One pressing issue continues to burden families across the United States: the absurd prices of childcare. As parents strive to balance their careers and provide the best for their children, the financial strain of childcare lingers. There are wide-ranging debates concerning equitable access–considering root causes, consequences, and potential solutions–but no means have made much of an impact. The high expense and scarcity of childcare has inhibited working families for far too long. Many parents’ paychecks alone are insufficient to pay for childcare services; therefore, they cannot work because they have to stay home with their children. Although some say we should expect childcare to be expensive due to caregiver shortages, high liability …show more content…
These prices drive parents away from the quality care they want to provide their children. There are many opportunities for children’s development through childcare, from learning basic concepts to developing social and communication skills. Of all the necessary family expenses, childcare costs have historically climbed at the highest rate and are only expected to grow. While there has been much discussion about the high cost of food and gas, the growth in these prices has lagged behind that of child care (FFYF). The lack of attention towards regulating childcare prices, regarding these statistics, proves the harm this injustice may cause families. Although childcare is not necessary for human survival, its costs rise above other survival needs, truly showing the necessity of change. There was a scarcity of childcare for 50% of Americans even before the COVID-19 pandemic, with just one spot available for every three children in need of care. In a recent study, more than 40% of parents claimed that locating child care is much more challenging than in previous years (FFYF). While affordability is crucial, accessibility is just as important, especially in urban …show more content…
92% of American childcare providers that received relief funds from the federal government claim that their ability to remain in business is due to these subsidies. 75% of providers believe their programs will suffer greatly if financial help is discontinued. FFYF - a fad. Federal relief funds are crucial for American childcare providers. The high number of childcare providers who will suffer highlights the issue's urgency and the need for continued government support to ensure affordable care. So far, the most promising idea is President Biden's upcoming April executive order, which aims to increase access, reduce expenses, and raise incomes, which may be a helpful framework (The Casey Foundation). Help from the federal government would benefit families struggling to pay childcare fees. Raising incomes will allow parents to afford childcare expenses more efficiently, and more access to childcare will permit lower prices. Since the government has yet to give much help to ease costs, some families have come up with their own solutions. These solutions are only ideal for some families and may cause some outside
The work that I have done to give you the budget for this assignment has been so much information that a whole semester could be done just on Early Childcare start-up budgets. Mt reference list is enormous and I had to make myself stop looking up information so I could complete my assignment. The first step for my budget was from our text and class website discussions and links. Each link lead to another and another and so much information from cleaning regulations to how to do you taxes. To start a Childcare program there are many steps besides your level of education that you need to contemplate.
The current system has not been good for children. In 1965 there were 3.3 million children on AFDC; by 1992, that had risen to over 9 million children despite the fact that the total number of children in this country has declined. Last year, the Department of Health and Human Services estimated if we do nothing, 12 million will be on AFDC in 10 years. Instead of working up, we find more and more children being trapped in a system and into dependency on welfare. 90 percent of the children on AFDC live without one of their parents. Only a fraction of welfare families are engaged in work. There are always the sad accounts of how, again and again, women would get off of welfare, they would be doing well on their own, but their child-care would fall apart just as they were getting back on their feet. The new bill provides $3.5 billion more than current for that needed child care.
Meyers, M.K. & Gornick, J.C. (2003). Public or private responsibility? Early childhood education and care, inequality, and the welfare state. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34, 379-411.
Childcare is a necessity for a large number of working families and single parents. Fortunately, there are many options available to meet both the needs of the family and their budget. Each option comes with advantages and disadvantages. We will provide some basic information regarding each type, as well as some guidelines in regards to estimated cost.
There is a problem in Texas impacting children’s futures; many childcare centers and homes are not providing children with quality care. In an article about cost and quality in Texas childcare, child development experts Susan Eitel and Joyce Nuner quote a study stating “that [nationally] only 10% of infants and toddlers are in high quality [childcare] programs” (34). The term ratio describes the number of children one caregiver is watching. This number is one of the major factors in the quality of a childcare program. Organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children know as NAEYC release recommendations regarding ratios and accredit programs based on their compliance. Childcare centers and homes must comply with certain minimum standards enforced by Texas regarding ratios; however, these standards often set the bar lower than recommendations made by these early childhood experts. The current standards in Texas do not ensure that all young children receive quality care; for this reason, the Texas Department of Family Protective Services should strengthen the minimum standards regarding ratios to better regulate the quality of care children receive.
Over time, the debate of childcare issue within the Canadian public policy context has been raging. Rise in the media attention of the social issue of childcare policy in Canada concentrates on the relationship and coordination among the federal, provincial, and territorial governments in addressing the social issue (Finkel, 20013). According to Lewis Steven of The Star Canada News Agency, childcare is one of the priorities the Canadian Federal Government need to consider when designing its social policies. According to Lewis (2013), the Canadian Federal Government needs to consider the safety net income as an important factor contributing to affordable childcare services in the country. In Canada, parents or members of extended family have the responsibility of providing childcare services without the consideration of family net income. However, outside the family, there are many childcare providers operating as private individuals or agencies. Such childcare providers operate as private businesses.
