Child Care in America: Parents' Perspectives by Child Care Aware® of America

Child Care in America: Parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Perspectives

2009 NACCRRA NATIONAL POLICY SYMPOSIUM Getting Child Care on the Right Track

Table of Contents Introduction ..........................................................................................Page 2 Parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Stories ......................................................................................Page 3 Conclusion and Recommendations .....................................................Page 46

Child Care in America: Parents’ Perspectives 2009 NACCRRA National Policy Symposium Getting Child Care on the Right Track During NACCRRA’s 2009 National Policy Symposium, held March 10-14, in Washington, D.C., NACCRRA hosted 44 parents from across the country from 31 states. These dedicated parents traveled to our nation’s capitol to share their personal experiences with child care. The Parents@Symposium program is one of the newest elements of NACCRRA’s National Policy Symposium designed to ensure that policymakers hear directly from parents. State Child Care Resource & Referral Networks and local Child Care Resource & Referral agencies (CCR&Rs) across the nation were invited to select parents who encountered a wide array of child care challenges and were willing to share their experience with others. Specifically, Parents@Symposium 2009 includes 36 parents from different states and eight parents from NACCRRA’s Army Child Care in Your Neighborhood (ACCYN) program. ACCYN provides Army-sponsored off-post care when the demand for on-post child care exceeds the available supply. To meet military child care standards, CCR&Rs worked with local child care providers to strengthen the quality of care when state or local standards fell below military child care criteria.1 All 44 parent stories and experiences are compelling, but they are just some of the millions of parents across the nation faced with similar circumstances. Today, more than 11 million children under age 5 are in some type of child care arrangement every week while their parents work. On average, children of working mothers spend 36 hours every week in child care. Studies have repeatedly shown that high-quality child care - care that provides a loving, safe, stable and age-appropriate stimulating environment - helps children enter school ready to learn. Yet, less than 10 percent of the nation’s child care is of high-quality. The following stories are separated by states, but the common thread is that parents want their children to be safe in child care. And, they want quality child care that is affordable. Following the parent stories are NACCRRA’s policy recommendations to ensure that all families have access to quality, affordable child care where children can be safe in settings that promote healthy child development.

1 For more information about NACCRRA’s work in civilian communities to improve access to quality child care for military families, see Making Quality Child Care Possible: Lessons Learned from NACCRRA’s Military Partnerships, 2008.

Alaska

A Father in Search of Quality As a father of three, Toby Lovelace spent years struggling to ďŹ nd quality child care for his children, one of whom has special needs. Lovelace encountered numerous obstacles during his search for child care, such as long waiting lists, insurance challenges and transportation issues. One of the most prominent issues was a lack of providers willing and capable of caring for an autistic child. As a result of his experiences, Lovelace has committed to supporting public policy eďŹ&#x20AC;orts that will increase and improve the supply of child care available to families with children with special needs

Arkansas

Caring for Families Virginia Done is raising three of her grandchildren in Blytheville, Ark. Formerly a family child care provider, Done currently owns and directs a local child care center. She sees first-hand the difficulties parents encounter trying to pay the high cost of child care. As a result, she created AFFORD, a program that helps families with the cost of child care. Done’s program assists parents earning low incomes, single parents, teen mothers, grandparents and family members caring for children of incarcerated parents. These families are given the opportunity to place their children in affordable, high-quality settings. The AFFORD program operates with the help of small grants and community contributions.

California The High Cost of Child Care Marla Campos, a single mother of two, has oftentimes struggled to provide for her family. Working two jobs has failed to provide her with enough income to pay the bills and cover the high cost of child care. As a result, Campos is eligible to receive a child care subsidy through California. However, she sits on a waiting list with 234,000 other children also in need of subsidized care. To bring attention to this issue, Campos advocates through Parent Voices, a grassroots organization of California parents working to expand child care subsidy funding so more children have access to a muchneeded resource.

California

TANF Recipient, Then and Now Gina Jackson is a single mother of four children, ranging in ages from 5-23. When all her children were young, Jackson took advantage of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and received subsidized child care. The program allowed her to gain employment at a San Francisco investment firm. After working there for years, Jackson became yet another victim of the nation’s current economic crisis. She lost her job due to workforce reduction and was forced to find another child care arrangement when her provider’s home was foreclosed on. She once again was able to secure TANF to provide for her family and keep her subsidy to help pay for the cost of child care. With job prospects declining, Jackson’s ability to adequately provide for her family is uncertain. Jackson is a member of Parent Voices and has testified at hearings with legislatures to advocate for higher standards and affordable child care.

