Child Care

As Republicans and Democrats struggle to reach a compromise before the impending fiscal cliff, some media and policy advisors from across the political spectrum are finding agreement on one issue: the importance of investing in early learning and the need to make the well-being of young children a national priority.

Mark McKinnon, a former advisor for President George W. Bush, recently appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe to discuss the importance of early childhood intervention. During the interview, McKinnon was asked to identify a specific investment that can improve the well-being of American children. "Money spent early on has a much greater return on investment," McKinnon responded. Programs that intervene in children's lives during the crucial years from birth to age five, especially children from low-income families, prepare them for future success and must be prioritized.

McKinnon argues that improving child well-being is part of a broader set of issues that transcend party lines. He is currently working with former Obama campaign advisor Jim Margolis to produce a mass media campaign called Too Small to Fail. Launched in November by the Center for the Next Generation, Too Small to Fail attempts to convey the consequences of neglecting the needs of our nation's children and highlight strategies for supporting children. Read more »

A growing number of states are adopting Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) as a strategy for strengthening the quality of child care. QRIS are designed to assess the quality of child care providers, give providers encouragement and incentives to improve, and help parents weigh their child care options. Read more »

Families in 27 states were worse off under one or more key state child care assistance policies in 2012 than in 2011 and better off in just 17 states, according a new report from the National Women’s Law Center. This was the second year in row with negative news for families needing help paying for child care. Families in 37 states were worse off under one or more policies in 2011 than in 2010, and better off in only 11 states.

The new report, Downward Slide: State Child Care Assistance Policies 2012, examines state policies as of February 2012 in five important areas—income eligibility limits for child care assistance, waiting lists for child care assistance, copayments for families receiving child care assistance, reimbursement rates for child care providers, and eligibility for child care assistance while a parent searches for a job. Gaps in these policies leave many families without access to child care assistance or without the level of assistance they need to afford good-quality care for their children.

Do you have a great story to tell about your child care? If so, we want to hear about it!

The National Women's law Center just launched a new Tumblr to be a hub for all things fabulous about families' child care experiences. Share yours and read others at www.mychildcarelovestory.tumblr.com! Read more »

Last week, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak on a panel sponsored by the New America Foundation on Child Care Issues and the Presidential Election. I wanted to share some of those remarks. For the full remarks and for a video of the panel, click here.

Throughout my long career in child care advocacy, I have always heard that it is not the right time for children and families and we don’t have enough money to do what is right. That should not be the starting point for this discussion. For more low-income children to be in the high-quality early childhood settings that we know will improve their chances for better life outcomes, there must be increased investments to support children, parents, early childhood educators, and child care programs – and that is not impossible.

Monday evening, a group of children brought home dried bean mosaics. The week before that they brought home animals made from clay. And the week before that they brought home papier maché masks. All this artwork is courtesy of students in the afterschool art club my cousin teaches.

My cousin comes up with super creative projects – puppets, collages, sculptures, and lots of papier maché. The children’s work is colorful and charming and I can only imagine how much fun they have after school with Ms. Liz.

But not every child has access to a fun and educational afterschool program. Last week, the Afterschool Alliance, an organization that advocates for affordable, high-quality afterschool opportunities, released a report (pdf) showing that afterschool programs are struggling to meet community needs in a time of high unemployment and reduced economic security among many families. Read more »

While a number of states have made cuts to their child care assistance programs—leading to more restrictive eligibility criteria to qualify for help paying for care, longer waiting lists to receive help, higher copayments for parents receiving child care assistance, or lower provider reimbursement rates—several states have more positive news to report. Read more »

In the past two weeks, several Washington Post articles have raised an issue that has not been the focus of a national political campaign since 1988—child care. It should be a top topic of the campaign debate because it is a basic support for millions of American families and because it is closely connected to the most pressing issues on the agenda today—jobs, the economy, and our nation’s budget priorities.

All families, regardless of income, struggle to find safe and supportive child care. Because the United States is one of only six countries that does not offer paid parental leave (PDF), many parents must start their search for child care soon after their babies arrive—or even before. Ask any parent what that search is like, and they will typically talk about how long the waiting lists are for a slot in a child care program, especially for infants and toddlers, and what limited choices they have in their neighborhoods for high-quality child care. Their stories are frustratingly similar.

Parents shoulder most of the burden for their child care costs—about 60 percent of child care is covered by parent fees. The private sector barely kicks in with about one percent of the support. Read more »

Wednesday, I attended a rally organized by the NDD Summit, a group that the National Women’s Law Center has joined that is working to protect important domestic programs that would face across-the-board cuts starting in January. These are programs that educate our children, support our elderly citizens, and help low-income women afford child care so they can work and their children can get a strong start in school. At the rally, I listened to a mother share how the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) helped her achieve self-sufficiency when she was struggling.

Three years ago, after the dissolution of her marriage, Rita Ngabo found herself jobless and homeless with a 9-month old baby. With the help of temporary cash assistance and a child care subsidy through CCDBG, Rita was able to attend classes to develop work skills and go on interviews to secure a job. As Rita says, it was hard work, but it paid off. She is now a child care case worker in Maryland who helps other parents who were in her shoes, and her daughter is thriving. Read more »

California has approved a budget that rejects drastic cuts proposed by the governor earlier in the year — but that still includes significant funding reductions for child care and early education programs. Under the final budget signed by the governor, child care and development programs will receive a $130 million cut, which could result in an estimated 26,500 fewer children being able to participate in these programs. The legislature had approved slightly smaller cuts in the budget sent to the governor, but at the last minute, the governor used his line item veto to make additional cuts.

In addition to preventing steeper cuts, the legislature turned back the governor’s earlier proposal to restructure the child care program and transfer administration of the program to county welfare agencies. The state also will not place new limits on child care assistance for parents while they attend education programs.

The approved budget does not provide a previously planned cost of living increase for child care programs. However, it does not reduce reimbursement rates for child care providers as the governor proposed, which would have deprived providers of the resources they need to offer high-quality care. Read more »