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THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON CHILD CARE
October 23, 1997
"/ hope that this conference will be the beginning of a national dialogue about how best to care for all of America'
children and will make a valuable contribution to our effort to improve child care in this country.
President Clinton, July 23. 1997
Today, the President and First Lady are hosting the first-ever White House Conference on Child Care. The day-
long conference will address the need that America's parents have for safe, affordable child care for their children.
Millions of Americans, struggling to be both good parents and good workers, rely on child care and after-school
programs to care for their children for part of each day. Exploring the roles of both the public and private sectors,
the Conference is intended to begin a dialogue on three of the most pressing child care issues -- availability,
affordability, and assuring safety and quality.
Clinton Administration Commitment to Strengthening Child Care. President Clinton has worked to improve
and increase funding for child care. Under President Clinton's leadership, federal funding for child care has
increased by nearly 70%. The 1996 welfare reform law increased child care funding by $4 billion over 6 years to
provide child care assistance to low-income working families and parents moving from welfare to work. A
percentage of these funds are set aside for efforts to improve the quality of child care. To ensure that children in
child care are in safe and healthy environments, the President also launched the Healthy Child Care America
Initiative. And because the Department of Defense child care system has become a model of employer-sponsored
child care and after-school programming, the President asked the DOD to share its expertise and lessons learned
with the civilian child care community.
During President Clinton's time in office, funding for Head Start has increased by 43%. This funding will continue
to expand until it reaches the President's goal of serving 1 million children by the year 2002. The President also
initiated the Early Head Start Program to expand the proven benefits of Head Start to low-income families with
children age three and under.
To expand the benefits of after-school care, the President has, among other things, supported and signed the Safe
and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act to fund after-school programs: called for an increased number of
community schools that stay open longer and provide valuable resources to families and communities; and
published a guide on Keeping Schools Open as Community Learning Centers.
Clinton Administration Commitment to America's Working Families. This Conference builds on the
President's record of helping America's working families. To take a few examples. the President fought for passage
of the Family and Medical Leave Act to allow workers to take unpaid leave when their families need them. And he
signed into law the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act to extend important new protections for an
estimated 25 million Americans who move from one job to another, or who have pre-existing medical conditions.
And in August 1997. the President signed the Balanced Budget Act which included $24 billion for the Children's
Health Initiative the single largest investment in health care for children since 1965. President Clinton has also
fought to expand economic opportunity for working families. including a $500 per-child tax credit for children
under age 17 helping 27 million families with 45 million children. The Administration also expanded the Earned
Income Tax Credit to give 15 million families tax relief, and increased the minimum wage by 90 cents.
Conference Program and Participants. During the morning session, experts will discuss why child care matters
both to our children's development and to the economy, and will examine the state of child care in this country.
The panelists for this first session are: Ms. Ellen Galinsky, Families and Work Institute; Ms. Michelle Seligson,
National Institute of Out-of-School Time; Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin; Secretary of HHS Donna
Shalala; Governor James Hunt, North Carolina: Dr. Valora Washington, W.K. Kellogg Foundation: and Patty
Siegel, California Child Care Resource and Referral Network. The afternoon session will highlight promising
efforts around the country and discuss how all members of the community can meet critical child care challenges.
Panelists are: Major General John G. Meyer, United States Army: Representative Jane Maroney, Delaware State
Legislator; Dr. Susan Aronson, American Academy of Pediatrics; Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan, Diocese of
Brooklyn: Ms. Beatriz Otero, Calvery Bi-Lingual Multicultural Learning Center; Mr. John J. Sweeney, AFL-CIO;
and Mr. Doug Price, FirstBank of Colorado.
Broad Participation Across the Country. The entire conference will be broadeast by satellite to over 100
locations in over 45 states across the country, as well as to several Federal agencies. Satellite conferences will be
co-hosted by regional federal agencies. local officials, and children's and other organizations.
The White House Conference on Child Care
Talking Points
On Thursday, October 23, the President and First Lady will Host the White House
Conference on Child Care in the East Room of the White House. bringing together parents,
caregivers, business and labor leaders, child care experts and others.
