Current Trends in Child Care of
Infants and Toddlers
Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System
Microsystem
– effects that adults and children have on each other – the closest system to
the child. – contains the child, the immediate nuclear family, and specialists
relating to the child
Mesosystem
– includes child care settings – fosters children’s development by encompassing
connections between home, school, child care center and neighborhood
Exosystem
– Social setting s that do not contain the child, but still directly affect
their development – community health and social services and other public
agencies – grass roots groups who lob by and advocate for child care services –
it includes such issues as parent education and parent workplace
Macrosystem
– child is ultimately affected by decisions made at this level – consists of
laws, customs, and general policies of the social system (government) – this is
where the availability of resources (money) are determined.
How do these considerations fit within Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System?
Demographics
Quantity
vs. quality
·
26 % of population is children under 18 down
form 36% in 1964 projected 24% in 2020
·
In 2001 61% of children from birth through age 6
(not yet in kindergarten) received some form of child care on a regular basis
from persons other than parents
·
In 1997, nearly half of preschoolers (children
under age 5) with working mothers were primarily cared for by a relative while
their mother worked, while 22% were primarily cared for my non-relatives in a
home-based environment and another 22 percent were care for in a center-based
arrangement.
·
Children were more likely to engage in some kind
of organized before- or after-school activity as they aged. For example, in 2001, 27% of kindergarten
through 3rd graders and 39% of 4th-through-8th
graders participated in sports.
·
The birth rate for adolescents continued to
decline in 2000 to 27 births per 1000 females ages 15-17, representing the
lowest rate ever recorded. The bulk of
the drop in the adolescent birth rate occurred between 1991 and 2000, when it
dropped by nearly one-third.
·
In 2001 the percentage of high school graduates
ages 25 to 29 who continued their education and received a bachelor’s degree
remained at the all-time high of 33%, which was achieved in 2000. The percentage of black non-Hispanic high
school graduates who earned a bachelor’s degree increased for 14% in 1985 to
20% in 2001.
·
Between 1988 and 1993, the number of children in
childcare increased nearly 1.5 million to a total of more than 10 million in
the fall of 1993.
·
In 1996 the Personal Responsibility and Work
Opportunity Reconciliation Act was signed into law. Designed to break the cycle of poverty by
moving people from welfare into the workforce.
State governments were given the power to regulate funds and set
parameters for child care training.
Allowed people to provide unpaid child care as a way to meet the work
requirement.
·
In the State of Texas the regulating body for
childcare centers is the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory
Services. The regulations are contained
in the Minimum Standards. The state of
Texas regulations rate 48th in terms of quality indicators.
·
5.4 million children lived in households headed
by a relative other than a parent in 1998.
2.13 million of these children lived with relatives, most often
grandparents, with no parent present.
·
In Texas 23.6% of children live in poverty
·
1 in 3 children is born to unmarried parents
·
1 in 2 children will live in a single parent
family at some point in childhood
·
1 in 4 children lives with only one parent
Fees
·
Poverty rate for children living with family
members has decreased substantially since 1993 when it reached a high of 22
percent. In 2000, 16% of children lived
in families with incomes below the poverty threshold. This percentage, also observed in 2999,
represents the lowest poverty rate among children since 1979.
·
The decrease in poverty is apparent for children
living in female-householder families and is more pronounced for black
children. Among black children in
female-householder families, about two-thirds lived below the poverty line from
1980 to 1993, and for the first time since 1980, fewer than half were living in
poverty in 2000.
·
The percentage of children who had at least one
parent working full time, all year steadily increased from 70% in 1980 to 80
percent in 2000. In 2000, 91% of
children living in two-parent families had at least one parent working full
time, all year. This percentage was
lower for children living in single male-headed families and single
female-headed families (67% and 50% respectively)
·
Texas has the second largest number of children
on the waiting list for child care assistance.41, 240, yet funding has been cut
for the third year in a row.
·
In 2001 the percentage of high school graduates
ages 25 to 29 who continued their education and received a bachelor’s degree
remained at the all-time high of 33%, which was achieved in 2000. The percentage of black non-Hispanic high
school graduates who earned a bachelor’s degree increased for 14% in 1985 to
20% in 2001.
·
The percentage of children whose parents have
less than a high school diploma is much higher among children with a
foreign-born parent. In 2001, 42% of
foreign-born children with at least one foreign-born parent had a parent with
less than a high school diploma, compared with 35% of native children with at
least one foreign-born parent and 11% of native children with native parents.
