Child Care

Background

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Income and Program Participation of 1999, among the nation's 12.2 million children aged 5 and younger with employed mothers, 60% were in a child care arrangement with someone other than a parent. The 22 million children of age 6 to 14 with an employed mother spent an average of 22 hours per week in the care of someone other than their parents before or after school.

The same survey also found that for children 4 to 35 months of age, about 55% had mothers who were employed either part-time or full-time. About 61% of the children spent time in child care. About 38% of the children whose mothers were employed full-time spent 21 to 40 hours in child care. In contrast, children whose mothers were not employed often spent no time in child care (59%).

In 2003, 20% of all children in the nation below the age of 6 (4.7 million children) were living in poverty. In low-income families, there is a demand for child care but with limited child care facilities. Opportunities are limited for care for school-age children and adolescents. The existing range of after-school programs and activities meets only 20% of the potential demand in urban areas.

Child Care Settings

Child care offers developmental care and education for children who live at home with a parent or guardian. There are a variety of child care settings. The National Health and Safety Performance Standards, set by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other organizations in 2002, define several types of facilities offering child care. Family Child Care Homes provide care and education in a residence that is usually, but not necessarily, the home of the caregiver. A Small Home cares for up to 6 children at one time, and a Large Home cares for 7 to 12 children at a time, including the preschool children of the caregiver. Center-based care refers to a facility that provides care and education to any number of children in a non-residential setting. Centers include Head Start and Early Head Start programs. A center provides care for some children for more than 30 days per year per child, which may include summer camps. [Page 159]A drop-in facility provides care for fewer than 30 days per year per child on a consecutive or intermittent basis. A school-age child care facility offers activities to children before and after school, during vacations, and on nonschool days when there are teachers' in-service programs. A facility for children with special needs provides specialized care and education for children who must be accommodated in a setting with a smaller staff-child ratio, such as for children with disabilities or certain chronic illnesses. A facility for ill children provides care for 1 or more children who are temporarily excluded from care in their regular child care setting. Facilities for ill children can serve up to 6 children and be integrated in a licensed facility for well children, or they can be a special facility for ill children that cares for only ill children or for more than 6 ill children at a time. The National Health and Safety Performance Standards recommend facilities serving birth to 12 months have a child-to-staff ratio of 3 children to 1 staff member, with a maximum group size of 6 children; for children 13 to 30 months old, the recommended ratio is 4 to 1; for children 31 to 35 months old, it is 5 to 1. As children get older, the child-to-staff ratio can grow. For example, for 3-year-olds, the ratio is 7 children to 1 staff member. For 4- to 5-year-olds, it increases to 6 to 1. The recommendations suggest a child-to-staff ratio of 10 children to 1 caregiver for 6- to 8-year-olds. For 9- to 12-year-olds, the recommended ratio is 12 to 1. Ratios for facilities serving children with special health needs are significantly smaller.

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