Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 14, 1990 TAG: 9003143164
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A/1 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
A report by the committee said child care is "an essential aspect of domestic life and the economic structure of the country" and that by the year 2000 about three of every four U.S. children will have mothers in the work force.
The report called "Who Cares for America's Children?" said there is a serious need to assure quality child care for all economic levels to protect and nurture virtually an entire generation of U.S. children.
"In 1988, more than 10.5 million children under age 6 . . . had mothers in the labor force," the report said. "Another 18 million between the ages 6 and 13 had working mothers."
Within five years, the study said, about two-thirds of all new workers will be women and 80 percent of them are expected to have children at some point during their careers.
Forecasts "suggest that by 2000 approximately 80 percent of school-age children and 70 percent of preschool children will have mothers who are working or looking for work outside their homes," it said.
The report said that by 1995 the amount spent annually for child care in the United States will reach $48 billion. But to provide "adequate care" for all children under age 13, it said total costs for parents and the government could rise eventually to about $126 billion.
Child-care expenses absorb an average of 23 percent of the income of poor families, the report said. It noted, however, that one study shows that for families earning under $5,000 a year, the child-care expense can represent up to 50 percent of the income. Higher income families pay about 9 percent of their income for child care.
The quality of child-care facilities varies from state to state, community to community, and is affected by the parents' income level, the panel said.
Enforcement of day-care quality ranges from none in some states that lack license requirements or state inspections, to other states with mandatory standards that are strictly enforced, it said.
Child-care center employees are almost universally poorly paid and worker turnover is very high, it said.
The expert panel said studies show there is an important need for parents to establish strong relationships with their children in the early months of life. As a result, it said, the federal government "should mandate unpaid, job-protected leave for employed parents of infants up to one year of age."
Among large companies, about 47 percent provide some form of paid maternity leave, but only 10 percent of the companies with fewer than 100 employees had such a policy, the report said.
Five states - California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island - and Puerto Rico include wage and position protection in pregnancy disability leave programs. In New Jersey, for example, workers are entitled to 26 weeks' leave and up to $200 a week in compensation.
Other recommendations:
The federal government and the states should increase subsidies to low-income families for quality child-care programs. The added costs, either through tax incentives or grants, the report said, could be as high as $10 billion.
Establish a uniform national standard for child care. This could include minimum safety and health standards, along with acceptable ranges for staff-to-child ratios, group size, caregiver qualifications and physical space in the facility.
Expand Head Start and other preschool programs for children of poor families.
Strengthen "the infrastructure of the child-care system" by improving wages and training for caregivers, expanding voucher programs to give poor families more opportunities to choose centers, and encouraging organization of family day-care systems.
The 19-member Panel on Child Care Policy was chaired by John Palmer of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Most other members also are on university faculties.
The National Research Council is an organization of the National Academy of Sciences, a private society of scholars chartered by Congress with a mandate to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters.
by CNB