President Clinton has called child care "the next great frontier" of public policy. At the
National Governors Association Annual Meeting, President Clinton said. "The First Lady and I
have worked on [child care] -- she, particularly -- for a long time. We think every child should
have access to quality child care. and we think it's the next great frontier if we're going to make
sure all Americans can succeed at home and at work."
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton recently wrote, "If you're a working parent, chances are that
you have to struggle to find affordable, quality child care. Like millions of others. you know just
how important child care is to your family's well being and to your ability to work without worry.
Yet for too long. parents across the country have struggled with too little information. too few
choices and too much anxiety."
Millions of Americans rely on child care and after-school programs to care for their children
for part of each day. The conference will explore how the public and private sectors can respond
to the need for safe, affordable, quality child care for American families who are struggling to be
both good parents and good workers.
The conference is intended to begin a dialogue on three critical child care issues
availability, affordability, and assuring safety and quality. And the conference is intended to
highlight the roles that everyone -- including communities, business and labor leaders, child care
providers. Federal, state and local governments, and parents themselves -- can play in addressing
these issues.
The morning panel will discuss availability, affordability and assuring safety and quality in
child care exploring why child care is important to our children's development and our nation's
economy. and examining what child care looks like in America today. The afternoon panel will
discuss how we mobilize all members of the community to support safe, affordable, quality
child care for families who need it -- focusing on promising child care efforts across the country,
both public and private.
Interest is so great, the conference has expanded beyond the White House. Several Cabinet
Secretaries will be hosting working sessions; sessions will be held at the Department of Health
and Human Services hosted by Secretary Shalala, at USDA hosted jointly by Education Secretary
Riley and Agriculture Secretary Glickman, and at the Department of Labor hosted by Secretary
Herman.
The conference proceedings will be watched across the country. More than 85 Satellite
Conferences will be held across the nation, convening community leaders to watch the White
House Conference and participate in discussions on child care.
PRESIDENT CLINTON ANNOUNCES CHILD CARE PROVIDER SCHOLARSHIP FUND
October 23. 1997
Today, President Clinton announced a National Child Care Provider Scholarship Fund as well as an outreach
plan to let child care providers know that they may be eligible for Pell Grants. Too many child care providers
currently do not have the training our children deserve and are not rewarded with higher compensation when
they do have training. The measures announced today will help improve the quality of our nation's child care by
helping caregivers get training and raise their pay. and thereby supporting efforts to recruit and retain them.
New National Child Care Provider Scholarship Fund: The National Child Care Provider Scholarship Fund
will provide more than $300 million in scholarships over five years to up to 50.000 child care providers
annually -- helping the more than half a million children they care for.
Up to a $1,500 Scholarship and Higher Pay For Continued Service: The Fund will provide scholarships of
up to $1,500 to current and future child care providers who agree to remain in the field for at least one year after
receiving assistance. These providers will earn increased compensation or a bonus when they complete their
course work. provided by some combination of the Fund and the provider's employer.
Public-Private Partnership: The Fund will receive at least $250 million in Federal funds over five years, with
every four dollars of Federal funds matched with at least a dollar of private, local or State funds. States will
have flexibility in designing their programs, and can provide scholarships for students working toward a state or
national credential, certificate, or Associate, B.A. or B.S. degree. States cannot use the Fund to substitute for
existing efforts. States also cannot provide scholarships to employees or child care providers that are not
licensed or registered.
Modeled on Successful Programs: The Fund is modeled on the North Carolina T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood
Project, a bipartisan program that has been shown to work. Participants in T.E.A.C.H. complete an average of
18 credit hours per year and receive an average 10% increase in their wages. They have less than a 10%
turnover rate, compared to the statewide rate of 42 %. The President's Child Care Provider Scholarship Fund is
also modeled on the Defense Department's model of tying pay raises to increased training, which has helped to
make the Department of Defense child care system one of the best in the world.
