprehensive background check on family child care home providers before granting a license.

5)      Only 33 states meet all 10 health and safety standards in child care centers recommended by pediatric experts. Only 15 states meet them for family child care homes.

6)      Fewer than half the states require child care providers to have training in early childhood development.  In fact, training requirements vary greatly among the states and most states have weak minimum training and education requirements for child care providers.

7)      Many states do not require child care providers to have a written emergency plan – either to evacuate when necessary or shelter-in-place (or “lock-down”) in emergencies.

8)      Many states do not conduct routine inspections of child care programs. In fact, California inspects child care centers only once every 5 years. Montana and Iowa inspect family child care homes only once every 5 years; Pennsylvania once every 6 years.  Michigan only inspects family child care homes once every 10 years!

9)      Only one out of every six children eligible for a child care subsidy receives assistance. And, nearly one-fifth of those children (about 322,000) are in unlicensed care (which has no training required and no minimum health and safety protections for children).

10)   Eight states do not license small family child care homes (i.e, providers do not need a license until more than six children are cared for in the home).  In South Dakota, 12 children can be cared for in a home before a license is required with the 13th child.

It’s time for Members of Congress and State lawmakers to hear your voice. Join with us!  If you  have not yet signed up for Child Care Aware® Parent Network to receive our newsletters and connect with others in your state who want to make a difference, sign up today!

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Safe Child Care: Violence Prevention

Posted in Background Checks, Health and Safety, Quality Child Care, Training, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 6, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Nearly 11 million children under age 5 are in some type of child care setting every week – on average for 35 hours.  The recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, is a reminder that we need to review our nation’s child care policies and practices to ensure that children are safe in child care settings.

  • Emergency Plans:  Does your child care provider have an emergency plan, which includes some type of shelter-in-place or “lock-down” procedure in case a violent or unauthorized intruder tries to gain entry?  Currently, only 15 states require such plans for child care centers.  For family child care homes, does your provider keep outside doors locked when caring for children?
  • Access to Guns:  Are guns allowed in your child care program? If so, are they required to be stored unloaded and locked away from children with ammunition stored separately?  Currently, 26 states prohibit guns in child care centers. Another 13 states require controlled access (i.e., guns must be stored in a locked cabinet or stored unloaded with ammunition in a different location), and 12 states have no regulation pertaining to firearms in child care centers.  With regard to family child care homes, 4 states prohibit guns, 41 states have controlled access, and 6 states have no regulation pertaining to guns in such homes.

The Newtown, Connecticut tragedy is also a reminder that the early years in a child’s life are critical to healthy development (including a child’s social and emotional development).  One key component to community safety is the availability and provision of mental health services, even in the youngest years. The early identification of those who could benefit from early intervention services (particularly mental health services) could make a difference in their future overall development, with life-long consequences. There is still much we do not know about events and conditions that might have spurred the violence in Newtown, but what we do know is that child care settings should be safe and that early intervention in children’s lives, especially those with challenges, can make a difference.

  • Early childhood developmental screening:  Does your state require early screening of children before entry into elementary school to see if they could benefit from early intervention?  (For example, is their vision ok? Is their hearing ok? Is their speech developing appropriately? Are there any indications of a developmental delay or behaviors that would indicate the need for mental health services)?
  • Training for Child Care Providers:  Does your state require that child care providers have education or training in early childhood development?  Or, training in meeting the needs of children after a traumatic event?
  • Background Checks for Child Care Providers: Does your state require a comprehensive background check for staff in child care centers and those who want to operate a child care program in their home?  A comprehensive check includes a fingerprint check against state and federal records, a check of the child abuse registry and a check of the sex offender registry.  Only 9 states currently require a comprehensive check for both employment in centers and family child care home licensing.  Screening out those with a violent history helps ensure that children are safe in child care.

The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), which sets the framework for state child care laws, does not require that any of these issues be addressed.  As a result, state laws to protect children while they are in child care vary greatly.

