STATUS OF CHILD CARE 2017
Our mission... To make quality care and education of children happen by providing information, education and assistance to families, providers of child care and the community.
Our vision... Quality child care will be available and affordable to all families who need it.
Childcare Resources is central Alabama’s only child care resource and referral agency. Chartered by United Way of Central Alabama in 1984, Childcare Resources has meet the varied needs for families, child care providers and the community for over 30 years. Services for families include customized child care searches, child development information and financial assistance for working families. Quality training and technical assistance is available to child care providers. Childcare Resources works in collaboration with community partners to promote and advocate for safer, healthier and well-educated communities. Childcare Resources makes quality and affordable child care happen in central Alabama and we expect our agency to aspire to the same standards of quality that we promote. In 2012, Childcare Resources became the first and only child care resource and referral agency in the south to achieve National Quality Assurance for best practices from Child Care Aware of America. This designation was recently extended to 2018. By providing quality customer service, professional programs and services that are delivered at low to no cost, Childcare Resources is committed to strengthening our community giving children the BEST start in life.
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Health and Safety Matter Child care has been a hot topic in the news of late. Child care was a topic of debate in the 2016 Presidential election. Closer to home, the 2017 Alabama Legislature considered the Child Care Safety Act, House Bill 277, designed to require ALL child care programs in the state of Alabama to be licensed. Sadly, as recent as late August, the failure of this Bill to pass in 2017 showed how devastating inconsistent regulations for child care can be when a 5 year-old boy died tragically at an exempt child care program in south Alabama. Joan Wright Executive Director
Health and safety matters. It matters in tattoo parlors, hair salons, nursing homes, hospitals and other places that provide services for our communities' residents, including animals. When it comes to Alabama’s children, however, the matter of health and safety is arbitrary. We need to change that. In this report of the Status of Child Care, we highlight work that is being done to do just that. From the federal level to the local level, efforts are underway to improve health and safety standards for child care – both in Alabama and across the country. What we stand to gain is priceless: children better prepared to enter school ready to succeed, healthy habits early in life that evolve into healthier lifestyles and communities, a supported workforce who can have peace of mind that their children are safe and nurtured while adults work, and a more knowledgeable, professional child care workforce who provides care to thousands of children daily during a critical phase of development. Wouldn’t you agree that health and safety of our children is a priority? Isn’t an ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure? Shouldn’t Alabama’s parents feel supported in their decision to work and provide for their family? Isn’t the next generation our greatest hope for a brighter future for Alabama? We believe the answer to these questions is a resounding YES! That’s why we fight every day to provide quality customer service, professional programs and services to strengthen our community by supporting families with children, preparing them to succeed in school and life. We invite you to join our efforts and learn more about child care in Alabama. The data and efforts described in this report provide insight into ways together we make health and safety matter and support a stronger community through brighter futures for children.
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Quality Child Care Is Critical for Lifelong Success Healthy development of children depends on responsive adult interactions and positive experiences during the first few years of life. Quality child care impacts the future of our children, our community and our state. Research shows that a high quality child care program beginning at birth has a critical influence on a child’s readiness for kindergarten and lifelong success. A child’s brain develops more rapidly during the first five years of life than any other time. During these first 2,000 days, the brain is being built based on the child’s experience and interactions. By the age of five, the brain has grown to about 90 percent of adult size and patterns for learning are established. According to the 2017 Kid’s Count Data Book published by VOICES for Alabama’s Children, 70 percent of Alabama’s children live in homes where all parents/guardians are in the workforce, making quality child care a necessity.
"As a single parent, I am a full time mother and a full time employee. My daughter has attended day care since she was 6 weeks old. Her day care is like a second home to her as I work very long hours." — Childcare Resources Financial Assistant Recipient
Key Indicators of Quality Teacher to Child Ratio: The number of teachers per children. The fewer the number of children per teacher, the more interaction each child in the group will receive. Young children need plenty of adult interaction and attention! The younger the child, the more important this is. Group Size: The number of children in a group. The smaller the group, the better. Imagine a group of 25 two-year olds with five adults, compared to a group of 10 with two adults. Both groups have the same teacher to child ratio. The smaller group size will be a calmer and a safer environment. Teacher Education and Turnover: Teachers with degrees and/or child development training are better prepared to work with young children. Young children do better when they have a knowledgeable, consistent teacher for at least a year. Health and Safety: The environment inside and outside of the program should be clean, organized and free from hazards. Programs should have appropriate discipline and medicine policies. Teachers should be trained in infant and child CPR and First Aid. Family Involvement: Involved parents build a strong partnership with their child’s caregiver and program. Parents should be welcome to participate and share ideas with the program. Accreditation: Child care providers may attain national accreditation in an effort to reach and maintain a higher level of quality standards that are beyond state licensing minimum standards. 3
Focus on Health and Safety During the past several years, there has been a focus on the importance of health and safety in the early care setting from a national, state and local level. The 2014 reauthorization of the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) focused on policy and procedures that enhance health and safety measures that better protect children. Requirements of the reauthorization include providers meeting minimum standards, conducting background checks for employees, meeting teacher to child ratios and implementing quality enhancements in regards to program standards and teacher credentials. In Alabama, the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) leads the effort to administer and support quality enhancement programs and assist families with child care financial assistance. Locally across the state many agencies, businesses and community partners have been working together to strengthen best practices as it relates to delivering high quality child care. A few highlights of the collaborative work being completed in Alabama are outlined below.