·
In 1996 the Personal Responsibility and Work
Opportunity Reconciliation Act was signed into law. Designed to break the cycle of poverty by
moving people from welfare into the workforce.
State governments were given the power to regulate funds and set
parameters for child care training.
Allowed people to provide unpaid child care as a way to meet the work
requirement.
·
The national average compensation for childcare
workers is $.15 above minimum wage.
·
Parents primary concerns in selecting a
childcare setting are cost and convenience to work or home.
·
Children with special needs
·
Research indicates that high quality early care
and education programs are not available to most families – especially
low-income families. Only 10 % of
classrooms staff at centers serving predominantly low-income families had a
two-year college degree or more, compared to 61% of classroom staff at centers
serving moderate- to high-income families.
Programs
Health
·
In 2000, 0.8% of children lived in households
reporting child hunger, down from 1.0% in 1998.
In 2000, 18% of children lived in households reporting any level of food
insecurity, down from 20% in 1998.
Children in families below the poverty line were nearly three times more
likely to experience food insecurity and hunger than children in families with
incomes above the poverty line.
·
According to the Healthy Eating Index, the
proportion of children ages 2 to 5 with good diets improved from 21% to 27%
between 1996 and 1998, reversing the decline form 1995 and 1996. Children living in poverty were less likely
than higher-income children to have a diet rated as good. In 1998 for children ages 2 to 5, 22 percent
of those living in poverty had a good diet, compared with 29% of those living
above the poverty line.
·
Children living in poverty tend to be in poorer
health than children living in higher-income families. Nevertheless, this gap narrowed between 1984
and 2000. In 1984 62% of children living
in poverty and 83% of children living at or above poverty were reported to be
in very good or excellent health. By
2000, 70% of children living in poverty and 85% of children living at or above
poverty were in very good or excellent health.
·
While infant mortality rate did not decline in
1998 there was a significant drop in 1999, to 7 deaths per 1,000 live births.
·
Mortality for children ages 5 to 14 declined
between 1998 and 1999. However, there
was no significant change in mortality rates for children ages 1 to 4.
·
The number of infants acquiring AIDS during
their mother’s pregnancy began to decline sharply by the mid 1990’s mainly
because infected pregnant women were treated with ZDV to prevent prenatal
transmission of AIDS. Before the availability of this treatment and estimated
1000-2000 infants were born with HIV infection each year. However, 59% of all pediatric AIDS cases
reported to the CDC through June 2000 are among Black children and 23%are among
Hispanic population.
·
Significant findings that document a
relationship between loss of TANF benefits and children suffering from ill
health and inadequate food in there homes have just been published by a group
of medical researchers. Pediatricians
and other researchers conducted a six-city study of the impact of TANF
sanctions on the health of intents and toddlers (under age 3) and found that
children in families that lost benefits because of non-compliance with TANF
rules were more likely to have been hospitalized and to go without food
compared with families that did not loose benefits.
·
Many local services (Brazos Valley) are losing
thousands of dollars to state budget cuts in 2004 and 2005.
o Children’s
Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) from $25,000 in 2003 to $22,000 in 2004.
(-12%) Dental and mental health coverage
are eliminated and waiting period for coverage has been increased to 90 days. The State is discouraging outreach and
enrollment of new members
o Twin
City Mission – Phoebe’s Home – from $224,598 in 2004 to $220,394 in 2005
(-2%) All funding requires a dollar for
dollar match.
o Brazos
Valley Community Action Agency – oversees CCMS that provides child care
subsidies - plan is to cut Community Oriented Primary Care program, a medical
outlet for the uninsured.-from $340,000 in 2003 to $289,000 in 2004 (-15%) Major cuts the year before taken from Quality
Initiatives (training for child care providers) It is possible that the COPC
funding could be cut entirely.
o MHMR
Authority of Brazos County – oversees ECI - from $10,802,781in 2003 to
$9,884,138 in 2004 (-8.5%)
o Family
Outreach is being forced to fund it’s own case work manager for the first time
in 15 years. A 100% cut in state monies
– 34 agencies statewide have closed or are planning to close their doors.
Diversity and Cultural
differences
·
Racial and ethnic diversity continue to
increase. In 2000 64% of children were
white, non-Hispanic, 15% were black non-Hispanic, 4 % were Asian/Pacific
Islander, and 1% were American Indian/Alaska Native. The number of Hispanic children has increased
faster than that of any other racial and ethnic group, growing from 9$ of the
child population in 1980 to 16% in 2000.