Last month,  President Obama asked Vice President Biden to lead an Administration initiative to reduce gun violence in our communities. The Vice President asked for recommendations from agencies throughout the Administration, the advocacy and research community, and others.  Likely there will be some discussion about the safety of children in schools.  Any initiative to promote the safety of children should include measures to ensure that children in child care are safe.  Child care settings should not exist in a separate silo.

To read Child Care Aware® of America’s recommendations to the Vice President, click here.  In related news, on Friday, House Democrats formed a legislative task force to make recommendations for Congress to consider.  As we learn more, we will let you know.

If you have policy ideas to promote children’s safety and healthy development in child care settings, please share them with us!  Email Grace.Reef@usa.childcareaware.org and we will incorporate them into our recommendations for Congress.

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Progress Toward Quality Child Care

Posted in Background Checks, Health and Safety, Inspections, Quality Child Care, Training, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 1, 2013 | 1 Comment »

The Year in Review

Child Care Aware®of America’s quality child care campaign kicks off another year today on the journey for affordable, safe, quality child care for all children.  How are we doing? What markers have we achieved to date?

The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the federal law that allocates funds to states to help families afford child care and to assist states in improving the quality of child care, marked another year without reauthorization (the enactment of legislation that reviews current law and makes improvements where necessary).  It’s been 16 years since the last reauthorization. That’s too long. Hopefully, 2013 will ring the reauthorization bell.  Noteworthy for sure:  The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Children and Families held three child care hearings in the 112th Congress:

  • (July 2012) CCDBG Reauthorization: Helping to Meet the Child Care Needs of American Families. You can watch the webcast and read the testimony here.
  • (September 2011) Examining Quality and Safety in Child Care: Giving Working Families Security, Confidence and Peace of Mind. You can watch the webcast and read the testimony here.
  • (June 2011) Getting the Most Bang for the Buck: Quality Early Education and Care. You can watch the webcast and read the testimony here.

Hearings lay the groundwork for reauthorization.  Thank you Senate HELP Committee Senators and staff for the work that you do.  Thank you also to the many parents, advocates, child care providers, and early childhood experts for your dedication and commitment to quality child care that helped make Senate hearings possible in our nation’s capital.

Short of national legislation, much progress has been made throughout the states.  Child Care Aware® of America has released six child care licensing studies since 2007.  The “We Can Do Better” series, which scores and ranks states based on their state child care center laws and regulations, was first released in March of 2007 and updated in 2009 and 2011. The report will be updated again in April of 2013. The “Leaving Children to Chance” series, which scores and ranks states based on their state small family child care home laws and regulations, was first released in March of 2008 and updated in 2010 and 2012. In reviewing our most recent reports with the initial reports when we first began on this journey, it is clear that states are making strides to improve the quality of child care.

  • Background Checks:  Screening out those who have a violent history of offenses (such as assault and battery, sex offenses, homicide, etc.) is key to promoting the safety of children in child care.  When we began our studies, only a handful of states required a comprehensive background check: a check of federal and state records using fingerprints, a check of the state child abuse registry and a check of the sex offender registry. Today, 13 states require a comprehensive background check for those working in child care centers (AK, CO, HI, ID, IL, MS, NH, NJ, NC, SC, SD, TN and WA).  In addition, 11 states require a comprehensive background check for small family child care home providers (AK, CO, FL, HI, IL, NH, NC, SC, TN, WA and WV).
  • Health & Safety Requirements: When we began looking at state health and safety requirements for child care, only 8 states met each of 10 health and safety requirements recommended by pediatric experts. Today, 33 states met all 10 health and safety standards recommended by pediatric experts for child care centers.  Also notable for child care centers, an additional 10 states met 9 of 10 health and safety standards. Far fewer, but still progress when measured against our first report, 15 states met all 10 health and safety standards recommended by pediatric experts for small family child care homes. Also notable for small family child care homes, 34 states met 9 of 10 health standards and 32 states met 9 of 10 safety standards.
  • Child Development: When we began looking at state required activities compared to developmental domains (i.e., social, emotional, physical, language/literacy, cognitive and cultural domains), only 13 states required activities in child care centers within each of the domains; 10 states had no requirements for activities in child care centers related to developmental domains. Today, 22 states require activities in child care centers within all 6 developmental domains; 3 states have no required activities in child care centers related to developmental domains (AL, CA, ID).  For small family child care homes, today 8 states require activities in all developmental domains (AZ, DE, GA, KS, MI, TN, WA and WV).
  • Inspections: When we began looking at state monitoring or oversight practices, only a handful of states conducted regular inspections and few posted inspection results on the internet for easy parent access. Today, 5 states conduct inspections of child care centers less than once per year (AL, CA, ID, MN, and VT).  Progress has been made but still too many states – 24 – conduct inspections of small family child care homes less than once per year. More than half the states post inspection reports on the internet so that parents can make informed decisions when selecting child care.