California Working for High-Quality Child Care Melinda McCall, a Novato, Calif., mother of three, faced difficulties finding affordable, high-quality child care when her children were young. As a teen mother, McCall also struggled to find employment that enabled her to provide for her family. With the help of CalWORKS, a program that offers child care fee assistance to eligible families, McCall was able to secure affordable child care. The assistance with child care fees allowed her to maintain employment and provide for her family. Because of the positive impact CalWORKS had on the lives of her children, now 8, 10 and 14, McCall currently serves as an advocate for other parents earning low incomes. She actively supports increased child care funding and improved child care options for all California parents.

California

Working Hard to Keep Quality Care Xiao Hua Wang has struggled to find affordable, quality child care for her children, ages 8 and 3. As a full-time student and part-time employee, quality child care is a necessity. Wang was able to find affordable care for her children through a child care subsidy. When her income level slightly crossed the qualifying level, Wang lost her subsidy and was no longer able to afford to keep her children in care. While her husband works, his employment is not steady and fails to provide the income needed to pay for quality care.

Connecticut Child Care Subsidies: Vital Safety Net for Working Parents When Cheri Lungren’s abusive husband unexpectedly abandoned her and their 18-month-old, she found herself facing many new challenges. Lungren was forced to find immediate employment and affordable child care since her husband had taken their financial assets. Previously a stay-at-home mom, she struggled in her search for both. However, through the Child Care Subsidy Program in Manchester, Conn., Lungren was eventually able to secure licensed care that was both affordable and of high quality. Now a working mother of a 12-year-old, the experience has been a lasting reminder about how important affordable, high-quality child care is for children and families, especially those who suddenly find themselves single.

Florida A Thankful Dad with a Great Provider Marcelo Salles, a Department of Defense (DoD) civilian at Southern Command is a participant in NACCRRA’s Army Child Care in Your Neighborhood (ACCYN) program. Without the high-quality programs provided through ACCYN, Salles and his wife would be unable to maintain the employment needed to adequately provide for their family. Their daughter’s current child care setting has proven to be nurturing and cognitively stimulating. As his daughter grows up, Salles will continue to utilize subsidy funding for Florida’s Voluntary Pre-K program.

The Army Child Care in Your Neighborhood program is a pilot offered through NACCRRA designed to increase the availability of high-quality child care options for Army families outside the gates of 13 installations. The program is open to active duty Army families stationed at the pilot installations at care fees comparable to those on post.

Florida Accustomed to Quality, Determined to Get Equality Lieu Rhodes has always valued the importance of high-quality child care. When the single mother of four faced financial hardships, she found it impossible to pay for the same level of care. Determined to obtain a highquality education for her children, Rhodes became a child care advocate who sought all available resources. She worked closely with her Child Care Resource & Referral agency (CCR&R) to find assistance that would enable her to continue using accredited care. Rhodes’ local CCR&R helped her locate other accredited centers that were more affordable and qualified her for financial assistance. Through CCR&R support, Rhodes was able to go back to school and establish her own business.

Georgia High-Quality Child Care: Both Sides of the Story Danielle Dermer, the mother of a preschool-aged child, sees the impact quality care can have on children on a daily basis. She is the director of The Children’s Village, a child care center located in Georgia. Her center serves as a site for NACCRRA’s Army Child Care in Your Neighborhood (ACCYN) program, which helps increase the availability of high-quality child care for Army families. Dermer has personally implemented many quality improvement initiatives through ACCYN. She believes that every child should be oﬀered a child care program that provides educational opportunities in a caring environment. Dermer’s 4-year-old son has attended The Children’s Village since he was an infant, and during this time she has witnessed his growth and development. She has also seen growth in other children attending the center. This fuels Dermer’s desire to advocate for improved child care policies for all children.

Georgia Parent Sacrifices Family Income for Her Children’s Safety Kara Hatcher, a mother of three, had difficulty finding quality child care after relocating to Georgia. While there were available child care options, Hatcher found many of them to be unsanitary, lacking in qualified staff and ill-equipped to provide developmentally appropriate learning activities. She had to work to provide for her family, so Hatcher was forced to choose what she considered to be the best of her limited child care options. This proved to be a mistake. Hatcher knew something was wrong when her oldest child Cole, who always loved school, began having separation anxiety issues each time she dropped him off. He suffered numerous playground accidents, the provider routinely exceeded provider-child ratios, and there was a lack of appropriate supervision. Her four-year-old son escaped from school undetected on two different occasions, ending up in the parking lot. Eventually, Hatcher withdrew her children from the program and left her job to care for them.

