ERIC Number: ED559957
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 232
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
We Can Do Better: Child Care Aware® of America's Ranking of State Child Care Center Regulations and Oversight. 2013 Update
Child Care Aware of America
Each week, nearly 11 million children under age 5 are in some type of child care setting for an average of 35 hours. Parents, as consumers of child care, equate a child care license with state approval--a gold seal for those businesses to which a state grants a license. Child Care Aware® of America reviews state licensing policies, which include both program requirements and oversight, to better understand the settings that states have given approval to for the care of our nation's children. The 2013 "We Can Do Better" report scores 51 states (including the District of Columbia) and the Department of Defense (DoD) on key aspects of their child care centers. Child Care Aware® of America used 15 benchmarks that represent the most basic research based criteria. Eleven program requirements were scored as were four oversight elements. Scores were used to develop three rankings: (1) An overall ranking combining the scores for both program requirements and oversight; (2) A ranking for child care center program requirements; and (3) A ranking for child care center oversight. The average score was 92-61 percent of all possible points, a grade of D for many school children. Although changes in this updated report prevent direct comparison with Child Care Aware ® of America's previous years' child care center reports, it is more conceptually in line with the scoring of small family child care home regulations. Some adjustments made to the child care center scoring include: (1) Additional topics scored for initial training; (2) Additional items scored for developmental domains; (3) The health and safety benchmark was split into two benchmarks and additional items were scored; and (4) Additional item scored for parent involvement. Progress has been made in many states since Child Care Aware® of America's 2007 report, however, more progress is needed to really ensure that children are safe and in a quality setting. The benchmarks selected by Child Care Aware® of America represent basic, minimal criteria. As this report shows, state licensing requirements vary greatly, and few really set policies to ensure that children are safe and in a setting to promote their healthy development. The following are appended: (1) Child Care Center Requirements and Oversight in Individual States and The Department of Defense; (2) State Tables for Criteria Scored; and (3) Methodology. [To access "Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2013 Report" in ERIC, see ED559908.]
Descriptors: Child Care, Young Children, Preschool Children, Certification, Benchmarking, Program Effectiveness, Program Administration, Scores, Family Environment, Child Care Centers, Training, Child Health, Child Safety, Parent Participation, Geographic Location, Quality Assurance, State Standards, State Policy, Child Development, Background, Educational Attainment, Administrators, Teachers, Educational Quality, Professional Development, Learning Activities, Communication Strategies, Teacher Student Ratio
Child Care Aware of America. 1515 North Courthouse Road 11th Floor, Arlington, VA 22201. Tel: 703-341-4100; Fax: 703-341-4101; e-mail: news@usa.childcareaware.org; Web site: http://www.childcareaware.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Policymakers; Parents
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Child Care Aware of America
Identifiers - Location: District of Columbia; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A