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Position Statement on Early Childhood Care
and Education
The National Association of School Psychologists recognizes
that the futures of children are affected by many factors that occur early
in life. One such factor is child care. Affordable, high quality early
childhood care and education represent major needs of today's and tomorrow's
children and families. Although the role of parents in children's care
and upbringing remains of primary importance, most families need good child
care options. The availability of high quality child care can benefit children,
families, and society in terms of preparation of children to learn and
succeed in school; increased financial self-sufficiency for parents; and
reduced societal costs for special education, welfare, and other public
assistance.
The need for available, affordable, high quality early childhood
care and education is supported by the following findings:
- Most families require child care for their young children.
Over two-thirds of families in the United States have both parents, or a single parent,
that work outside the home because of economic necessity. It is estimated
that 13 million children under age 6--- about 3 out of 5 young children---are
cared for during the day by someone other than a parent.
- Many children and families in the United State are poor, even
when both parents or a single head of household are employed. Poverty rates
remain inexcusably high, especially for children. In 2000, 16.2% of all
children, or 1 in 6 children, lived in households below the poverty level.
Many children are poor even when parents work, and child poverty has increased
in recent years in working families. In 2000, 37% of poor children were
in families with at least one full-time worker and 75% of poor children
had a family member that worked at least part of the year.
- Governmental funding for child care is inadequate. Many families,
particularly low income and single parent families, cannot afford good
quality child care. One in four families with young children earns less
than $25,000 annually, yet yearly child care costs range from $4,000 to
$10,000. Child care costs for infants are often higher than costs for toddlers
and preschoolers. The high cost of adequate child care results in a system
in which low income families have few child care choices.
- Many children are in poor quality child care and may be vulnerable
to psychological and physical risks that affect their development and
safety. Many state and local regulations are limited and do not ensure
that all child care programs are of good quality. For example, only 10
states meet national recommendations for child-staff ratios in licensing
requirements for child care centers, and only 20 states require teachers
in child care centers to have training in early child development. As
a result, much of the child care in the United States is of poor to mediocre quality, and
some child care has been found to be of such poor quality as to potentially
jeopardize children's development and safety.
- Teachers are concerned that many children entering kindergarten
are not prepared to participate in learning and social activities in the
classroom. Low income children are often at-risk of school failure and
are less likely than their peers to enter school with needed prerequisite
skills. Research has shown that high quality child care can contribute
significantly to children's readiness for school.
- Need for child care is not limited to infants, toddlers, and
preschoolers. Almost 7 million school-age children are left home alone
after school each week. Surveys report that there are not enough out-of-school
programs and that many children are not involved in constructive activities
outside of school. Estimates suggest that out-of-school programs may meet
as little as 25% of the need in some urban areas. The cost of school-age
care is a barrier for many families, because over 80% of after-school programs
operate exclusively on fees paid by families.
- Inadequate early child care for young children and limited
outside-of-school options for school-age children can have a broad and
costly societal impact, especially with parents' employment, by contributing
to inability to acquire or maintain employment, prevention of full participation
in job assistance programs, and higher absenteeism and lower productivity
on the job.
It is recognized that families have a variety of child care
needs, ranging from occasional in-home care to part-time or full-time programs
in child care centers. The availability of affordable, high quality early
childhood care and education can increase options for many families and
provide benefits for children, families, and society. Research supports
that higher quality child care programs have greater benefits than lower
quality programs. Criteria for high quality child care include appropriate
group size, adequate adult-child ratios, developmentally-appropriate curriculum,
interactions with adults that are caring and stimulating for children,
and comprehensive training and education of the staff. Family involvement
and other services for families can also be effective components of early
child care programs. Positive outcomes of high quality child care and education
programs are found for children and families of all income levels and can
be pronounced for children and families of lower income levels. Examples
of positive outcomes include the following:
Children
- Participation in high quality early childhood programs can
result in enhanced social and cognitive behaviors of young children, including
increased self-regulation, attention, verbalization, and competence in
play and exploration, and can increase children's likelihood of success
in school.
- Participation in high quality early childhood programs can
have long-term educational benefits for children who are at-risk, including
decreased placement in special education, fewer behavior problems, decreased
grade retention, and lower drop-out rates.
Families
- Participation in high quality early childhood programs, particularly
those that provide family services, can result in factors such as more
positive attitudes and modeling for parents regarding their children and
themselves and better parent-child interactions.