Georgia

Communicating the Need for Quality Care Lisa Perry Smith, the mother of a 4-year-old, encountered problems finding quality child care for her son. Smith experimented with various options, including family child care, a state-funded pre-Kindergarten program and even a private preschool. None of the child care options met her expectations of a quality setting capable of meeting the needs of her son. While attending a center, her son’s finger was smashed and was not cared for properly. When she was contacted about the situation, there was unprofessional communication and vague information provided by the center. Smith was not able to determine what constitutes quality child care and where she could find it until she contacted Quality Care for Children.

Hawaii

The Second Child to Die in the Same Family Child Care Home Cheri Chew-Marumoto suﬀered a horriﬁc loss when her 4-month-old nephew died in a licensed family child care home. His death was the second to occur at the hands of the same provider. Although her nephew’s death was ultimately attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), inadequate supervision and unlawful provider-child ratios played a role. As a result of her experience, Chew-Marumoto shares her story with other child care providers. She is a Trainer and Quality Care Specialist for People Attentive to Children (PATCH), and advocates for improved monitoring and licensing of child care programs in the hopes of preventing the unnecessary deaths of more children.

Illinois

The Truth About Child Care Subsidy: Making Dreams Come True Jill Bowers was motivated to attend college after the birth of her daughter in 2002. However, as a single mother making just over minimum wage, Bowers’ dreams were deferred. Transitioning from a full-time to part-time employee just didn’t seem realistic. When a co-worker told her about Child Care Resource and Referral in Illinois, Bowers immediately researched her options and learned that she was eligible for the Child Care Assistance Program. She was able to start college by the time her daughter was 6-months-old, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2005 and a master’s degree one year later. Bowers eventually taught college courses at Eastern Illinois University, where she was appointed director of the Child Care Resource and Referral—the same program that enabled her to attend college as a single parent. The Child Care Assistance Program changed her life, and Bowers, now married and working on her doctoral degree, looks forward to speaking on behalf of other parents in hopes that their lives will be changed, too.

Indiana In Reagan’s MemoryHer Parents Advocate In April 2000, Todd and Natalie Wolfe lived every parent’s worse nightmare. The Wolfe’s 3-month-old daughter, Reagan, passed away at the unlicensed family child care she attended with her older sister, Samantha. The baby was left unattended for more than two hours in an adult bed on her stomach. Since their child’s death, the Wolfes have committed themselves to increasing public awareness around the need for improved child care standards. They helped to pass Reagan’s Law in memory of their daughter , which seeks to protect children in negligent environments. Their eﬀorts have also helped to establish the Indiana Association for Child Care Resource & Referral Better Baby Care Program, a national initiative to encourage and support states, tribes and local communities to promote the healthy development of babies, toddlers and their families. Because of her passion and tireless commitment, Wolfe currently serves as the ﬁrst appointed parent advocate on the Indiana Board for Child Care Rules and Regulation.

Iowa

Including Claire When Jody Stephens Thomas returned to work, she faced many obstacles while trying to locate child care for her 6-month-old daughter, Claire. Thomas was unable to find a child care setting that could address the multiple special needs of her child up until Claire was 4-years-old. In her search, Thomas found that providers did not have the appropriate training to address her daughter’s needs. She also ran into instances where providers were not willing, or able, to provide additional staff to accommodate her child. As a result, Thomas was forced to work part-time on different occasions, she used family care and spent countless hours working with different child care providers to show them how to appropriately deal with her child. Now, seven years later, Thomas shares her story with others to help raise awareness about the need for affordable, quality child care opportunities for children with special needs.

Kansas

Army Captain Struggles to Find Quality Child Care Captain Trisha Meyer, a military mother of two, struggled to find quality child care when care on post was unavailable for her new infant. She and her husband contacted Children and Youth Services (CYS) and learned about the Army Child Care in Your Neighborhood (ACCYN) program in 2006. When Meyer called the ACCYN site, they told her about a new provider to the program who unfortunately was not caring for infants. Despite this set back, she interviews the provider, who, after meeting and learning about the family, agreed to accept both children into her care. Prior to learning about ACCYN, Meyer had not been able to place both children in a quality child care environment. The program helped her family find a setting they could afford and one that would continually nurture their children’s social, emotional and cognitive development. In January 2007, Meyer was deployed to Iraq, and her provider assisted the family in many ways. The children are now ages 2 ½ and 4 ½. The Meyers continue to refer other military families to the ACCYN program. They believe that families often settle for less because of cost or lack of options. Meyer wants service members and their families to know that ACCYN can help families find high-quality care,

Louisiana

Hurricane Katrina’s Effect on Quality Child Care Illumani Johnson, the mother of a now 3-year-old, had problems finding stable, quality care for her daughter as an infant. In addition to finding quality child care, Johnson had to manage life after Hurricane Katrina. Shortly after the natural disaster, she was forced to relocate to an unfamiliar area and knew little about the centers there. Johnson unknowingly placed her daughter in a child care center that was neglectful. Eventually, she was able to return home, but problems occurred again. Johnson repeatedly placed her daughter in care and eventually had to remove her for various reasons, including neglect and inappropriate financial practices. After seven different child care arrangements in just three years, Johnson finally found safe, healthy child care for her daughter that promotes early learning and development.