Builds On Pell Grants: While not limited to those eligible for Pell Grants, the scholarships build on Pell
Grants for those eligible, by covering any costs not covered by Pell. including tuition and fees, books, supplies,
transportation, and child care expenses. For example, a typical caregiver in a child care center earns $12,000 a
year. Attending a community college half time, with total costs of $3,000. this individual would be eligible for
a $1.350 Pell Grant in 1997-98. The Fund will then provide additional monies. All applicants must first apply
for Pell Grants before receiving a Child Care Provider Scholarship.
Actions To Help Child Care Workers Take Advantage of Pell Grants, the New Lifetime Learning Tax
Credit and Other Financial Aid: Many child care providers are not aware of other financial aid that is
available now. Today, the Secretaries of Education and Health and Human Services jointly sent a letter to child
care providers in all 50 states, providing them with information on the aid already available to current and future
child care providers. including Pell Grants, the new Lifetime Learning and HOPE Tax Credits. and loans.
Builds on the President's Actions to Make Higher Education Universal and Lifetime Learning the
Standard: Today's initiatives build on President Clinton's historic achievements to promote opportunities for
lifelong learning, including winning the largest increase in Pell Grants in more than 20 years. creating HOPE
and Lifetime Learning Tax Credits, expanding College Work Study. creating the Direct Lending program that
lets students repay their loans as a share of their income, and creating AmeriCorps National Service program to
enable young people to earn money for college while serving their country.
PRESIDENT CLINTON SENDS NATIONAL CRIME PREVENTION
AND PRIVACY COMPACT TO CONGRESS
October 23. 1997
Today, President Clinton transmitted the National Crime Prevention and Privacy
Compact to Congress. The compact will facilitate effective background checks on child
care providers by eliminating state law barriers to the sharing of criminal history
information for purposes other than ongoing criminal investigations. The vast majority of
child care providers are caring people who have dedicated their lives to teaching and
nurturing children. But one tragedy in child care is too many, and background checks are
one important way to ensure that the people watching our children are fit for this
responsibility.
Current Limitations on Information. Many states currently have laws prohibiting
release of criminal history records for purposes other than ongoing criminal investigations
such as in connection with background checks for employment or licensing. This
means that a child care agency wishing to do a nationwide check to determine whether a
potential child care worker has a criminal history will not be able to gain direct access to
all states' records but instead must go to the FBI for information. FBI records, however,
are not nearly as complete as states' own records because state reporting of criminal
dispositions to the FBI is wholly voluntary. In addition. FBI checks can take weeks or
months to complete because of the total volume of FBI records and the FBI's nationwide
criminal responsibilities.
Effect of the Compact. Under the compact, each ratifying state would agree to release
its own criminal history information to other ratifying states for any purpose authorized
by the receiving state's law. This means an agency wanting to do a nationwide check for
a purpose authorized by state law need not rely on incomplete FBI records, but may gain
access directly to other states' complete criminal records. The only role played by the
FBI would be to give the requesting agency a list of the states in which the individual has
a criminal record (information which the FBI would have in complete form), so that the
agency can access those states' records directly. In this way. the compact will vastly
increase the effectiveness and efficiency of nationwide criminal background checks.
One Step in Ensuring Safety of Child Care. A background check is only a first step in
assuring that our children are cared for safely. Many people who are unsuited to be child
care providers are never arrested or convicted of a crime: most child abuse cases. for
example. are not prosecuted in criminal court. A recent study by the American Bar
Association's Center for Children and the Law found that personal interviews and
reference checks are essential tools in checking the credentials of caregivers.
THE PRESIDENT URGES SERVICE AS A STRATEGY
IN AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS
The White House Conference On Child Care
October 23, 1997
Today, at the White House Conference on Child Care, President Clinton announced steps to use
community service to strengthen after-school programs.
Helping Communities Link Service and After-School Programs. To enable more communities to
use community service to enrich their after-school programs, the President announced actions by the
Corporation for National Service's new To Learn and Grow Initiative, a public-private partnership
dedicated to expanding access to and enhancing the quality of after-school programs through service.
