Caring for Children - Government Involvement
Block Grants
In 1990 the 101st Congress passed what many consider the nation's first comprehensive child-care legislation—The Child Care and Development Block Grant, or CCDBG (PL 101-508). Federal funding for the CCDBG for fiscal year 2004 was almost $2.1 billion. Money is allocated to
TABLE 3.8
| State child care licensing regulations, 2001 | ||||||||
| Infants (9 months) | Four-year-olds | Center teacher ECE training requirements (lowest alternative) | Center director ECE & administrative training requirements (lowest alternative) | |||||
| State | Child:staff ratio | Group size | Child:staff ratio | Group size | Preservice requirements | Ongoing hours | Preservice requirements in ECE & administration | Ongoing hours |
| AK | 5:1 | NR | 10:1 | NR | None | 15 | 12 College credits in ECE | 15 |
| AL | 6:1 | 6 | 20:1 | 20 | 12 hours training in child care & development | 12 | 124 hours training in child care, 20 hours training in administration & 12 months experience | 24 |
| AR | 6:1 | NR | 15:1 | NR | None | 10 | None | 10 |
| AZ | 5:1/11:2 | NR | 15:1 | None | 12 | 60 hours of workshop training in ECE & 2 years experience | 12 | |
| CA | 4:1 | NR | 12:1 | NR | 6 post secondary semester or equivalent quarter units in ECE | 0 | 12 semester units in ECE; 3 units in administration & 4 years experience | 0 |
| CO | 5:1 | 10 | 12:1 | 24 | None | 9 | 24 semester hours in ECE & 2 years experience | 9 |
| CT | 4:1 | 8 | 10:1 | 20 | None | 1% hrs worked | CDA credential & 1080 hours experience | 1% hrs worked |
| DC | 4:1 | 8 | 10:1 | 20 | CDA credential & experience | 0 | 2 or more years of college, including courses in ECE or related field & experience | 0 |
| DE | 4:1 | NR | 15:1 | NR | 60 hours training in ECE & 1 year experience | 15 | CDA credential & 2 years experience | 15 |
| FL | 4:1 | NR | 20:1 | NR | 40 clock hours ECE training | 8 | 40 clock hours ECE training | 8 |
| GA | 6:1 | 12 | 18:1 | 36 | 10 clock hours of child care training within first year of employment | 10 | None | 10 |
| HI | 4:1 | 8 | 16:1 | NR | CDA credential & 1 year experience | 0 | CDA & 4 years experience | 0 |
| IA | 4:1 | NR | 12:1 | NR | None | 10 | CDA or 1 year diploma in child development from community college or technical school & 1 course in business administration or 12 contact hours in administrative training | 10 |
| ID | 6:1 | NR | 12:1 | NR | None | 4 | None | 4 |
| IL | 4:1 | 12 | 10:1 | 20 | CDA or CCP credential | 15 | CDA or CCP credential, 12 semester hours in ECE, & 2 years of experience | 15 |
| IN | 4:1 | 8 | 12:1 | NR | None | 12 | Associate's degree in ECE & 3 years experiece in direct service to children | 12 |
| KS | 3:1 | 9 | 12:1 | 24 | CDA credential & 1 year experience | 10 | CDA credential & 1 year experience | 5 |
| KY | 5:1 | 10 | 14:1 | 28 | None | 12 | None | 12 |
| LA | 5:1 | 10 | 15:1 | 15 | None | 0 | 30 clock hours of ECE training & 1 years experience | 0 |
| MA | 3:1/7:2 | 7 | 10:1 | 20 | 3 credit course in child development & 9 months experience | 20 | 14 college credits in ECE, 2 credits in child care administration & 42 months experience | 20 |
| MD | 3:1 | 6 | 10:1 | 20 | 90 clock hours in ECE & 1 year experience | 3 | 90 clock hours in ECE | 6 |
| ME | 4:1 | 12 | 10:1 | 30 | None | 24 | CDA credential | 24 |
| MI | 4:1 | NR | 12:1 | NR | None | 0 | CDA credential & 12 semester hours in child-related topics | 0 |
| MN | 4:1 | 8 | 10:1 | 20 | CDA credential & 1560 hours experience | 2% of hours worked | 90 clock hours in child development, human relations, or staff supervision & 1040 hours of supervisory experience | 2% of hours worked |
| MO | 4:1 | 8 | 10:1 | NR | None | 12 | 12 semester hours in child-related courses, & 2 years experience | 12 |
| MS | 5:1 | 10 | 16:1 | 20 | None | 15 | CDA credential or OCY Child Care Director's Credential & 2 years experience | 15 |
| MT | 4:1 | NR | 10:1 | NR | 8 hours ECE training in first year | 0 | None | 0 |
| NC | 5:1 | 10 | 20:1 | 25 | None | 20 | NC Early Childhood Administrative Credential or equivalent | 20 |
| ND | 4:1 | 8 | 10:1 | 20 | None | 13 | CDA credential & 1 year experience | 13 |
| NE | 4:1 | NR | 12:1 | NR | None | 12 | None | 12 |
states based on a state's per capita income, the number of children under age five, and the number of children receiving free or reduced-price lunches through the National School Lunch Program. Highlights of the law include:
- States must use 70% of grant funds to assist families in paying for care.