Maine

Quality Experiences from Quality Care As a working mother of a 3-year-old, Becky Brown of Sanford, Maine, understands the critical need for affordable, quality child care. Without affordable child care, Brown and other working parents would be unable to maintain employment and provide for their families. Having qualified for a subsidy, Brown is able to afford safe and healthy child care for her son. The program he attends promotes development and learning, and prepares him with the skills needed to be successful in kindergarten and beyond. Brown is passionate about educating others on the issues surrounding early child care and the positive impact quality early learning experiences can have on children.

Massachusetts

A Young Mother Pursues Her Education While Pursuing High-Quality Care Jamie Berberena was a teenage mother when she initially needed assistance and child care funding. She was determined to complete her Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree while securing quality child care for her two children. Now a successful career woman, Barberena credits her success to securing the ďŹ nancial assistance needed to place her children in high-quality child care. She believes that high-quality child care has enabled her children to progress socially and academically. Ultimately, she feels that she has made a better life for her children.

Michigan Returning the Support While completing her education, Robin Benson of Alpena, Mich., struggled to find and pay for quality child care. When Benson began her studies, the state of Michigan provided a child care fee assistance program to individuals pursuing secondary education. When the program was discontinued, Benson was forced to find an alternate way to pursue her education and provide care for her children, now 14 and 17. With limited funds to pay for child care, Benson used care she could afford. This choice ultimately resulted in one of her children witnessing the abuse of another child while in that care. Due to her experience, Benson is committed to helping families in need find affordable, high-quality child care. She is currently the director of Child & Family Services 4C, a local Child Care Resource and Referral program in Michigan. Benson’s role in CCR&R enables her to help families she can relate to on a daily basis. She is able to offer the assistance they need to provide for their families.

Michigan

Why Keeping It All in the Family Can Be Dangerous Terrence Young’s 3-year-old daughter had multiple child care arrangements, relative care and alternating work schedules with his spouse before he found consistent, reliable licensed care. In an eﬀort to save money, Young utilized a family member who was inexperienced in child care. Unfortunately, Young had to experience sub-standard care before truly understanding the importance of quality child care. With the help of his local Child Care Resource & Referral agency (CCR&R), Young realized that his daughter’s social/emotional, behavioral and learning needs could be met in an aﬀordable, highquality child care center. As a result, his daughter was able to enter kindergarten with the skills she needed to succeed.

Minnesota Relocating to a Small Town, Leaving Behind High Quality Kathy Grochow had difficulty finding quality care for her children, ages 5 and 1, after moving from a mid-sized city to a rural township. While licensed care was available, it was not of the quality she was accustomed to and necessary to maintain the health, safety and well-being of her children. Although she eventually found a provider with over 25 years of experience, the provider stated that she did not offer activities for the children because “there were too many little ones.” Despite Grochow’s desire to place her children in a stimulating, safe environment, there continues to be a shortage of options. She had to continue using the same provider for her younger child. Grochow believes that local Child Care Resource & Referral agencies (CCR&Rs) need more funding to support in-home providers and improve quality of care in rural areas. As a result of her experience, Grochow has become an advocate for increased child care funding and improved child care options. Through advocacy and membership on the Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral Network’s Board of Directors, she hopes to afford parents, even in rural areas, the opportunity to have high-quality child care available to them.

Mississippi High-Quality Child Care Mattersâ&#x20AC;Ś Everywhere Meredith Betts struggled to ďŹ nd high-quality child care for her children, ages 3 and 6, in the rural community of Starkville, Miss. Eventually, she found high-quality care with the help of the Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral Network. For this reason, she has become a loyal supporter of resource and referral services. Betts is also a staunch advocate for improved child care options for all Mississippi parents.

Missouri

Nathan’s Law: Regulating Unlicensed Facilities Steve and Shelly Blecha suffered horrific loss when their 4-month-old son died in an unlicensed child care setting as a result of being placed on his stomach to sleep. The Blechas now fight to prevent other parents from ever having to suffer such a loss by advocating for improved licensing and regulation of child care facilities. Their efforts have resulted in the introduction of a bill by Representative Rachel Storch (D-Mo.) called Nathan’s Law, in memory of Nathan Blecha. The bill seeks to eliminate a Missouri-specific provision that exempts children related to a child care provider from licensure requirements; require unlicensed facilities to disclose their unlicensed status; allow regulators to take immediate action to shut down an illegal facility; and enhance penalties for non-compliant facilities.

