Paper 3
11/6/12

Childcare Today In this day and age childcare has become a key component to allow both parents to continue to provide and remain in the work force but this luxury comes at a high cost. According to USA Today, nearly 80% of children by the age of four will spend time in a daycare center (Szabo). Quality childcare offers many benefits for children of all ages in the present and in their future like social and cognitive development skills, early learning and a structured schedule. There are also concerns when it comes to childcare like safety and cost. Childcare centers offer many beneficial perks for the child and also for the parent. According to Babycenter.com quality centers employ staff members who have been trained in early childhood education, so they are prepared with the right skills to know what to expect from your child developmentally. They also mention that good daycare centers will offer a variety of activities for the children to engage in such as singing, dancing and storytelling. A child interacting with other children provides a great way for them to develop social skills (Daycare Center). According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Study of Early Child Care found that children at the age of four spending more than 30 hours a week in a daycare center became demanding and aggressive. Throughout this study as they tracked the children they found that by the time these same children reached third grade they scored higher in math and reading and the aggressive behavior had dissipated. They also mentioned that the aggressive behavior reported was still in normal range for the age of four, and it should not be cause for alarm. Sociologist at Stanford and the University of California found that cognitive skills in math and reading were strongest when a child entered a center-based program between the ages of two and three (Lewin). These studies show evidence that there are many beneficial social and cognitive skills that children have the potential to develop when attending quality childcare. Another interesting aspect that researchers from the University of Texas found in a study of 1,300 children evaluated at intervals between the ages of one month to age four, found that mothers of children who were in a quality care setting were more likely to be involved in the child’s school when the child started kindergarten. More involved including regular communication with teachers, attending open houses and more likely to develop relationships with parents of the child’s classmates, demonstrating that childcare also can benefit mothers (Rochman). Not only does childcare promote social and cognitive skills it also creates a structured environment in the class room as well as a weekly routine. Babycenter.com describes why parents prefer childcare centers over a nanny. They explain that a childcare center is an establishment that is inspected for licensing and have a director to oversee the operation as a whole. They mention that daycare centers are reliable and have clear-cut rules in place for parents and also provide stability for parents. They define stability meaning you have an agreement whether the teacher is sick or late that the childcare center will watch over your child in result it will not disrupt the parents working schedule (Daycare Centers). Attending childcare centers offer a large array of early learning opportunities that they would not experience at home or with a nanny. The KinderCare Website offers a curriculum breakdown for each of the different programs they offer. For example in toddler care from ages one to two year old they focus on areas of learning like dramatic play, mathematics, creative arts and sensory exploration. Other focuses are themed monthly units and age appropriate activities that promote confidence, self-esteem and love of learning. Not only do they describe the focuses of each program they also give you an example of your child day by time and activity (Programs and Curriculums). There are many benefits for a child and for the parents when it comes to childcare but there are also big concerns that parents have, for example, the cost of childcare and the safety of their child. According to StarTribune, in the state of Minnesota the cost to put an infant in childcare cost more than a year of state college Tuition (Olson). The Chicago Tribune reports in most states the yearly cost for an infant to be in childcare exceeds the average tuition at public colleges in those states (Aguilar). According to a report from the Child Care Aware of America the cost of childcare centers for one child is more than the annual median rent payment in close to half of the states in America. They describe that the prices could range depending on state anywhere from $4,500 to $15,000 a year for childcare (Fox). Childcare has quickly become one of the top expenses for families in America and although these reports are astonishing and scary there are certain steps and solutions that you can take to lower childcare costs. One solution is Childcare Assistance Programs offered in different states. According to Action for Children, an assistance program offered in the state of Illinois, its programs mission states, “Illinois Action for Children is a catalyst for organizing, developing and supporting strong families and powerful communities where children matter most.” The program is designed to offer support and resources for families who are low income and provide the adequate care children should receive in their community. This program allows for parents to work and get an education while still being able to afford childcare. The program does have eligibility requirements