To review a table of progress made against key benchmarks on the roadmap for quality child care, click here.

Progress has been made. Numerous states have made important improvements to ensure that children are safe and in child care settings that promote their healthy development. However, much work remains at the national level to enact CCDBG reauthorization and within the states.

Thank you state child care administrators, parents, advocates, child care providers, child care experts and all those who work every day to ensure that progress toward quality child care is being made. We’re on the road, we’ve had some success.

With the start of 2013, our campaign continues. Keep up the good work. Progress can’t be made without you – and, together we can make a difference.  Nearly 11 million children in child care are depending upon you. Make 2013 a banner year!

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Juggling Sick Children and Child Care

Posted in Health and Safety, Quality Child Care, Training, tagged , , , , , , , on October 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

If you’re a parent with a young child in child care, chances are you’ve had a call to pick up your child due to some type of illness.  Nearly 11 million children under age 6 are in some type of child care every week.  As every parent knows, colds happen.  Other illnesses happen too, but recognizing when a child should be excluded from child care and when it’s okay for them to stay in group care, varies by state and by program.

A study published in Pediatrics Magazine in May, “Unnecessary Child Care Exclusions in a State That Endorses National Exclusion Guidelines”  found that child care center directors would exclude nearly 60 percent of children with mild illnesses – although guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Public Health Association (APHA) would not warrant their exclusion.  Directors with greater child care experience made fewer unnecessary exclusion decisions.  The authors of the study recommended that child care center directors have initial and ongoing training regarding the AAP/APHA guidelines to reduce the high rates of unnecessary exclusion.  For the AAP/APHA cheat sheet on exclusion symptoms and signs, click here.

What’s the big deal? When children are excluded from child care due to illness, working parents have to scramble to figure out how to take care of their children and still meet their work obligations so that they can support their families.  Many child care programs exclude sick children until they have a doctor’s note, are taking antibiotics, or their illness has improved or resolved.  In some situations, that’s warranted.  But, for many mild illnesses, it’s not.  A new national poll of parents with children under age 6 in child care by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital found:

  • Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of parents say their children could not attend because of an illness in the past year.
  • Nearly 40 percent (38 percent) of parents say their child was unable to attend child care three or more times during the past year.
  • One-third (33 percent) of parents are concerned about losing their jobs or losing pay when taking off work to care for their sick children.
  • Nearly 10 percent of parents say that taking their sick child to the emergency room is more convenient than seeing a primary care doctor.

Work Impact:

  • 42 percent of parents said they had missed work in the last year due to their child’s illness.
  • 26 percent of parents said they missed work 3 or more times over the last year due to their child’s illness.
  • 50 percent of parents said that finding alternative or back-up child care for their sick children was difficult.
  • 33 percent of parents said taking time off from work with a sick child is difficult because they may lose pay or their job.

Clearly, there are illnesses that warrant exclusion. And, no doubt, child care program directors are trying to balance a healthy setting for all children against the working needs of parents.  At the same time, the authors of the May Pediatrics article found that many directors were not aware of the AAP/APHA guidelines.  Appropriate handling of sick children, including exclusion policies, is yet another reason why training for child care providers (and directors) can make a difference. Training can also help child care providers use healthy practices to reduce the spread of germs.  The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the law that allocates funds to states for child care and sets the framework for state child care laws, does not require any training for child care providers – not even basic health and safety practices (let alone sick child exclusion policies).  Send an email to your Members of Congress today to urge that CCDBG require minimum training for child care providers.  Children do get sick.  Child care providers need to know when to exclude children and how to reduce the likelihood that germs will be spread. Training can address both, yet state policies vary greatly.  It’s time for Congress to require training.