Quality Improvement
Licensed child care centers are beginning to participate in the Alabama Quality STARS*, Alabama’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) and receive a quality rating. QRIS is a part of a national systematic approach to assess, improve and communicate the level of quality in early care and education programs. The STARS Standards represent an early care and education program’s quality above state minimum standards. Alabama Quality STARS is a five STAR “building block” system. Programs must meet all standards at a STAR level before moving to the next level. The Standards are based on four components: 1. Staff Qualifications and Professional Development 2. Management and Administrative Practices 3. Learning Environment and Curriculum 4. Family Involvement and Community Partnerships
*blue counties have STAR-rated centers
Program Oversight VOICES for Alabama’s Children, whose vision is that all Alabama children are safe, healthy, educated and economically secure in order to reach their full potential, supported House Bill 277, the Child Care Safety Act. HB277 advocated for uniform licensing and inspection by DHR for all child care programs operating in the state of Alabama. In 2017, HB277 passed the Alabama House and was blocked by the Alabama Senate for a final vote. While the Bill did not pass, it did raise community awareness on the importance of all children receiving care in a program that adheres to best health and safety practices. On August 23, 2017, Governor Kay Ivey expressed her support for all Alabama child care to be licensed: “I strongly favor that if you’re going to be a daycare center for children you need to be licensed by the state,” says Governor Ivey. “Any child that’s in the care of a daycare center, that center needs to be licensed to ensure that we’ve got quality folks rendering quality service to protect our children.” Her statement followed the tragic death of a young child in Mobile. 4
Awareness The Alabama Partnership for Children led efforts in the Don’t Be In The Dark About Child Care campaign. The goal of the campaign was to increase community awareness that in order to improve the quality of child care and have more quality options for parents searching for care, it is critical to increase the number of licensed and inspected child care centers. Funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation supported the Technical Assistance Framework which provided coaching, mentoring and mini-grants to directors and owners of licensed-exempt child care centers interested in program improvement and pursuing a license from DHR as well as preparing for the new CCDBG regulations.
Health The Alabama Partnership for Children in collaboration with Nemours Children’s Health System provided child care providers the opportunity to attend a series of trainings entitled Taking Steps to Healthy Success which promoted healthy eating and physical activity. Nemours received funding by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support states in launching early care and education learning collaboratives focused on childhood obesity prevention. Child care centers and family day care providers received training, technical assistance and financial incentives to make policy and procedure changes to support healthy eating and physical activity for children.
Increase Pre-K The Alabama School Readiness Alliance and the Bold Goals Coalition of United Way of Central Alabama worked to create a support system to help more child care centers successfully complete applications for Alabama’s First Class Pre-K funding thus improving the quality of child care in the process. Child care centers were invited to participate in the Bold Goals Education Early Learning Action Network’s Expanding Pre-K Access project. As the African proverb states, “It takes a village to raise a child” it truly takes collaboration between local, state and national partners to join together and support the work needed to be accomplished so that young children have the opportunity to have access to quality early learning experiences. The impact of a quality early learning experience has been studied for decades and the results are clear – quality early learning and care prepares children to be successful in school, earn higher wages and live healthier lives. The availability and affordability of care effects a child's lifelong success and the community's prosperity. 5
Child Care Availability Access to affordable, reliable and quality early learning is an economic necessity for families, especially working families. Early learning and care provide families with better job stability and overall economic security. Families searching for child care often face challenges in locating quality, affordable child care. The most frequent obstacles are high cost, lack of available care (early morning and late night) and care for a child with special needs. Many programs maintain lengthy waiting lists. These challenges combined with a declining number of licensed providers in Alabama make locating child care a time-consuming and difficult process.
Decline in Licensed Providers According to VOICES for Alabama’s Children, Alabama has seen a steady decline in the number of licensed child care centers, going from 4,269 in 2000 to 1,799 in 2016. This represents a decrease of nearly 60 percent in licensed child care programs. During the same time period, the number of licensed-exempt centers has risen steadily from 628 to 942, an increase of 50 percent in the number of unregulated and uninspected centers.