Montana Speaking Up and Out for Children Karyn Tietz, of Bozeman, Mont., is the legal guardian of two of her grandchildren. Both children require one-on-one attention, so Tietz has faced challenges locating child care that can meet their special needs. As a result, she has worked with providers to educate them on the needs of her grandchildren. She hopes her eďŹ&#x20AC;orts will ensure they receive the highest quality of care possible, and she is working at the state level advocating on behalf of all children with special needs.

New Jersey

A Lack of Quality Tara Green, a mother of two school-age children, has encountered problems finding stable, quality care for her children. Even with the assistance of a subsidy, securing before and after school care proved difficult. Many child care providers do not offer care during these times for school-age children. Over time, she utilized a family child care provider, a program at the local YMCA and unregulated care to meet her child care needs. Green soon learned that her daughter was being bullied at the unregulated care and immediately removed her daughter from the program. She consulted her subsidy child care counselor and was finally able to find a quality school-age program within her children’s school. Green understands that the search for quality, affordable child care can be very difficult.

New York Defending the Case for Child Care Subsidy Jennifer Lynn Garcia has been able to maintain employment and provide for her children, ages 9 and 2, with the help of a child care subsidy. In August 2008, she received a letter from the New York Department of Health and Human Services stating that there were insuďŹ&#x192;cient funds in the system to continue covering her child care expenses. Garcia was overwhelmed. On her income of $375 per week, she would not be able to cover the full cost of care and necessary household expenses. Garcia ďŹ led for a fair hearing, which was held October 2008. She is currently awaiting a decision to determine if her subsidy will continue. As a result of her experience, Garcia has become actively involved in educating others about the importance of child care subsidies and the need to increase subsidy funding to ensure all families have access to this vital resource.

North Carolina Quality Care Reduces Military Spouseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stress Tridell Winder, a mother of three, appreciates the services of NACCRRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Army Child Care in Your Neighborhood (ACCYN) program. Finding good quality child care through this program enabled Winder to complete her education and help better provide for her family. The program has been a relief mentally while her husband is either deployed or away at training because she knows her children are well cared for in their child care setting.

North Carolina High-Quality Child Care: A Sound Investment As a teenage mother of two, Diane Stringer struggled to find affordable child care for her children. Her search was made even more difficult because one of her children had special needs. With limited means, no transportation and no support system, Stringer of Monroe, N.C., turned to Child Care Resources Inc. and the United Way for help. With their assistance and the assistance of the North Carolina Division of Social Services, Stringer was able to find affordable, high-quality child care and other educational resources to better provide for her children. Stringer now serves as Vice President of Financial Sales and Services at Bank of America, and her child with special needs is in college. Because of her personal experiences, Stringer feels a responsibility to share her story with others to prove that child care funding does positively impact the lives of families and their children.

Ohio

An Invaluable Advocate: Lawrence Hall Lawrence Hall suďŹ&#x20AC;ered a horriďŹ c loss when his 5-month-old daughter died from injuries sustained in an unregulated family child care home. Since her death, Hall has served as a staunch advocate for improved regulations and sanctions of family child care homes. He has served as chairman of the Ohio Child Care Advisory Committee, currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association, and has been active in the Ohio Family Child Care Work Group. Hall has also testiďŹ ed before legislative committees on the family child care licensing bill, which focuses on establishing basic health and safety standards for providers who care for three or more children in their home.

Oregon Walking a Mile in Their Shoes Fifteen years ago, Milissa Cantrell was a single, teenage mother with an infant daughter. She had neither work experience nor a high school diploma. Cantrell sought out the resources of the Oregon Department of Human Services in Klamath Falls. Cantrell’s caseworker helped her achieve her GED and acquire job experience. Together, they struggled to secure affordable, quality child care in the Klamath Falls area because there was none available. As a result, Cantrell used family care, friends and other patchwork arrangements to provide care for her child. Now, Cantrell finds herself on the other side of the fence as a caseworker, helping mothers of young children secure assistance for child care. Although Cantrell has improved her status, child care in the state of Oregon has remained the same. Limited high-quality options are available in Oregon, yet Cantrell works to help parents secure the best available care for their children. She often goes above and beyond her required duties while fighting to improve the quality of care already in existence.