The initiative will:
Release a "How-To Manual" that shows after-school programs how they can use service to
strengthen their efforts (prepared by the Corporation for National Service with the National
Institute on Out-of-School Time at Wellesley College); and
Provide training and technical assistance to after-school programs that want to use national
service and volunteers to help meet their needs.
Building on What Works. Today, communities use both volunteers and those engaged in full-time
service commitments such as AmeriCorps to extend the reach and improve the quality of many child
care and after-school programs. These individuals work alongside child care providers, educators, and
community-based professionals across the country. Two-thirds of national service programs
supported by the Corporation for National Service, including AmeriCorps, address the needs of
children and youth, many in child care and after-school programs. The To Learn and Grow Initiative
will build on this experience to show programs across the country how to use volunteers and others
engaged in service to provide better care to more children.
Young people can also benefit from serving others after school hours. For example, Big Brothers/Big
Sisters committed at the Presidents' Service Summit that its mentors would participate with young
people in service projects. In addition, the Corporation's Learn and Serve program supports service-
learning programs across the country, where young people serve and then reflect on that experience.
The To Learn and Grow Initiative's manual and training activities will guide after-school programs in
incorporating service into their activities.
Successful Programs Exist. Successful programs where service strengthens after-school programs
today include Jumpstart AmeriCorps, where AmeriCorps members get needy children and their
families ready for school; Columbia University's Community Impact program, where AmeriCorps
members provide educational enrichment, mentoring, and tutoring for youth from K-3rd grade in
collaboration with the YMCA; the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program in St. Paul, Minnesota,
which pairs seniors and middle school students in after-school programs with 900 children in K-3rd
grade; and the Sheridan Family Resources Center in Colorado, where AmeriCorps members tutor at-
risk youth, run after-school and summer camp programs, and help youths and senior citizens have
access to health services offered by school-based and community clinics.
The White House Conference on Child Care
Talking Points
On Thursday, October 23, the President and First Lady will Host the White House
Conference on Child Care in the East Room of the White House, bringing together parents,
caregivers, business and labor leaders, child care experts and others.
President Clinton has called child care "the next great frontier" of public policy. At the
National Governors Association Annual Meeting, President Clinton said, "The First Lady and I
have worked on [child care] -- she, particularly -- for a long time. We think every child should
have access to quality child care, and we think it's the next great frontier if we're going to make
sure all Americans can succeed at home and at work."
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton recently wrote, "If you're a working parent, chances are
that you-have to struggle to find affordable, quality child care. Like millions of others, you know
just how important child care is to your family's well being and to your ability to work without
worry. Yet for too long, parents across the country have struggled with too little information, too
few choices and too much anxiety."
Millions of Americans rely on child care and after-school programs to care for their children
for part of each day. The conference will explore how the public and private sectors can respond
to the need for safe, affordable, quality child care for American families who are struggling to be
both good parents and good workers.
The conference is intended to begin a dialogue on three critical child care issues --
availability, affordability. and assuring safety and quality. And the conference is intended to
highlight the roles that everyone -- including communities, business and labor leaders, child care
providers, Federal, state and local governments, and parents themselves -- can play in addressing
these issues.
The morning panel will discuss availability, affordability and assuring safety and quality in
child care -- exploring why child care is important to our children's development and our nation's
economy, and examining what child care looks like in America today. The afternoon panel will
discuss how we mobilize all members of the community to support safe, affordable, quality
child care for families who need it -- focusing on promising child care efforts across the country,
both public and private.
Interest is so great, the conference has expanded beyond the White House. Several Cabinet
Secretaries will be hosting working sessions; sessions will be held at the Department of Health
and Human Services hosted by Secretary Shalala, at USDA hosted jointly by Education Secretary
Riley and Agriculture Secretary Glickman, and at the Department of Labor hosted by Secretary
Herman.
The conference proceedings will be watched across the country. More than 85 Satellite
Conferences will be held across the nation, convening community leaders to watch the White
House Conference and participate in discussions on child care.