·
The foreign-born population of the United States
has increased dramatically over the past few decades. In 1994, 15% of children living in the U.S.
had at least one foreign-born parent; by 2001 this had increased to 19% of
children.
·
The percentage of children whose parents have
less than a high school diploma is much higher among children with a
foreign-born parent. In 2001, 42% of
foreign-born children with at least one foreign-born parent had a parent with
less than a high school diploma, compared with 35% of native children with at
least one foreign-born parent and 11% of native children with native parents
·
Children with special needs.
·
At about the age of 24 to 36 months children
begin to notice differences in skin color and other characteristics that make
one person different from another.
Depending on how this is handled at home and in the classroom children
learn acceptance or bias.
Brain research
·
Brain research indicates that the quality of
experiences a child has before the age of three has a great impact on their
learning. Critical windows of opportunity
occur during these vital years for everything from trust to learning.
Violence
·
At about the age of 24 to 36 months children
begin to notice differences in skin color and other characteristics that make
one person different from another.
Depending on how this is handled at home and in the classroom children
learn acceptance or bias.
·
In the wake of 9/11/01 and increased violence in
schools, there has been an increased emphasis through programs dealing with
emotional intelligence. For example,
NAEYC has instituted ACT: Adults and
Children Together, a program designed to help young children deal with
conflict, anger and frustration in non-violent constructive ways.
·
Last year (2002) their were 218 confirmed
reports of abuse involving 350 children in Bryan College Station.
Professional Development
Child Care workers
·
Childcare workers have the highest turnover rate
of any occupation in the United States, averaging 32%. This turnover is due to burnout,
inconsistency, instability, and decreases the ability of programs to meet
children’s individual needs as well as parental needs for support.
·
The use of mentors to encourage new workers has
become a creative answer for extending childcare resources. In 1996 mentor programs existed in 40
communities across the country. It
created a new step in the career ladder by acknowledging the specialized skill
of teaching others to care for and educate young children combined with
financial reward.
·
In Texas Child Care Management Services has
established a Quality Initiatives program that provides free and inexpensive
training for child care workers.
·
Nationally, the Child Development Associate
program has provided a step on the career ladder emphasizing credentialing
providers of child care for young children through strong legislative backing,
training efforts and collegiate support.
The program emphasizes higher standards of care and impacts on each
child in the community.
·
In 1996 the Personal Responsibility and Work
Opportunity Reconciliation Act was signed into law. Designed to break the cycle of poverty by
moving people from welfare into the workforce.
State governments were given the power to regulate funds and set
parameters for child care training.
Allowed people to provide unpaid child care as a way to meet the work
requirement.
·
The national average compensation for childcare
workers is $.15 above minimum wage.
·
In the State of Texas the regulating body for
childcare centers is the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory
Services. The regulations are contained
in the Minimum Standards. The state of
Texas regulations rate 48th in terms of quality indicators. To work in a child care center in the state
of Texas one must be 18 years of age, have a high school diploma or the
equivalent and have 8 hours of pre-service training.
·
Two of the top indicators of quality of care are
the educational level and continuing education practices of child care
workers. The better educated and the
more actively and intentionally they pursue continuing education, the better
the quality of the early experiences of young children.
·
The average salary of a childcare worker is only
$15,430 a year, less than yearly salaries for funeral attendants, bellhops, and
garbage collectors.
·
Federal legislation currently being considered
will require that half of all Headstart teachers have bachelor degrees by 2008
or 2012.
Center size and
performance
·
A 1997 report indicated that 40% of day care
centers for infants and toddlers gave less than the minimal standard of care
·
In the State of Texas the regulating body for
childcare centers is the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory
Services. The regulations are contained
in the Minimum Standards. The state of
Texas regulations rate 48th in terms of quality indicators.
·
Parents primary concerns in selecting a
childcare setting are cost and convenience to work or home.
Child abuse
·
An estimated 2.9 million children were reported
as suspected victims of child abuse and neglect and referred for investigation
or assessment in 1998; 903,000 of them were confirmed as victims of child
maltreatment.
·
Young children are most at risk for being abused
and neglected. They also enter foster
care in greater numbers than any other age group and remain in care longer than
other children.
·
Child abuse and domestic violence con-occur in
an estimated 30 to 60% of the families where there is some form of family
violence
Children’s Defense Fund.
The State of America’s Children 2001.
Yearbook.
Neugebauer, Roger,
Inside Child Care. Child Care
Information Exchange. 2001
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