Pennsylvania Working Her Way Back As a business professional, Wendy Irvin did not have to think about child care subsidiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;until her employer downsized, putting her in a new situation. The mother of two young children struggled to make ends meet, and she found herself walking into a food shelter she used to walk past. Through Pennsylvaniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Child Care Works subsidy program, Irvin was eventually able to secure child care assistance and continue working to provide for her family. However, a one-time bonus from her employer may no longer qualify Irvin for subsidized care. If Irvin is deemed ineligible, she will have to pay the full cost of care, which amounts close to $18,000 per year. Alternatively, she will have to leave the workforce to provide full-time care for her children. In the meantime, Irvin is proud that she and her children have managed to get back on their feet, and she is quick to credit part of her success to the Child Care Works program. She now understands the need for child care subsidies and proudly advocates for the children and families on the waiting list for the PA subsidy program.

Tennessee A Child Care Provider and Lifelong Family Friend Irene Soto, a military spouse stationed at Ft. Campbell, would be unable to afford the high cost of child care without NACCRRA’s Army Child Care in Your Neighborhood (ACCYN) program. ACCYN enables Soto to maintain the employment needed to properly provide for her family. Her daughter benefits from a quality educational setting that will nurture growth and development. While the program ensures that child care providers are well qualified, Soto’s provider exceeded all expectations. Her daughter has benefited tremendously from this care, and Soto feels indebted for the emotional support offered. Her daughter has been in the same care since she was 18months old, and knowing that her provider is qualified, caring and trustworthy is worth more than anything else to Soto.

Tennessee Child Care for Special Needs Children Gina Lynette is the mother of two children, ages 7 and 10. Having one child with autism has made it difficult for her to find affordable, quality child care for both children. She has been denied access to school-based YMCA programs, private child care programs and county-based child care programs. As a result, Lynette has had to use a patchwork of child care arrangements, which often involves her taking time off work to provide care for her children. These arrangements can be very costly, as many of them are high school and college-aged students who charge anywhere from $8 - $15 an hour. The cost of child care has recently become even more expensive due to budget constraints and the loss of funding from the Family Support System in Tennessee. Lynette, now a child care advocate, visits her local representatives and senators to highlight the child care needs of families in Tennessee.

Texas In the Darkest of Times, A Mother Advocates for Others Avonda Fox suffered a horrific loss when her 4-year-old son died after being left in a van, owned and operated by his child care facility. He was left for an unknown period in 103 degree heat. Upon discovery of her son’s body, a child care worker transported Jacob Fox to a local park in an attempt to conceal how he died. Since his death, Fox has become an advocate for increased standards and oversight of child care facilities. As a result of Fox’s efforts, a bill was passed in 2007 in memory of her son, which requires that all child care employees be fingerprinted and that all child care directors be present at the child care facility during times of inspections. She is currently working on legislation that will require all child care employees to attend transportation safety training.

Texas ACCYN High-Quality Care Stephanie Gonzalez, an Army spouse and mother of four, struggled to pay for child care. Although her children were in a child care center, Gonzalez was not happy with the quality of care they received. Unable to pay the high cost of quality care, Gonzalez believed she would never be able to provide her children with the care she felt they deserved. Through Army Child Care in Your Neighborhood (ACCYN), Gonzalez was able to give her children what she always wanted for them. ACCYN, a NACCRRA program, increases the supply of high-quality child care programs for Army Families and helps them pay for that care. Her children’s child care center volunteered to become a part of the ACCYN program and implemented the required quality improvement initiatives to improve their quality. As a result, Gonzalez saw the quality of the center vastly improve and witnessed a positive diﬀerence in the emotional, social, and educational growth and development of her children. Because she had such a positive experience, Gonzalez obtained her CDA and became the center’s director.

Texas

ACCYN - A Lifesaver When Military Families Relocate Shalita Moore is the mother of two children, ages 5 and 6. After living in New Orleans for years, Moore and her family relocated to Ft. Bliss, Texas. She soon realized that most parents in the area were unable to secure affordable, high- quality child care. Luckily, Moore eventually found quality child care through NACCRRA’s Army Child Care in Your Neighborhood (ACCYN) program. To date, she has only had positive experiences with the program. ACCYN helps eligible Army Families locate high-quality child care and financial assistance for that care. Moore was fortunate enough to be able to benefit from this valuable program and witness the improved conditions in the quality of care her children received.