based on income, hours worked, credit hours attended for school, grades and number of children. The program will approve parents based on the information they submit. Once approved for the Child Care Assistance program the state will then cover some of the tuition for the child or children who attend the childcare center. The amount the state will cover is based on the information submitted, used in the approval process of the program. The program will come up with monthly co-pay based on the parent’s information submitted, that they are responsible to cover each month and the state covers the remainder of the tuition. The program approves parents by days of each week, depending on how many hours the parent works in a week and how often the parent attends school will determine how many days they are approved for each week. If a parent works 40 hours a week, they will be approved for fulltime childcare, which is five days a week but if they only work 24 hours in a week then the parent may only be approved for three days of childcare (Illinois Action). Another example of a state provided program is the Illinois Head Start Program. According to Benefits.gov the Head Start Program is designated to children between the ages of three to five years old. The program is offered to prepare these children for school and offer free health care, good nutrition, and social services. This is another program that you need to be approved for based on income level (Illinois Head Start). Not all families will be approved for these programs, for the families who do not get approved there are a few steps to take into consideration. According to Parenthood.com researching many different childcare facilities and comparing prices is a very valuable tool. They also mention to cut back on cost of childcare try limit a child’s attendance at a childcare center to part time if possible with work schedules or look for employers who offer childcare at the place of business (Shaffer). Another big concern with parents when it comes to childcare is thinking about the safety of your child. According to CNN there are many precautions to take when choosing a childcare center for a child. When looking into a childcare center that is licensed, they suggest to call the bureau to ensure that the license is current. They strongly advise to also check with the bureau of any complaints that childcare center has had in the past. They also recommend to take a close look around at the center to check for cleanliness, observe if staff are washing hands, are there smoke alarms and check staff to student ratio in classrooms. They also advised to ask about the center’s security measures for example how they control drop-offs and pickups and who has access to your child. Another effective way to detect red flags they suggest to ask if the owner minds unexpected drop ins, if the owner has no problems it is a good sign. They suggest always listen to your child; encourage them to talk about their day and what they have been learning, look for any out of the ordinary behavior. Another way they suggest to ensure your child’s safety is look for a childcare center that offers video surveillance, meaning they have installed cameras in all rooms of the center so you are able to observe your child’s classroom from home or work via internet and see what they do in class each day (Burrell). For parents debating between family in-home daycare and a childcare center, according to the New York Times, they have found that risk of injury and sexual abuse was highest in family daycares. They also state that infants are the most vulnerable when it comes to childcare and often die the most from being shaken. It also reports that from 1989 to 2003 not a single shaken baby death in a childcare center occurred but 203 cases were reported for care in a private home (Lewin). For families today childcare continues to provide a way for families to remain in the work force or continue education. Childcare centers provide great opportunities for children that can’t be provided from being at home with only a parent. They learn to socialize at a young age, develop advanced cognitive skills and are introduced to a structured schedule. Cost and safety when it comes to childcare will continue to remain an issue for families but with the assistance programs in place to contribute to tuition costs more families will be able to afford childcare (Illinois Action).

Works Cited
Aguilar, Alexa.”Working Parents Struggle With Costs of Childcare.” Chicago Tribune 5 Oct.
2011: 4 Nov. 2012. www.chicagotribune.com
Burrell, Diana. “How to Keep the Kids Safe in Daycare or With a Saturday Night Sitter.” CNN 29 Sept. 2006: 4 Nov. 2012. www.cnn.com.
Daycare Centers: Advantages and Disadvantages. June 2012: 4 Nov. 2012. www.babycenter.com. Fox, Emily Jane. “Childcare Cost Exceed Rent in Most States.” CNN Money 16 Aug. 2012: 4 Nov. 2012. www.cnn.com.
Illinois Action For Children. 2012: 4 Nov. 2012. www.actforchildren.com.
Johnston, Susan, “Dealing With the Rising Cost of Childcare.” US News 4 Sept. 2012: 4 Nov. 2012. www.usnews.com.
Lewin, Tamar. “Three New Studies Assess the Effects of Childcare.” The New York Times 1
Nov. 2005: 4 Nov. 2012. www.nytimes.com.
Programs and Curriculums. Kindercare Learning Centers 2012: 4 Nov. 2012. www.kindercare.com Rochman, Bonnie. “Daycare: Good Care Benefits Kids 30 Years Later- and Moms Too.” Family
Matters 15 Feb. 2012: 4 Nov. 2012. www.healthland.com.
Shaffer, Rick. “Containing the Cost of Childcare.” Parenthood.com Apr. 2003: 4 Nov. 2012. www.parenthood.com.
Szabo, Liz. “Kids Daycare Quality Makes Slight Differences in Later Tests.” USA Today 13
June 2010: 4 Nov. 2012. www.usatoday.com.