Public subsidies for child care have risen in the past decade, as millions of parents have gone from the welfare rolls to the workforce, the number of single-parent families has multiplied, and "dual earners" have steadily become more common among two-parent families. Parents need access to reliable information about the quality of their children's daytime care facilities. State and local governments that subsidize child care should insist on strong accountability measures for child care providers.
Mandating report cards for every child-care facility receiving public dollars is one of the most effective ways to establish and maintain clear accountability and standards for our nation's child-care centers. Child-care center report cards allow parents to find out about health and safety conditions, child to staff ratios, the training and education of care givers, programs for child development, accreditation status, and the sufficiency of the physical facilities at various centers.
The Tennessee State Department of Human Services, for example, provides a two-tier system of evaluation for child-care facilities. The Child Care Report Card System is required for all licensed child-care providers, and grades them based on a number of criteria, including: the qualifications of the director and staff, previous compliance history, parent involvement, and provider/child ratios, among other things. Additionally, Tennessee has also implemented the voluntary Star-Quality Child Care Program. This program encourages and recognizes quality child-care providers (chosen based upon their report card results), giving them additional recognition based on a three star system. The Star-Quality Child Care program also includes incentives to improve care, as reimbursement rates for children falling into certain categories increases in tandem with the number of stars a facility receives. Both programs offer a detailed resource for working parents with children.
Tennessee has also placed an added emphasis on improving care for children ages zero to three -- a period of dramatic brain development. In 2006, Tennessee's Department of Human Services added eight infant-toddler specialists that provide technical assistance to childcare givers of children under 3 years old that assist child care providers across the state.
North Carolina and Wisconsin have also made strides toward accessible child care reporting and accountability. Programs in these two states reward child care providers that choose to participate in the evaluation process.
Indiana recently implemented a voluntary Quality Rating System that builds on a model originally implemented by the Early Childhood Alliance in Allen County, Indiana called "Paths to QUALITY" which has improved the overall quality of childcare in the county. The phased in statewide implementation period began in January 2008 and will be finished in January 2009.
Missouri is currently participating in a federal government pilot program that focuses on out-of-school time care for school-age children. In particular, it is among the first states to decide on standards for family child care providers serving school-age children. In most other states, standards only apply to center or school-based programs.
States and localities should use these programs as a guide in order to increase the quality, safety and accountability of all child-care providers.
Starting Off Right: Promoting Child Development from Birth in State Early Care and Education Initiatives
www.clasp.org/publications/startingoffright.htm
Full Tennessee regulations
www.state.tn.us/sos/rules/1240/1240-04/1240-04-03.pdf
The Tennessee Child Care Evaluation & Report Card Programs
http://tnstarquality.org/html/report_cards.htm
Star-Rated Child Care Licensing System
http://ncchildcare.dhhs.state.nc.us/parents/pr_sn2_ov_sr.asp
North Carolina Child Care Licensing Agency
Division of Child Development
Regulatory Services Section
2201 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27626-2201
(919) 662-4499
(919) 661-4845 (fax)
Jason D. Newman
State and Local Policy Director
Democratic Leadership Council
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20003
(202) 546-0007
jnewman@dlc.org
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