Virginia Lessons Learned: The Beneﬁts of High-Quality Child Care When her family was re-stationed to the Arlington, Va., area, Leslie Dysinger expected a change in the cost of living—but she and her husband were surprised at the extent of this change. On a teacher’s salary, Dysinger’s entire paycheck went toward the cost of child care for her 3-year-old son. She and her husband struggled, despite the fact that they were bringing in two incomes. Dysinger worried that she would have to give up her teaching career to stay home with her son. At the suggestion of a friend, she and her husband sought the help of NACCRRA and the Virginia Child Care Resource & Referral Network (VACCRRN). Through NACCRRA and its Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) program, Dysinger was able to place her son in a high-quality child care setting and keep her teaching job. The program helps military families locate high-quality child care while paying for a portion of the care. Since their initial enrollment into the MCCYN program, the Dysinger family has relocated twice. Each time, they’ve been able to ﬁnd the high-quality child care needed in order for the assistance to continue. Dysinger appreciates the standards of quality set for the MCCYN program and feels safe with the care her son is receiving.

Washington

Staying at Home No Longer an Option for this Military Family Tahara Norton and her husband struggled to find quality child care for their son after they were re-stationed in Ft. Lewis, Wash. She had previously experienced problems finding quality care and ultimately quit her job to care for her son. This was not an option due to the current economic crisis, so Norton was forced to work and find a quality child care environment. After two failed child care arrangements, Norton thought she would be unable to find suitable care until she discovered NACCRRA’s Army Child Care in Your Neighborhood (ACCYN) program. ACCYN enabled Norton to find child care that was affordable and provided her son with an opportunity to further his growth and development.

Washington

Seeing the Impact of High-Quality Child Care Sarah Collins of Pullman, Wash., has witnessed first-hand the effects of limited resources on the lives of underprivileged children. She encountered countless children in need of resources and services, as an advocate in an emergency shelter for children and a teacher’s assistant and graduate intern at a group home for males. These children often suffered in the areas of cognitive, social/emotional and behavioral development. Collins understood that the children could have significantly benefited from high-quality, early education programs. Her early experiences with at-risk children has resulted in Collins becoming an advocate for improved resources, funding and quality early learning programs for all children. As a single, working parent, Collins knows the value of having quality, affordable child care options—and she is working to make this a reality for all parents.

Wisconsin

High-Quality and Affordable Child Care: The Search Continues Eight years ago, Rachele Cherek struggled to find affordable, high-quality child care when her son was an infant. Although she qualified for subsidized care while working part-time and attending school full-time, Cherek found only a handful of child care options that met her needs. However, none of the programs appeared to be of high-quality. After going through six child care providers in five years, Cherek sought the help of her local Child Care Resource and Referral agency (CCR&R). Child Care Connection, Inc. of Merrill, Wis., helped her locate a higher quality arrangement for her son. By reaching out and working with her local CCR&R, Cherek was able to satisfy her need to provide her son with the best care possible.

Wyoming Parenting the Second Time Around Karen Tomasini is the legal guardian of her 5-year-old granddaughter. When her granddaughter was an infant, Tomasini experienced a lack of aﬀordable, quality child care in her area. She was forced to quit her job to become her granddaughter’s primary caregiver. Knowing that aﬀordable, quality child care should be available to everyone, Tomasini became an advocate on behalf of grandparents who become primary caregivers. She later established a group called P2TA, Parenting the Second Time Around, to support other grandparents in similar situations and educate them on available resources and services.

Conclusion Parents@Symposium offered NACCRRA a unique opportunity to share personal child care stories “in-person” with Members of Congress and their staff. All forty-four parents’ stories and experiences were compelling, but these parents are just some of the millions of families across the nation faced with similar circumstances. Today, nearly 11 million children under age 5 are in some type of child care arrangement every week while their parents work. On average, children of working mothers spend 36 hours every week in child care. Studies repeatedly have shown that high-quality child care - care that provides a loving, safe, stable and age-appropriate stimulating environment - helps children enter school ready to learn. Yet, less than 10 percent of the nation’s child care is of high-quality. Why should parents speak up with their Members of Congress? What difference does it make? It makes all the difference in the world. A parent sharing a story of their own personal challenges or personal tragedy as in the case of the 5 families whose children died while in a child care setting, makes an emotional connection that no written report can parallel. In addition to the personal stories shared as part of Parents@Symposium, NACCRRA has conducted focus groups with parents and national polls. NACCRRA’s most recent parent poll was conducted in November 2008 with 1000 parents of children under age 6. Our polling found that quality and affordability were the two biggest concerns for parents. Almost three-quarters of the parents (74 percent) favored public funding to make child care more affordable. In addition, 70 percent were willing to pay an extra $10 per year in taxes to make child care more affordable, and 60 percent were willing to pay $50 per year in extra taxes. Nearly two-thirds of parents thought public education should be expanded to include younger children and that public funds should be used to improve the quality of child care as it is done for K-12 in public schools. Parents’ perceptions about the safety and quality of child care differ greatly from the reality of the condition of child care today. • 87 percent of parents thought all providers were trained to recognize signs of child abuse. • 85 percent of parents thought all providers were trained in first-aid and CPR. • 84 percent of parents believed that all child care providers must have a background check. • 81 percent of parents believed that state government licensed all child care programs. • 76 percent of parents believed that government inspected all child care programs. • 78 percent of parents assumed all child care providers had training in child development before working with children. Unfortunately, the reality is far different from the perception of parents. There are no federal standards to govern child care, and state standards vary greatly. For the most part, state licensing requirements do not support the safety and quality standards that parents expect, especially in family child care homes. And, state oversight or monitoring of even the bare-bones standards

