More daycare decisions, more daycare information

A June 20th article in the USA Today does a great job of outlining the "daycare dilemna" that most parents face.

65% of mothers with pre-school aged children now work - up from 30% in 1970. This has led to an explosion in the need for quality child care. Choosing a child daycare provider becomes an agonizing decision at times.

The article does a great job in detailing several studies - from group care's effects on aggressiveness and misbehavior, to the academic benefits of a quality preschool.

More and more, parents are faced with the difficult decision about child care - not "if", but "where and who". Two income families are becoming even more common, as consumer debt rises, energy prices go up, and families need to make ends meet.

The good news is that there is more information about the effects of care outside the home than ever before. Studies are released often, showing the positive and negative effects of placing a child in care.

More parents are faced with this decision on a daily basis - and are better equipped to choose wisely than ever before.

Here's a link to the full article:

Day care concern is not child's play



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Houston Katrina Evacuees Still Facing Child Care Crunch

With over 100,000 Hurricane Katrina Evacuees still residing in Houston, the area faces several economic problems - including how to care for the children of evacuees.

While this is a nationwide issue, it is even more concentrated in the Houston area. Evacuees are trying to rebuild their lives, finding jobs, health care, etc. - but affordable, accessible child care proves to be a stumbling block.

It's the same old child daycare "Catch 22" - I need a job to pay for child care, but without child care, I can't get a job. The "spread" between the cost of care and the wage that a person can earn must justify going back to work. Otherwise, it's hard to justify working 30-40 hours per week just to pay the daycare provider, with not enough left over to live on.

All these months after Katrina, this is still a Houston area problem. However, the US government is helping. FEMA housing has been extended through 2009, and a program offers free child care to those working at least 30 hours per week.

Here's a related article:

Many Katrina evacuees in Houston still unemployed 19 months later



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Lubbock Daycare Center Thanks Injured Soldier

I came across this story from a Lubbock, TX news station. Another great example of daycare operators and children showing their support and gratitude for local troops. I know that it's a little "schmaltzy" - but I can't help but pass these stories on.

Our children are learning to appreciate those that sacrifice to help the greater good - no matter how we choose to define that. Being the father of 2 sons - a 3 yr old and an 11-month old, I hope my boys will learn to do the same.

Here's the story:

Daycare Creates Thank You Basket For Injured Lubbock Soldier

As the United States Government announces the death of 15 U.S. troops in Iraq over the past three days, some Lubbockites are showing their support for an injured soldier.

Emma Mahaney is taking a gift basket to San Antonio. The items inside are thank you gifts donated by the students and parents from Emma's Group Daycare. She plans on personally delivering the basket to Lubbock soldier Jason Bates.

She saw a story about Bates on NewsChannel 11 and wanted to show her appreciation. Bates was injured in Iraq when an improvised explosive device detonated and destroyed the humvee he was in. Bates was awarded the purple heart and is recovering at a hospital in San Antonio.

LINK: Daycare Creates Thank You Basket For Injured Lubbock Soldier

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Early Childhood Education Regulation Gaining Momentum in Kansas City

The Kansas City Star reports on a trend that is gaining momentum nationwide - increased government oversight of early childhood education.

The paper's business section outlines what it calls "The Daycare Dilemna", a story highlighting the impact on area business caused by the lack of dependable daycare.

The National Child Care Resource & Referral Association reports that only about 10% of child care centers are accredited by an independent agency (i.e. NAEYC), while less than 1% of in-home providers have such credentials.

The push in Kansas City, Missouri, and nationwide is for government intervention in the form of a uniform rating system. Advocates of such a system are seeking a reliable, independent source that parents can rely on to measure the quality of a provider when making a daycare choice.

Business groups are increasingly throwing their support behind such measures, citing the impact on the workforce that unreliable child care causes. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the U.S. House of representatives, held a day-long summit on the issue last month.

It truly is a dilemna. For me, it's difficult to imagine government intervention actually helping this process - as many in-home providers already face challenging licensing requirements, costly liability insurance, and cumbersome payment processes for state subsidized child care. If we add the requirement to be rated by a government agency, it may actually reduce the number of child care options for the average parent, as providers decide it's just not worth the hassle to stay in business.

Currently, the NCCRRA estimates that about 75% of children under 5 years old go off to some sort of daycare every day. According to surveys conducted by DayCareCrossing.com, 87% of parents describe the traditional search for child care as "Difficult & Frustrating".

Child care is a highly fragmented industry, with hundreds of thousands of providers servicing millions of parents. Bringing a cohesive government rating system to this category is a monumental task, one that will be costly in time, effort and money.

We'll keep you posted on ideas for solutions as we come across them.

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Denver Area Child Daycare Assistance for Military

Colorado Governer Bill Ritter signed several pieces of legislation into law yesterday. Among these was Colorado HB 1371, which eases the eligibility requirements for military families to qualify for the Military Family Relief Program (MFRP).

The MFRP provides assistance for many day-to-day expenses, including child daycare assistance. The bill will help more families, including those serving at Fort Carson near Colorado Springs, qualify for the program.

As I've posted before, I believe that our military men & women need all of the support we can give, regardless of whether we think our presence in Iraq is a good idea. This bill puts Colorado's money where our mouth is.

I can imagine that it is a great relief for our Fort Carson troops, knowing that their children are cared for while the spouse left behind tries to make ends meet.

Good job Colorado. We are very happy to hear about this.

Here is a link to the article from Fox 21 News in Colorado Springs, CO for the whole story:

http://fox21news.com/Global/story.asp?S=6609944

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Athens, OH Child Care Crunch Highlighted

I came across an article from The Athens News today that succinctly outlines a nationwide problem facing working parents - the challenge of finding affordable, accessible child care near where they live and work.

Athens County assembled a child-care forum to define & discuss the problem, which impacts area employers, who actually lose qualified members of the work force simply because daycare is too expensive, and there are too many barriers to entry to solve the supply-side of the daycare equation.

Maureen Boggs, division director of the Early Care & Education Division of COAD, defined the supply problem this way - "Facilities are costly, liabilities are huge, and it can also be one of the most time-consuming jobs you've ever had," she explained.

This, in short, defines a nationwide issue - daycare demand keeps growing, but the supply side, by nature, cannot grow as quickly. Between capital, licensing, insurance, liability, marketing costs, long hours, and a mostly "thankless" job - it is difficult to quickly develop quality daycare providers to adequately service communities.

This, in my opinion, is the major reason why child care is a highly fragemented industry, with large gaps between levels of safety, security, quality of care, and affordability.

In many cases, parents are forced to "dig" for local, in-home providers who are affordable, and will care for & love their children. That's why surveys conducted by DayCareCrossing.com show that 87% of parents define the traditional search for child care as "difficult & frustrating".

Here is a link to the entire article for your review:

http://www.athensnews.com/issue/article.php3?story_id=28431

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A Big "Thumbs Up" for these Minnesota Daycare Kids

The war in Iraq is today's most controversial issue, and I'm not going to touch it on this blog. I'll just say this - whether one supports our presence there or not, one can't deny that our troops need love, encouragement, and support from all of us back here at home.

I ran across this story, and I'm very happy that Kid's Company is giving these children an opportunity to encourage all of the men & women in Iraq who miss their homes:

Students send thanks to U.S. troops

It's very cool to see these children express their thanks and support. 100 children sending 130 cards may seem like small consolation - but I'll bet that hundreds of soldiers are touched by these messages from home.

As adults, I hope that we can separate our political views from this base fact: Our troops are hungry for encouragement & support from home.

Good job to all involved in making this effort happen up in Minnesota. We're grateful for your efforts!

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