I own an In Home Daycare and I am also the mother of a 2 year old. Parents trust me to not only keep their children safe and get them to and from school on time, but also to feed them healthy square meals, to make sure they are not being bullied or being bullies themselves!! But unlike most in home daycare's I offer tutoring for children of all ages, I offer frequent ft days that also teach the kids something along with being fun. But I live in a small town that is out of the way from the "Big Cities" so the number of kids are limited and in my small town there are at least 6 daycare's, all of which are in home as well. Unfortunately for me many have been in business for longer then I have been alive! Or living in this town. So, I may be extremely safe and qualified but I', out voted and over looked and kids are being "watched" not educated or CARED for!! There is a VERY big difference between being cared for and being"watched!!
Even more as a mom I know how picky I am about who I let care for y child, so I know other parents feel the same way and I try to adhere to what they want and need in a daycare provider. The following is excerpts from Parents Magazines Article 'The Child-Care crisis' by Sharlene Johnson You can find the whole article here... http://www.parents.com/baby/childcare/child-care-crisis/
There is nothing more important to a working parent than knowing her child is in a good child-care situation. Good child care often costs more than families can afford. A recent survey of Parents readers who use child care, 84% said that finding affordable, quality care is either a challenge, very hard, or IMPOSSIBLE!! 66% of parents think the lack of access to child care is a serious problem--to which I totally agree!!-- Particularly in this economy, parents face tough choices.
Having a full-time stay-at-home parent simply isn't a reality for most families anymore. 23% of moms and 3% of dads stay home full-time with their kids, according to the latest U.S Census data. Resulting in nearly 11 MILLION children under 5 years of age being in some type of child care each week. Around 40% of those are in the care of grandparents, or other relatives, or friends. 30% of children attend a child-care center, Head start, or preschool, and 15% go to a in-home Daycare.
No one wants to settle for someone who simply will "watch" their kids, given what we know about the amount of brain development and learning that occurs in the early years.
Early Childcare and Education as one concept?? It is important to have loving caregivers who know how to organize the day so that the children are engaged and excited to be there.
Parents would be shocked to realize that there are no federal standards for quality and safety in child care, only a mishmash of inconsistent state laws.
Cost of child care increased twice as fast as the median income of families since 2000--per Child Care Aware of America.-- annual fees range from $3,900 to $15,000 depending on a child's age--Infant care is more expensive. Even when family/friends help with child care you still pay for it. Fuel, travel, time etc. are all spent when you have relatives, friends care for your children. Nothing is free.
Even when couples need 2 incomes it may not be worth it for both partners to work. The pressures are even greater on single-parent families, and the situation is harder for low-income households. $10 Billion per year is spent by state and federal governments for low-income families through the Child care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), but only about 1 out of 6 kids who qualify for assistance receives it and many states have long waiting lists for vouchers. Funding for child care has never been a national priority!
As much as the cost of care varies, so does the quality!! Most states earned a failing grade in the most recent report. 16 states don't require lead teachers in centers to have a high-school diploma, and only 21 states insist that caregivers have any child-development training. A home daycare can have a dozen children and not need a license. Some states exempt those in churches or other religious building from any oversight.
The ratio of adults to children is important (experts recommend at least 1 adult for every 4 babies or 10 pre-schoolers) But numbers are not the key to quality. Kids need to be in an environment that supports all aspects of their development--social,emotional,intellectual, and physical-- Something as simple as responding to a babbling baby can have a profound impact on his language skills. The facility matters too--Children need space to play and explore.
Despite there critical role child-care workers earn little respect and their paycheck is about $21,000 a year! You can have an amazing staff member who is a natural with kids, but she has to quit because she can't afford to pay her bills on her salary! Staff turnover is hard on your children, they become attached to their caregivers and having them change frequently is harmful to their feelings and learning abilities also.
Experts are increasingly concerned about health and safety issues. It is important for staff to be trained in First-Aid as well as CPR along with safe-sleeping practices, and child-abuse prevention. Only 8 states require that caregivers in licensed centers and family child-care homes have a comprehensive background check, including a fingerprint check against state and FBI records, as well as a check of sex-offender and child-abuse registered. Stricter regulations are being implemented but only AFTER a tragedy occurs. Inspections of these facilities should also be regular and MANDATORY!!
The Child Care and Development Block grant hasn't been updated since 1996! There is limited financial help available for middle-income families, who can not qualify for state or federal assistance and even if they receive the grant it barely offsets a small fraction of the fees parents have to pay! As part of his Fiscal Year 2013 budget, President Obama proposed to increase the amount next year to 35% of qualified expenses up to $3,000 for one child and $6,000 for 2 or more children in a family that makes less than $75,000 a year.
Imagine if all the child care centers closed for a week. EVERYTHING would come to a screeching halt! But you don't hear people talking about us as if we are critical to the functions of society.
**Live, Laugh, Love--and ALWAYS kiss me Good night**
