Common Questions About Child Care

• Is there a child care problem?
• Are all parents are satisfied with their children’s care?
• Does the quality of child care have an impact on a child’s development?
• Is high quality care available in every neighborhood and is it difficult to find?
• Is high quality care affordable for all families and is the cost of care increasing over time?
• Do most parents use free care provided by relatives or friends, or – alternatively — do not have to pay for care so they do not need any help?
• Is lack of child care a barrier to work?
• Can parents always find enough child care?
• Has providing child care assistance to low-income families "interfered" with the market, leading to shortages of infant care?
• Are states doing enough to address families’ child care needs?
• Is unregulated care harmful?
• Will welfare reform increase the demand for child care?
• Do child care advocates want big government solutions, such as government-run centers?
• Can big businesses pay for child care?
• Are children better off if their mothers stay home?

FAQ: Is there a child care problem?

REALITY: Talk to any working parent and you will hear about their concerns with child care. Parents are worried about the care their children get – in a recent Parents Magazine survey, more than half of parents who responded admitted that they worry every week about whether their child is getting what they need in child care, and 50-60% reported having had a very bad experience with child care.

Parents also talk about not being able to find quality child care that they can afford. Study after study has shown that families with children are struggling to pay for care, that the quality of care is too often mediocre to poor, and that many parents – particularly those with infants or school age children, those working odd hours and those living in low-income communities – are unable to find the care they need.

This is a problem for all of us. The lack of quality child care that is affordable to working parents prevents children from entering school ready to learn. It hinders their success in school, and limits the ability of their parents to be productive workers. And the lack of quality afterschool options leaves our children vulnerable to violence, crime and substance abuse.

FAQ: Are all parents satisfied with their children’s care?

REALITY: Ask American parents about child care and they will tell you they wish they could do better for their children but cannot because the costs are too high, the quality they are looking for does not exist, or the demands of their work schedules limit their choices. In national, state and local polls, as well as in more in-depth interviews, parents express deep concerns about the quality of their children’s care and a strong desire for better alternatives.

For example, in a recent poll by Parents Magazine, more than half of parents who responded admitted that they worry every week whether their child is getting enough one-on-one attention, eating well, learning, and adjusting to the care environment. One of four say their child’s care is not as good as they would like it to be. Sixty percent of those who use out-of-home care and 50% of those who have an in-home provider have had such bad experiences that they will not use that arrangement any longer.

FAQ: Does the quality of child care have an impact on a child’s development?

REALITY: Tell that one to any parent! Parents know that the person that cares for their child 40 or so hours a week makes a difference in their child’s life and well being. Both common sense and research tell us that children’s brains are growing most quickly during their first three years of life and that their experiences during these critical early years lay the foundation for the rest of their lives. So it is obvious that child care affects the way that children think, learn, and behave and can have a long-term impact.

Given all of this, it is not surprising that studies repeatedly have shown that good quality child care – care that provides a loving, safe and stable environment – helps children enter school ready to succeed, improve their skills and stay safe while their parents work. The positive impact of good care is even greater for low-income children. And studies have shown that poor quality care – which is too often unstimulating, uncaring, and even unsafe – deprives children of the strong start they need.

FAQ: Is high quality care available in every neighborhood and is it difficult to find?

REALITY: Studies repeatedly have shown that far too many American children are in poor to mediocre with almost half of the infants and toddlers in rooms having less than minimal quality.

And the definition of poor quality care is one that any parent would agree with – meaning these very young children are in care where basic sanitary conditions are not being met, where there are safety hazards or where they are not getting the one-on-one attention that every child needs.

While good quality care is scarce in general, it is particularly hard to find for families who have infants or school aged children, who have children with special needs, who work odd hours, or who live in low-income neighborhoods.

FAQ: Is high quality care affordable for all families and is the cost of care increasing over time?

REALITY: The cost of high quality care is too high for many working families; full-day child care for one child easily costs $4,000 to $10,000 per year – equal to what families pay for college tuition plus room and board at a public university. Many hard working families earn too little to be able to afford the cost of child care. About half of families with young children earn less then $35,000 per year. A family with both parents working full time at minimum wage earns only $21,400 per year.

And, as is true for most services, child care costs have been rising over time, making it increasingly difficult for parents to afford the good quality care they want. For instance, between 1990 and 1996, the average cost per year of child care for an infant increased by nearly $1,000 for parents in Durham, North Carolina, and by almost $800 for parents in Oakland, California.

FAQ: Do most parents use free care provided by relatives or friends, or – alternatively — do not have to pay for care so they do not need any help?

REALITY: While care provided by relatives can be a good option in many cases – one that about a quarter of American families use – such care is not always available, not free, or not necessarily the family’s preferred option. While many families use free care when it is available, many working families end up paying for child care each year. It is important that we help all families make the choices they want – by helping them afford their first choice of care, whether it be a relative, neighbor, neighborhood child care home or child care center.

FAQ: Is lack of child care a barrier to work?

