This study examined the experience and perceptions of child care workers regarding three aspects of the child care work setting: (1) center characteristics; (2) task characteristics; and (3) salary and benefits. (PCB)

Quality child care is related to the number of adequately prepared practitioners. Unfortunately, workers subsidize the cost of quality by working for substandard wages, few benefits, and little recognition. The need for adequate compensation is the most critical issue facing the profession, and the cost should be shared by all members of society.…

In 1994, the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) in Washington state subsidized child care for about 35,000 children each month, with financial support provided in part by federal funds. The primary objective of this survey, the fourth in a series, was to set local maximum rates for subsidy programs based on the private-paying child…

The state of Georgia revised its child care licensing regulations to include more stringent staff-to-child ratios, limits on group sizes, and increases in staff training hours. This study examined the impact of these changes in child care licensing rules and regulations on the child care industry in Georgia. The sample consisted of all licensed…

Seven day care centers in the Denver-Boulder (Colorado) metropolitan an effort to identify the kinds of subsidies they received and to estimate the importance of these subsidies for the cost of services. The sites included a Head Start program, three nonprofit centers, two family day care providers, and an infant care center. Labor accounted for a…

This study examined the relationship between child caregiver commitment and the caregiver's personal characteristics and work experience, the characteristics of the job, and the quality of the child care center. Questionnaires that included several measurement instruments were sent to 381 full-time child caregivers in 94 centers. Caregiver…

Data from 971 mothers suggested that (1) price is critical in child care choice; (2) parents do not consistently select high quality care; and (3) mothers with higher wages and families with higher incomes prefer center care. Vouchers, reduced fees, or tax credits consistently increase use of day care centers. (SK)

In 1988, the National Child Care Staffing Study (NCCSS) exposed the minimally adequate and deteriorating quality that characterized many of our nation's full-day child care centers and linked this poor quality to the inadequate compensation available to child care teaching staff. This report describes a follow-up study done in 1992 to provide an…

In accordance with the goal of gathering and disseminating information on early childhood, Community Coordinated Child Care conducted a survey of day care centers, day care homes, and preschool programs in Louisville and Jefferson County, Kentucky. The purpose of the survey was to obtain facts pertaining to characteristics of programs, directors,…

In 1988, the National Child Care Staffing Study first gathered information on staffing and quality from a sample of child care centers in five metropolitan areas--Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Phoenix, and Seattle--and returned for updated information in 1992. In 1997, directors of the original sample of centers still in operation were contacted again…

The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) subsidizes child care for about 30,000 children each month. In 1992, telephone interviews were conducted with 1,179 child care centers and 1,277 licensed family child care homes throughout the state. An estimated 140,000 children were in licensed care at that time. Three major…

This national study explored the effects of teachers and their working conditions on the caliber of center-based child care in the United States. Study goals were to: (1) compare center-based child care services in 1988 with those of 1977; (2) examine relations among child care staff characteristics, adult work environments, and quality of child…

Analyzed data from study of typical center-based child care and children's development in three states. Found confirmation of prior evidence regarding importance of ratios, teacher training, and group size for high quality classroom practices; also demonstrated more significant contribution of teacher wages and parent fees. Quality varied with…

In this study of child care center wages, benefits, and working conditions, questionnaires were completed by directors and senior staff at 129 centers in Montgomery County, Maryland. Survey findings on staff education and experience indicated that 34 percent of staff had a bachelor's degree or higher. A typical staff member had 5.5 years of…

The National Child Care Staffing Study (NCCSS) was designed to explore how child care teaching staff and their working conditions affect the caliber of center-based child care. Four major policy questions were addressed: (1) Who teaches in America's child care centers? (2) What do they contribute to the quality of care provided? (3) Do centers…