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Child Care Training Matters!

Posted in Health and Safety, Quality Child Care, Training, tagged , , , , on October 13, 2012 | 1 Comment »

In a survey by the National Center for Early Development and Learning, nearly half (46 percent) of kindergarten teachers in a nationwide sample said that over half of the children in their class weren’t ready to succeed in school. Why?  Before we get out the magic wand and with Harry Potter-like precision create pre-kindergarten programs in every state focused on pre-literacy and early math strategies, education experts ought to review the relationship between “executive function” and a child’s future school success – particularly for low income children.

What’s executive function? And, what does that have to do with children younger than age five? There are three functions that make up the core of executive functioning:

  • working memory  (the capacity to remember information and tap it when you need it – like following directions, planning, taking turns, and rejoining a game after taking a break)
  • inhibitory control  (the capacity to filter thoughts and control impulses, resist distractions, stay on task, and focus)
  • cognitive or mental flexibility (the capacity to switch gears and adjust to changing demands, priorities, solve problems, apply different rules to different settings)

Children are born with the potential to develop these capacities, but the foundation for executive function skills are shaped by their early experiences.  This is important because it means that the foundation for school success, the capacity and strategies a child draws upon and uses in kindergarten, are not first learned in kindergarten. The building blocks for school readiness and school success are stacked long before a child enters the public school system. A strong working memory, self-control, and focusing skills provide the basis for which children learn to read, write, do math, and engage in other critical thinking skills.

A child with weak executive functioning skills will have a much harder time succeeding in school.  A child with weak executive functioning skills is at risk of expulsion from a preschool or child care setting or potentially is at-risk of the inappropriate use of medication. The child might be labeled as having “bad behavior” or may disappear in a child care program rather than engage with friends and the teacher.

Here’s what the science tells us.  Executive function capacity can be taught and improved. In three randomized trials, children in settings that emphasized executive function skills showed improved performance in a range of developmental areas.  Children who experienced a combined approach integrating both executive function focus and literacy had significantly greater achievement once in public school.

Yes, well-designed pre-k programs are part of the solution to school success. But, children aren’t born at age 4 and given the hours that children spend in child care, it can no longer be ignored as an early learning setting (in addition to being a work support).

The science tells us that 80 percent of a child’s brain develops by the age of 3 and nearly 90 percent by the age of 5. Assessments of child care programs have found that low income children have the most to gain from a quality child care program.  A long-term study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) found that even a decade after children had been in a quality child care program, the effects were still evident at age 15 when those children scored higher on measures of academic and cognitive achievement and were less likely to misbehave than those enrolled in low quality care.

Nearly 11 million children under the age of 5 are in some type of child care setting every week. Yet, the training required by child care staff varies greatly by state. And, most states have very weak training and education requirements.  Why ignore the science? Doesn’t it make sense to require minimum training to ensure that children have all the skills they need to succeed in school (including executive function skills that will equip a child to learn)?

Take action today! The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the federal law that sets the framework for state child care laws, does not require any minimum training for child care staff or those who want to get a license to operate a child care program out of their home.  That’s just wrong. Particularly when you know the science, it makes no sense.  CCDBG has not been updated in 16 years. It’s time to update the law to be in sync with the science. Urge your Members of Congress today to require child care providers to have minimum training.

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Calling on Mothers – Time to Speak Up!

Posted in Health and Safety, Quality Child Care, Training, tagged , , , , , , , on September 29, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Last week in Washington, D.C., David Gray and Lisa Guernsey from the New America Foundation’s Workforce and Family Program and Early Education Initiative, led a panel discussion entitled, “Speaking Up: What the Presidential Candidates Should be Saying about Child Care and Early Learning.”