- At least 4% of funds must be used to improve availability and quality of child care.
| Abbreviations: CCP = Certified child care professional credential | ||||||||
| CDA = Child development associate credential | ||||||||
| CEU = Continuing education unit | ||||||||
| ECE = Early childhood education, child development or child-related field | ||||||||
| NAC = National administrators credential | ||||||||
| NR = Not regulated | ||||||||
| Note: States often list a set of required preservice training alternatives. If a state has requirements for experience, high school completion, age, or training not specified in early childhood, we define it as "None." | ||||||||
| SOURCE: Sheri Azer, et al, "2001 State Child Care Licensing Regulations at a Glance," in "Regulation of Child Care," Early Childhood Research and Policy Briefs, vol. 2, no. 1, Winter 2002, http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~ncedl/PDFs/RegBrief.pdf (accessed August 24, 2004) | ||||||||
| NH | 4:1 | 12 | 12:1 | 24 | Completion of 2-year vocational child care course | 6 | CDA credential & 4,000 hours experience | 6 |
| NJ | 4:1 | 20 | 12:1 | 20 | Certified Child Care Professional Certificate | 8 | None | 12 |
| NM | 6:1 | NR | 12:1 | NR | None | 24 | CDA, CPC, NAC, or Master Certificate & 2 years experience | 24 |
| NV | 6:1 | NR | 13:1 | NR | 3 hours ECE training in first 6 months | 12 | 12 semester hours in child-related topics | 12 |
| NY | 4:1 | 8 | 8:1 | 21 | None | 15 | Associate's degee in ECE/related field (with plan of study leading to Bachelor's degree) 2 years fulltime teaching experience, & 2 years supervising experience | 15 |
| OH | 5:1 | 12 | 14:1 | 28 | None | 15 | CDA credential and 2 years experience | 0 |
| OK | 4:1 | 8 | 15:1 | 30 | None | 12 | None | 20 |
| OR | 4:1 | 8 | 10:1 | 20 | None | 15 | None | 15 |
| PA | 4:1 | 8 | 10:1 | 20 | None | 6 | Associate's degree that includes 30 ECE credits & 4 years experience | 6 |
| RI | 4:1 | 8 | 10:1 | 20 | Bachelor's degree in any field & must meet standards for RI Early Childhood Certificate | 20 | 6 college courses in ECE and/or child development and 5 years experience | 20 |
| SC | 6:1 | NR | 18:1 | NR | 10 clock hours training 1st year | 15 | 15 clock hours training 1st year | 20 |
| SD | 5:1 | 20 | 10:1 | 20 | None | 20 | None | 20 |
| TN | 5:1 | 10 | 15:1 | 20 | None | 6 | None | 12 |
| TX | 4:1/10:2 | 10 | 20:1 | 35 | 8 hours ECE training | 15 | CDA credential, 6 credits in business management & 2 years experience | 20 |
| UT | 4:1 | 8 | 15:1 | 30 | None | 20 | CDA, CCP, or NAC credential | 20 |
| VA | 4:1 | NR | 12:1 | NR | None | 8 | CDA credential & 2 years experience | 0 |
| VT | 4:1 | 8 | 10:1 | 20 | 12 credits in topics related to ECE & 3 years experience | 12 | 12 credits in topics related to ECE & 3 years experience | 9 |
| WA | 4:1 | 8 | 10:1 | 20 | 20 hours approved tranning | 10 | CDA credential & 2 years experience | 10 |
| WI | 4:1 | 8 | 13:1 | 24 | 2 non-credit dept.-approved ECE courses, 80 days experience | 25 | 2 non-credit dept.-approved ECE courses, 10 hours training in administration if no previous training & 80 days experience | 25 |
| WV | 4:1 | NR | 12:1 | NR | None | Unspecified | CDA credential & 1 year experience | Unspecified |
| WY | 4:1 | 10 | 12:1 | 30 | None | 30 every 2 years | CDA or CCP & 1 year experience with age served | 30 every 2 years |
- Working parents qualify for assistance if they have children under the age of thirteen and family income is no more than 85% of the state's median income.
Head Start
Perhaps the best-known and most successful government-funded child-care program is Head Start, a federal program begun in 1965 under the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The free program provides early education, health care, social services, and free meals to preschool children in families whose incomes are below the poverty line or who receive public assistance. Head Start operates in every state, and in fiscal year 2002 it served 912,345 children. The Children's Defense Fund reported in Key Facts: Essential Information about Child Care, Early Education and School-Age Care (2003) that the program has been shown to provide many benefits, including a greater likelihood that children would do well in school and graduate from high school.
Tax Credits
The Federal Dependent Care Tax Credit helps families by allowing them to claim an income tax credit for part of their child-care expenses for children under the age of thirteen that enabled parents to work outside the home. The credit is on a sliding scale, ranging from 20% to 35% of qualified expenses; therefore, lower-income families receive slightly larger credits. In 2003 parents could claim up to $3,000 in qualified expenses for one child or $6,000 for two or more children.
Family Leave
In 1993 Congress enacted the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA; PL 103-3), requiring employers with fifty or more employees to give unpaid time off—twelve weeks in any twelve-month period—to employees to care for newborn or newly adopted children, sick family members, or for personal illness. The employee must be returned to the same position—or one equivalent in pay, benefits, and other terms of employment—and must receive uninterrupted health benefits. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that prior to this legislation fewer than 25% of all workers received family leave benefits and most of those who did worked in establishments of more than one hundred employees.
Jane Waldfogel reported in "Family and Medical Leave: Evidence from the 2000 Surveys" (Monthly Labor Review, September 2001) that in 2000 17.9% percent of FMLA leave takers took their leave to care for a newborn, newly adopted, or newly placed foster child; 9.8% used it to care for a sick child; and 7.8% used it as maternity or disability time. Of all employees covered by the FMLA with children eighteen months or younger, 45.1% of men and 75.8% of women had taken an FMLA leave in the previous eighteen months.
User Comments Add a comment…