- Availability of affordable child care programs can promote
increased family financial self-sufficiency.
Society
- Availability of good early childhood programs can result in
reduction to costs to society, such as costs related to special education
and public assistance.
- Availability of affordable child care programs can result
in increased business productivity related to less turnover and absenteeism
and improved job productivity by parents.
The need for early childhood care and education cannot be
denied; furthermore, the availability of affordable, high quality child
care can promote the success of children and their families. Most families
in the United States need better child care programs and
more options for the safe care of their children. The National Association
of School Psychologists believes that comprehensive standards, high quality
services, and adequate funding are needed for child care for children and
their families. Therefore, the National Association of School Psychologists
will:
1. Support public policies, programs, and funding that provide
equal access to and availability of affordable, high quality early child
care and outside-of-school programs for all children and their families.
Tax rebates and credits are important but are not substitutes for comprehensive
government support of accessible, well-designed programs.
2. Support the development, implementation, and ongoing evaluation
of stringent standards for quality in child care programs, including:
- Developmentally appropriate curricula
- Appropriate group sizes and adult-child ratios
- Adequate staff selection, education, training, and compensation
- Appropriate and safe physical facilities
- Parental involvement in programs, including unrestricted access
to facilities by parents
- Responsiveness and respect for individual differences and
cultural and language diversity
- Availability of special and related educational and health
services
- Practices that ensure equity, access, and nondiscrimination
for all children and families.
3. Support and assist with the implementation of alternative
forms of child care, including both in-home and out-of-home care, that
meet the preferences and needs of families.
4. Support public regulation of all forms of out-of-home child
care to insure the quality of programs and safety of children.
5. Support comprehensive programs, beginning at the prenatal
period, that integrate many services for parents and families, including
health, nutrition, child care, education, and related services.
6. Support the implementation of programs that provide effective
services and accommodations for children and families with special needs.
Children with, for example, disabilities, developmental delays, chronic
health problems, and childhood illnesses - and their families - should
have equal access to high quality child care programs.
7. Encourage the establishment of partnerships between communities,
schools, and other agencies to provide accessible, comprehensive programs
for children. These programs should include subsidized child care services
for infants and toddlers, preschool and pre-kindergarten programs in public
schools and other settings, and well-supervised before-school and after-school
programs.
8. Support and recognize the efforts of employers and businesses
that have family-oriented policies and services, such as flex-time and
on-site child care, and offer options for parents to balance the needs
of their children with responsibilities of their employment. Men and women
today are active in their parenting roles, and corporate and government
policies that support parenting efforts reduce the needs for many families
to rely on outside child care.
9. Encourage the development of programs that help families identify
their child care needs and goals and evaluate the quality of child care
programs in their communities.
10. Support continued
research investigating factors related to child care, including effects
of child care and family dynamics on children's development, methods of
improving child care, effects alternative forms of child care and family
services, long-term benefits of child care for children and families, benefits
of outside-of-school programs for school age children, and economic benefits
of child care for society.
Notes:
Data and other information in this document were obtained
from The State of America's Children: Yearbook 2000 published by
the Children's Defense Fund, Washington, DC; from fact sheets about child
care distributed by the Children's Defense Fund (www.childrensdefense.org/head-facts.htm);
from position statements on "Developing and Implementing Effective Public
Policies to Promote Early Childhood and School-Age Care Program Accreditation" and "Guiding
Principles for the Development and Analysis of Early Childhood Public Policy" developed
by the National Association of the Education of Young Children (http://www.naeyc.org/resources/position_statements/position_statement2.htm);
and from the "Fact Sheet on School-Age Children's Out-of-School Time" distributed
by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (www.wellesley.edu/WCW/CRW/SAC/factsht.html)
Parents and professionals who are interested in guidelines
for selecting high quality child care programs are encouraged to read "Finding
the Best Care for Your Infant and Toddler," Choosing a Good Early Childhood
Program: Questions and Answers," and other publications available from
the National Association of the Education of Young Children, 1509 16th
Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036, phone: 800-424-2460 (www.naeyc.org).
Adopted
by the NASP Delegate Assembly, April, 18, 1998
Revision
Adopted by the NASP Delegate Assembly, March
2, 2002
© 2002 National Association of School Psychologists, 4340
East West Highway, Suite 402, Bethesda MD 20814 - 301-657-0270.