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Alabama’s First Class Pre-K Serves 28 percent of Alabama’s Four-Year Olds First Class is Alabama’s State-funded Pre-K program and is managed by the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education (ADECE). The department administers the First Class Pre-K program through competitive grants awarded annually. Classrooms are located in public and private schools, child care centers, faith-based centers, Head Start programs and other community-based settings. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey stated in a June 2017 press release, “A high-quality childhood education program has long lasting benefits on our society as a whole. Investment in our people through education, no matter at what level, is an investment in economic development. I am proud that we are offering our nationally acclaimed First Class Pre-K program to more Alabama children and families." Alabama’s First Class Pre-K added 122 new classrooms for the 2017-2018 school year which brings the total number of classrooms to 938 which will enroll approximately 16,884 four year-olds (28 percent) statewide. According to the Alabama School Readiness Alliance, Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program has been recognized by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) as the nation’s highest quality Pre-K program. Alabama meets or exceeds all ten of the benchmarks NIEER measures to determine program quality. Children who attend a quality pre-k program are more likely to: • Be proficient in reading by third grade • Graduate from high school and attend college • To succeed in the workplace
Early Head Start and Head Start Maintain Waiting Lists Early Head Start and Head Start programs are federally funded programs that promote school readiness of children ages birth to five years of age from low-income families. Head Start programming emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive program that results in a well-rounded, socially competent child. To ensure this, all Head Start children and families receive the following services: • • • • • • •
Education Disabilities Services Mental Health Health (medical and dental) Nutrition Social Services Parent and Family
During 2016, there were a total of 983 Early Head Start and Head Start Classrooms serving children and families in Alabama. The majority of Early Head Start and Head Start Classrooms maintain waiting lists. 7
Affordability of Child Care
Families are paying a significant amount of their earnings for child care. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers 10 percent of family income for child care as a benchmark of affordable care. By that standard, fewer than half of Alabama families have affordable child care.
Child care is one of the highest household budget items for families often representing 22 percent of the budget.
The average annual cost in 2017 for one infant in a licensed center in Jefferson County is over $6,959 annually. The average annual tuition for public college in Alabama is $8,029 annually. The 2017 HUD Median Household Income for a Birmingham family is $55,500 which is a decrease from $64,000 in 2016.
The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham in their 2017 Clearing the Path report indicated that in Alabama, half of all single mother’s live in poverty – the third highest rate in the country. In Blount, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair and Walker counties this represents 45 percent of single mothers. The women surveyed for the report indicated they felt frustrated and limited by a lack of affordable and quality child care and struggle constantly to find dependable child care. A parent on Childcare Resources’ Supplemental Child Care Program waiting list for financial assistance to help pay for child care shared her frustration: “I am an educated mom of 4 children and currently work 3 jobs to try to support my family. Currently, I find myself on the brink of disaster each month. Three of my 4 children attend day care at a cost of $2,050 monthly (that includes a multi-child discount). A HUGE portion of my salary goes to pay child care and I find that I must pay child care and not my mortgage, just so I can keep my jobs.” When families can comfortably afford the cost of quality care, they have more viable child care options, can pay for necessities such as housing, food and healthcare as well as gain and maintain employment. Benefits extend to the family, children and employers and include a more manageable household budget; access to quality early learning, which sets the stage for later success in school and life; and more focused and dependable employees. Being able to afford child care is important to all parents, but critical to those single, head-of-household parents, the overwhelming majority of whom are female, who are struggling to be self-sufficient, and maintain and improve their positions in the workforce. It is imperative that we work together to increase children’s access to quality early learning experiences that foster healthy growth and development. This development is a key predictor of future outcomes in terms of academic, social and economic success. When indidviduals, communities, businesses and agencies come together for our children, we can make a difference like this: "Since receiving child care financial assistance, I have a steady income and my daughter attends a reliable and quality program. I do not worry about her while I am at work. I am thankful to be able to provide stability for my family." — Childcare Resources Financial Assistance Recipient 8
Take Action for Alabama's Families Our vision is that quality child care will be available and affordable to all families who need it. That’s an auspicious vision and it requires everyone joining forces to ensure it is achieved. Every child deserves the best start in life! Quality child care is a reflection of the professional development of child care providers, safety of the facility for children and number of children per caregiver among other factors. This report highlights some of the challenges, successes and needs for children and families in Alabama, especially those who rely on child care to meet their needs. There is still work to be done to make our vision a reality. Here are some ways where perhaps you may want to be involved:
Issues of Affordability • Expand access to high quality Pre-K by increasing funding for state-funded First Class Pre-K sites • Child care keeps Alabama working – with approximately 70 percent of women in the workforce with young children, employers rely on the availability and affordability of quality child care for the current and future workforce. What resources does your company provide for working families? • Supplemental Child Care Program (SCCP) – working families need access to affordable child care. Childcare Resources provides the only program in Alabama that provides child care financial assistance for working families who do not qualify for state funded financial assistance. The ability to meet demand is dependent upon funding.
Issues of Quality • Alabama operates a dual system for child care which provides broad-based exemptions for child care programs to be exempt from child care licensing standards, oversight and regular inspection. Support efforts to require all child care programs to be licensed. • Children are born learning. Education begins early. Educational attainment and workforce development goals must consider early care and education in an education continuum.
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Alabama and its children are counting on you!
244 West Valley Avenue, Suite 200 Birmingham, AL 35209-3616
(205) 945-0018 1-800-822-2734 toll free (205) 945-0039 fax www.ccr-bhm.org childcare@ccr-bhm.org
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links are available at www.ccr-bhm.org
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244 West Valley Avenue, Suite 200 Birmingham, AL 35209-3616
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