Recently in Child Care Workers Category

Source: Child Trends, February 24, 2010

From the press release:
Child Trends, with support from Casey Family Programs, launches the State Child Welfare Policy Database to provide information on child welfare laws, procedures, and agency guidance for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Database can help elected officials, administrators, advocates, practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders keep up to date with the policies that protect our nation's most vulnerable children.

The site can be navigated by state or by topic. You can learn about your state's expenditures on child welfare services, policies for relatives and "kin" caring for children involved in the child welfare system, benefits and services provided to foster youth after age 18, and much more. In addition to the traditional web version, the site is designed to be compatible with your mobile device, allowing for easily accessible information on the go.

Source: Mark Ginsberg, and Rae Pica With Marcy Whitebook, NAEYC Radio, February 2010

From the press release:
In this segment, Dr. Whitebook says that most child care professionals make less than parking lot attendants. In fact, on average child care providers make about $15,000-$20,000 a year depending on where they live and what age group they care for. Dr. Whitebook says the reason for such low pay is that the United States never placed the same value on early childhood education as it has for the rest of the K-12 spectrum. While she says some attitudes have changed some, especially based on research of brain development in the early years, attitudes haven't changed enough to make a significant impact on wages.
See also:
Animal Trainer. Parking Attendant. Child Care Professional.
Source: Lisa Guernsey, Early Ed Watch Blog, February 17, 2010

Source: Center for Law and Social Policy, January 21, 2010

Below are links to fact sheets for each of the 50 states on child welfare financing. In addition to data on child welfare expenditures and the sources of this funding, the fact sheets include contextual data such as the number (and percent) of children living in poverty, the number and types of substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect, and the number of children in foster care.

Each fact sheet contains sections that:

1. Describe the context for child welfare spending by providing data on abused and neglected children, children in foster care, children who have left foster care, and children living with kin;

2. Identify how much child welfare funding comes from federal, state, and local sources;

3. Identify the major federal funding streams that are used to support child welfare and the amount of child welfare funding that comes from each; and

4. Highlight expenditures and trends within the Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance Programs, including expenditures for foster care maintenance and adoption assistance payments, administrative and child placement costs, and training.

Source: Teresa Lim, Center for Law and Social Policy, December 10, 2009

As we enter the holiday season, CLASP urges you to remember those families who are the hardest hit by the economic recession. Now more than ever we need public and private resources to help ensure that children and families have what they need to thrive.

* CLASP Releases National and State Fact Sheets on Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2008
* Extending Home Visiting to Kinship Caregivers and Family, Friend, and Neighbor Caregivers
* New Infant/Toddler Resources on Core Competencies and Training
* Update on State Child Care and Early Education Advisory Councils
* Updated Fact Sheets Provide Information on Children of Immigrants in the U.S. and Basic Facts About Low-Income Children
* A Review of Home Visiting Program Models and Their Effectiveness
* The State of City Leadership on Supporting Early Childhood in 2009
* Tennessee Releases Evaluation Report on State's Pre-Kindergarten Program
* Early Literacy Gaps in Maryland
* Promoting Community-Based Early Childhood Education Partnerships in Texas

Source: Hannah Matthews, Center for Law and Social Policy, December 1, 2009

Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2008. CCDBG served a monthly average of 1.6 million children. While 19 states increased the number of children served, 29 states served fewer children in 2008 than in the previous year. This fact sheet reviews data, including the ages of children receiving assistance, the types of child care settings used, and the reasons families receive assistance.

Source: CLASP, October 2009

This profile provides data across all Head Start programs (Early Head Start, Head Start preschool, American Indian/Alaskan Native Head Start, and Migrant Head Start) for all grantees. Profiles on individual states are available through "In the States."

Source: Every Child Matters Education Fund, 2009

Much can be done to reduce these child abuse and neglect deaths. There exists a vast body of knowledge about healthy child growth and development, including how to prevent abuse in the first place, and how to protect children from further harm if abuse should occur. But the sheer amount of child abuse and neglect in America--already more than 20 million reports of maltreatment made to government agencies in this decade--is certain evidence that, despite the best efforts of the many who work daily to address this problem, we continue to fall far short in applying our knowledge.

Source: Alexandra M. Stern, Martin S. Cetron, Howard Markel, Health Affairs, Web Exclusives, Vol. 28 no. 6, published online October 1, 2009
(subscription required)

From the abstract:
When the novel strain of A/H1N1 influenza first appeared in spring 2009, closing schools was initially a common and often challenging strategy implemented in many communities. Arguments for and against closing schools are likely to arise anew if influenza spikes in the fall of 2009. Policymakers and community officials considering this and other nonpharmaceutical responses can learn from the experiences of ninety-one years ago, during the 1918-19 influenza pandemic that killed thousands of Americans. Analysis of the school closure policies of forty-three U.S. cities during that pandemic shows that smooth implementation was associated with clear lines of authority among agencies and with transparent communication between health officials and the public.

Source: Child Care Human Resources Sector Council, 2009

From the CUPE summary:
A major new Canadian study shows that investments in quality early learning and childcare provide the biggest boost to the economy of all sectors: in terms of jobs, short-term economic stimulus, and long-term benefits to society.
See also:
Fact sheet

Source: Karen Schulman, Helen Blank, National Women's Law Center, September 2009

A study released today by the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) of child care policies in 50 states and the District of Columbia reveals that between February of 2008 and February of 2009 more states made cuts than made improvements in desperately needed child care assistance, worsening an already bleak landscape for parents trying to afford reliable child care.

The study also provides a preliminary look at the response of states since February 2009 to both worsening state budget deficits and the availability of new child care funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Since February 2009, some states are proposing to or have cut their child care assistance programs but other states have used ARRA funds to maintain or expand their programs.

The study found that between February 2008 and February 2009 a majority of states did not make changes in their key child care assistance policies. However, of those states that did make changes, more moved backward than forward -- reducing reimbursement rates, limiting eligibility, placing more children and families on waiting lists or increasing parent co-payments. Moveover, most states did not advance or fell further behind in one or more policy areas since 2001.