that they have are weak or in frequent. In some states, a child care setting might only be inspected once every 5 or 10 years. Parents nearly unanimously support common sense improvements to strengthen the quality of child care. • 96 percent of parents supported comprehensive background checks, including fingerprints, for child care providers before they begin working with children. • 95 percent of parents supported requiring inspections of child care programs. • 92 percent of parents agreed that training for providers should include classes in child development, first aid and CPR, child guidance and discipline, and recognition of the signs of child abuse. • More broadly, 93 percent of parents thought existing health and safety standards for child care should be improved. On March 12, NACCRRA released its newest report, “We Can Do Better: 2009 Update”, which reviewed state regulations and oversight for child care centers and then ranked the states based on their score. What NACCRRA found was that the average grade was an 83 out of a possible score of 150. This is higher than the average score of 70 NACCRRA reported two years ago, but still fails to protect children. To read the report, visit NACCRRA’s website at www.naccrra.org. NACCRRA calls on Congress to reauthorize and strengthen the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the primary federal funding source for child care money allocated to the states. Parents need real choices among quality child care providers in their community. Specifically, NACCRRA urges Congress to1: • Require complete background checks on paid providers who regularly care for unrelated children; • Require quarterly unannounced inspections of licensed providers (the same standard Congress required of the military); • Require all paid providers who care for unrelated children on a regular basis to complete 40 hours of pre-service initial training (primarily CPR and other basic safety and health training in addition to child development) as well as 24 hours of annual training; • Require transparency in licensing and ensure that parents have access to information about licensing and violations so that they can make informed choices among child care providers (i.e., require states to post inspection reports and substantiated complaints on the internet); and • Increase the quality set-aside to 6 percent of CCDBG current base funding and 25 percent of new funds bringing child care quality investments on parity with Head Start. The quality of child care is of premier importance. But, quality child care must be affordable as well. The high price of child care in every community strains family budgets and forces parents to make sacrifices.

• For 2007, the average price of full-time care for an infant in a child care center was between $4,542 and $14,591 a year depending upon the state in which a family lived. • For a 4-year-old in a center, parents paid between $3,380 and $10,787 a year for full-time care depending upon the state in which the family lived. • Parents of school-age children paid up to $8,600 a year for part-time care in a center. While costs are lower for family child care homes, many of these providers are unlicensed, leaving the health and safety of children in these types of homes unknown. In 2007, average prices for full-time care for an infant in a family child care home was between $3,900 and $9,630 a year depending on the state in which a family lived and between $3,380 and $9,164 for a 4-year-old depending upon the state in which a family lived. Child care fees for 2 children at any age exceeded median rent costs and were nearly as high as or even higher than the average monthly mortgage payment. In 44 states and the District of Columbia, the average annual price for child care for an infant in a child care center exceeded the cost of a year’s tuition at the state’s 4 -year public college. For the working poor, the price of child care often pushes them to use unlicensed and unregulated care. Only 1 out of every 7 children eligible for federal subsidies today receives assistance. NACCRRA specifically urges Congress to enact policies addressing the cliff effect: • Require the phase-out of child care assistance to be gradual to ensure that a modest increase in income resulting in the loss of child care assistance doesn’t leave a family worse off; and • Provide incentives to states to develop assistance initiatives for families in general struggling to make ends meet and afford quality child care in their community, not just families at risk of welfare receipt. Too many families, not just poor families, struggle with the cost and quality of child care. President Obama has called for “a new era of responsibility.” Child care should be part of that era. States should be more responsible for how government funds are spent and the quality of care accessible to families. Parents should have the information they need to make informed choices among child care settings. Progress has been made, but we can do better. (Endnotes) 1 To see NACCRRA’s comprehensive Public Policy Agenda for 2009-2010, see http://www.naccrra.org/policy/ policy_agenda.php.

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