Working families often cannot pay their rent, or sometimes food. According to an article in The Bill Moyers & Company “Three Steps We Can Take to Solve Poverty, From Someone Who Knows Firsthand” by Tianna Turner, U.S. government should give good tax breaks for companies that provide secure jobs, encourage them to have paid sick and family leave, and invest in affordable and high-quality child care. (Turner) It is true that companies that have tax breaks can utilize tax money to raise the surplus for living wages. Moreover, employees who have paid sick and family leave are more likely perform better in their work because they do not have to worry about the lost hours that result in lost pay. Childcare has always been neglected in the U.S. for a very long time. Many research show that kids in high-quality preschools have better graduation rate from high school, and they tend earn more as adults. If the U.S. childcare system is fix, the parents will have more time to focus on their job, and the overall quality of U.S. citizen will change
In the 1980s, child care was back on the national agenda due to the education reform movement (Tejada, 2010). Tejada further disclosed that several states even launched pre-kindergarten programs for disadvantaged children. Why the Need for Universal Preschool Two-thirds of 4-year-old children in the United States attend preschool, as well as 40% of 3-year-olds (Tejada, 2010). Half of those are enrolled in a public program, such as state prekindergarten (preK), Head Start, or special education, and the other half are in a private program (Adams, 2009). Despite such a large enrollment of children in these programs, there is still a handful of children who are missing out on obtaining a head start in obtaining a good quality education.... ...
For low-income families, particularly single mothers, preschool is a huge financial burden. Despite what parents want for their children, it isn’t always a practical option; sometimes, the cost of enrolling their children outweighs the money earned at a job (Mason 46). Soon, mothers are sending their kids to preschool so they can work to make money to pay for preschool. Furthermore, without an education, parents are confined to minimum wage jobs with no hope of advancement (49). Where’s the incentive to work? Robin Mason describes one single mother’s motivation. For her, employment is more than just money; rather, it’s also a means to boost her self-esteem, gain financial independence, and set a positive example for her children. She emphasizes her responsibility to her children to keep a roof over their head, be a good mother, and choose a quality daycare (47).
“Four in 10 American households with children under age 18 now include a mother who is either the sole or primary earner for her family, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census and polling data released Wednesday. This share, the highest on record, has quadrupled since 1960.”
Childcare or “daycare” is one of the most commonly used resources among Americans in the United States. There are many options for childcare that parents could choose from. They have many choices for childcare, ranging from: in-home care, childcare facilities, after school or government-funded Head Start programs. . “Head Start is a federally funded governmental program with the explicit goal of preparing underprivileged children for primary education” (Conley). This program is another option for the pre-k program. The cost of childcare has risen dramatically over the past year, and no one really knows whom to blame for it. The government offers families subsidies for childcare, but that is only if your income is low. But, what about the hard working, middle class families, that are still struggling to pay the high cost of childcare without government assistant? How will they provide childcare for their kids?
It is common knowledge that a parent is considered the most efficient caregiver for their children. It’s also known that with daily responsibilities of caring for a child financially, parents partake in full-time and/or part-time employment. While needing to do so, many children attend daycare/preschool facilities. Granted, it is the parent’s responsibility to cautiously select where they decide to take their children. This is because parents know that while they are away for numerous hours of the day, their children are in the hands of another care provider and that their care would have an enormous impact on their children. At a young age, a child’s social and cognitive skills are continuing to take shape and the amount of time spent in these facilities has a resilient impact on a child’s development. With proper and superior care no matter the time spent, such positive effects on a child’s development should endure in a child’s cognitive and social development. In other words, there is a great benefit of childcare/daycare attendance on a child’s development.
In 1854, the first infant crèche was opened. The key function of these early programs was to offer cheap care to disadvantaged children whose mothers had a job outside the house. In 1944, when limited public support was established, the term “crèche” was changed to “day care centre”, and the National Board of Health and Welfare become the new supervisory authority. In the early stages, the main purpose of the day care centres was to offer different choices to placement in foster homes. Foster homes, day care centres, and family day care homes were connected by a familiar purpose. Professionals working in day-care and the pre-school class were expected to have comparable training and work on related content for children of all ages (Gunnarsson et al 1999). In Sweden by law children from the ages of one-twelve years have a right to a place in a pre-school.
loans so that they may pursue higher education and job skills. As well, grants have been made available to assist with the financial burden. The government has provided tax relief for lower income families and subsidized day care.
Many studies illustrate that high quality child care helps children who have been brought up in poverty to develop skills that enable better education, jobs and earnings (Adelman). It would help to reduce poverty if more parents would invest money `into high quality child care, because children would be able to learn the skills that they should know to get a good education. In an article entitled “9 Ways to Reduce Poverty,” Larry Adelman stated that “Investments in infrastructure—fixing old bridges, building mass transit, converting to clean energy sources—and investments in vital services such as schools, childcare and eldercare generate both public benefits and jobs.” Investments in the most important buildings and structures in a community would help to create job opportunities, which could benefit people who are in poverty by allowing them the opportunity to get a job. Poverty reduction would benefit the economy and the people who suffer from