REALITY: Parents cannot go to work each day unless they have safe, reliable care for their children. Studies have repeatedly shown that child care problems can cause parents to miss work or lose their jobs and that the lack of child care is a primary barrier preventing welfare recipients from getting and keeping jobs. As such, child care assistance is key to any effort to move families from welfare to work and to help low-income parents stay employed.

FAQ: Can parents always find enough child care?

REALITY: In study after study, parents and experts report that good child care is in short supply and is particularly scarce for parents who have infants or school age children, who work during nontraditional hours or who live in low-income communities.

FAQ: Has providing child care assistance to low-income families "interfered" with the market, leading to shortages of infant care?

REALITY: It is ludicrous to think that helping low-income families pay for the child care of their choice – including relatives, neighbors, family child care homes, or child care centers – "interferes" with the market. Helping families with some of their child care expenses expands the options available to parents by helping them afford the care they want for their children. Without such assistance, low income parents are limited to the inadequate choices they can afford on their own incomes (which often means leaving their children n poor quality and too often unsafe care) or are forced to go on welfare because they cannot afford to work and pay for child care.

Working parents with infants face a particularly daunting challenge. Infant care is more costly, as babies need more intensive attention from adults – this means that a single adult can care for fewer infants than for older children, which in turn increases staffing costs. Many programs are less willing to serve babies for this reason, and usually charge more for this age group. Consequently, infant care is more scarce, more costly, and of poorer quality than for older preschoolers. Helping parents of very young children access the quality and type of care they prefer – whether it be a relative, neighbor, family child care home, or center – is essential, both for the parent’s peace of mind and ability to work and for the child’s development and safety during these critical early learning years.

FAQ: Are states doing enough to address families’ child care needs?

REALITY: While some states are investing resources to help improve the quality and lower the cost of child care, many states are not doing enough and too often working families are left without choices and without quality child care. For example, some states provide assistance only to the poorest families, leaving low-income working families struggling to afford the high cost of child care. In many states, low-income working families are eligible to receive assistance but do not get it because of insufficient resources.

The states are not going to solve this problem alone any more than the federal government can solve it alone. It’s going to take all of us, working together in our families, our businesses, and our neighborhoods our houses of worship, and with our elected officials.

FAQ: Is unregulated care harmful?

REALITY: Parents consistently report that they want basic consumer protection in place to keep their children safe when they are in child care centers and family child care homes. In a recent survey, about 90% of parents said they supported regulation of the child care industry. It is common sense that basic health and safety protections – such as criminal background checks for providers, and periodic monitoring for safety hazards such as uncovered electrical outlets or unsecured poisonous substances – can protect children from harm.

Several years ago, the nation was focused on two-year-old Jessica McClure of Texas, who fell down an open well. What many do not realize is that Jessica was being cared for in an unregulated family child care home. Regulations can help prevent such near-tragedies.

FAQ: Will welfare reform increase the demand for child care?

REALITY: Parents required to seek employment under welfare reform will need safe, reliable care for their children with they are at work. While some parents may want to use friends or relatives to provide care, many low income parents do not have such options available, or want other arrangements for their children. Studies across the country have shown that without child care, families will be unable to make the transition from welfare to work.

FAQ: Do child care advocates want big government solutions, such as government-run centers?

REALITY: It’s a mistake to think  the government runs or controls child care centers or  advocates are proposing that it do so. Our child care system is a patchwork of private enterprises, which like many other private businesses flourish or fail based on the demands of the free market. Right now, parents choose among relatives, neighbors, child care centers and neighborhood child care homes. We don’t want to change that system; we want it to work better. We believe that parents have a primary responsibility to their children, that parents should have the resources to choose the type and quality of care they think is best for their child and  caregivers should have the support and the resources they need to provide quality child care.

The bottom line is that parents need more choices, greater flexibility and real security in choosing reliable child care. This is not about creating government-run centers or creating new federal programs. It is about helping working families and their children find affordable quality child care, so parents can stay on the job while keeping their children safe and nurtured.

FAQ: Can big businesses pay for child care?

REALITY: While a number of businesses have implemented creative approaches to help their employees find and pay for child care, much more should be done. At this point, only a fraction of businesses address child care problems and business expenditures account for only a small percentage (1%) of total child care spending.

However, businesses cannot be expected to offer all the solutions – the private sector is not going to be able to solve this problem alone any more than the federal government can solve it alone. It is going to take all of us, working together in our families, our businesses, our neighborhoods, our houses of worship, and with our elected officials.

FAQ: Are children better off if their mothers stay home?

REALITY: There is no question that we need to support all parents in their child care choices. Helping parents who need to find good child care so they can work, and helping parents who stay at home are complementary – not competing – efforts.

But too many working parents do not have a choice. More parents work than ever before and many families rely on the mother’s income to make ends meet. Half of America’s families with young children earn less than $35,000 per year. And many women, particularly in low and moderate income families, are essential in helping support their families financially. A national study found that 55% of working women provide half or more of the household income. And one of three children of working mothers are poor even though their mothers work or would be if their mother’s did not work.