In looking at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), one thing about mothers with children is really clear:  they are working!  And, they are working in record numbers compared to 20, 30, or 40 years ago.  While the workforce participation rate today is higher for mothers with school-age children (76.1 percent) compared to mothers with children under age 6 (64 percent) or mothers of infants (55.8 percent), the bottom line is that mothers are working and their income is essential to the support of their families and to this economy. Just how many working mothers is that?  That’s about 12.6 million mothers with children age 6-17 and another 8.1 million mothers with children under age 6.

Despite the fact that so many mothers with young children are working today, there is no talk by the Presidential candidates about the most critical factor that enables mothers to obtain and retain a job. Neither candidate has yet to talk about child care, about the importance of affordable, quality child care to ensure that mothers can work, which helps strengthen our economy and that while they work, their children are safe and in a setting that promotes their healthy development.

That’s just wrong.

Nearly 11 million children are in child care today – on average for 35 hours a week. Child care is hard to find. It’s even harder to afford. And, too often, the quality of child care that is available in communities is questionable. The forum sponsored by the New America Foundation heard from child care experts about the need for:

  • children to be safe in child care
  • quality child care to ensure that children are nurtured to promote their growth and development ultimately leading to their ability to succeed in later school years
  • understanding that turning schools around won’t work without also focusing on the settings children are in during their earliest years
  • assistance for low wage workers so that they don’t turn to welfare

Watch the New America Foundation forum.

Let the Presidential candidates hear from you! Visit our action center and send an email to the candidates today! Ask them what they have to say about child care. Tell them working mothers are listening!

If you agree that it is time for affordable, quality child care, join the Child Care Aware® Parent Network. Let your voice be heard that it’s time to strengthen the quality of child care… and, that not just the Presidential candidates should be talking about child care, but all candidates – those running for Congress, for Governor, and state legislative positions. Together we can make a difference!

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Are Children in Child Care Safe During Disasters?

Posted in Health and Safety, Quality Child Care, Training, tagged , , , , , , on September 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Too many states fail to ensure the safety of children in child care during disasters

During normal working hours – which total more than 2,000 hours a year – the safety of nearly 68 million children is in the hands of school officials and child care providers.  Most parents logically assume that when they drop their children off at school or child care, they will be safe if disaster strikes.  But, a new report by Save the Children found that two-thirds of states fail to require basic emergency preparedness for child care programs and schools.  Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia do not meet four basic preparedness recommendations. Twenty-seven states do not require a plan that accounts for children with disabilities and infants and toddlers who can’t help themselves evacuate safely.  Twenty states do not even require an evacuation and relocation plan!

Children should be safe in child care – particularly during a disaster, which can strike with no warning.

Save the Children looked at four very basic disaster preparation requirements.

  • A Plan for Evacuating Children in Child Care. The state requires all regulated child care programs to have a written plan for evacuating and moving children to a safe location for multiple types of disasters. The plans must go beyond the provisions of a basic fire drill. [20 states do not require an evacuation plan].
  • A Plan for Reuniting Families after a Disaster.  The state requires all regulated child care programs to have a written policy to notify parents of an emergency and reunite parents with their children.  [18 states do not require a plan reuniting families after a disaster].
  •  A Plan for Children with Disabilities and Those with Access and Functional Needs.  The state requires all regulated child care programs to have a written plan that accounts for any special assistance an infant, toddler, or child with physical, emotional, behavioral or mental health challenges may need.  [27 states do not require a plan to address the needs of our most vulnerable young children].
  •  A Multi-Hazard Plan for K-12 Schools.  The state requires all K-12 schools to have a disaster plan that accounts for multiple types of hazards.  [9 states do not require a disaster plan for children in schools].

Five states (Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan and Montana) fail to meet any of the four requirements. Another eight states (Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon and South Dakota) fail to meet any of the requirements related to child care programs.

The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the law that allocates funds to the states for child care and sets the framework for state child care laws, has no requirement with regard to disaster preparation for child care programs to ensure children’s safety.   Requiring emergency plans for child care programs as part of CCDBG makes sense.  Disaster plans and preparation can reduce chaos and danger when disaster hits.

Urge your Members of Congress today to require emergency plans for child care programs as part CCDBG reauthorization.  The safety of children in child care depends on it.

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