The White House Conference on Child Care
Talking Points
On Thursday, October 23, the President and First Lady will Host the White House
Conference on Child Care in the East Room of the White House, bringing together parents,
caregivers, business and labor leaders, child care experts and others.
President Clinton has called child care "the next great frontier" of public policy. At the
National Governors Association Annual Meeting, President Clinton said, "The First Lady and I
have worked on [child care] -- she, particularly -- for a long time. We think every child should
have access to quality child care, and we think it's the next great frontier if we're going to make
sure all Americans can succeed at home and at work."
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton recently wrote, "If you're a working parent, chances are
that you have to struggle to find affordable, quality child care. Like millions of others, you know
just how important child care is to your family's well being and to your ability to work without
worry. Yet for too long, parents across the country have struggled with too little information, too
few choices and too much anxiety."
Millions of Americans rely on child care and after-school programs to care for their children
for part of each day. The conference will explore how the public and private sectors can respond
to the need for safe, affordable, quality child care for American families who are struggling to be
both good parents and good workers.
The conference is intended to begin a dialogue on three critical child care issues --
availability, affordability, and assuring safety and quality. And the conference is intended to
highlight the roles that everyone -- including communities, business and labor leaders, child care
providers, Federal, state and local governments, and parents themselves -- can play in addressing
these issues.
The morning panel will discuss availability, affordability and assuring safety and quality in
child care -- exploring why child care is important to our children's development and our nation's
economy, and examining what child care looks like in America today. The afternoon panel will
discuss how we mobilize all members of the community to support safe, affordable, quality
child care for families who need it -- focusing on promising child care efforts across the country,
both public and private.
Interest is so great, the conference has expanded beyond the White House. Several Cabinet
Secretaries will be hosting working sessions; sessions will be held at the Department of Health
and Human Services hosted by Secretary Shalala, at USDA hosted jointly by Education Secretary
Riley and Agriculture Secretary Glickman, and at the Department of Labor hosted by Secretary
Herman.
The conference proceedings will be watched across the country. More than 85 Satellite
Conferences will be held across the nation, convening community leaders to watch the White
House Conference and participate in discussions on child care.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
If you're a working parent, chances are that you have
struggled to find affordable, quality child care. Like millions
of others, you know just how important child care is to your
family's well being and to your ability to work without worry.
Yet for too long, parents across our country have struggled with
too little information, too few choices and too much anxiety.
For far too long, America's families have faced this problem
alone. Now it is time to move this issue to the top of our
country's agenda. We have a special opportunity to do that when
the President and I host a White House conference on child care
on October 23. We hope that this conference will begin an honest
national discussion about child care and build on promising
efforts already underway in states and communities.
Here are some of the questions we need to answer as
individual parents and as a nation: How can we ensure that
children in care are safe from harm? What are the best ways to
make the hours children spend in care as stimulating and
nurturing as possible? How can we do a better job of valuing the
important work of child care professionals? How can we encourage
employers to provide child care benefits to their employees, a
practice that makes sense not just for children, but for the
corporate bottom line, as well? How can we put into practice
what research tells us that when children participate in good
after-school programs, they do better in school, don't engage in
risky behavior and thrive? And how can we genuinely support
parents who choose, often at significant economic cost, to stay
at home with their children?
When I was a working mother with a young child, my friends
and I shared these concerns. Today, when families are under even
greater stress, I continue to worry about how we can meet the
challenge of strengthening child care for American families. The
President and I believe it will take parents, businesses, child
care providers, experts, advocates, and officials at all levels
of government working together to ensure that children get the
care they need to learn and grow, that parents have peace of mind
while on the job, and that employers can count on responsible,
attentive workers. I hope you will join in this important
discussion.
Hillary Clinton
The First Lady's Letter will be appearing in a number of magazines this month.
WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON CHILD CARE
AGENDA
I.
OPENING SESSION
II. PANEL DISCUSSION: THE CHALLENGE: AVAILABILITY,
AFFORDABILITY, AND ASSURING SAFETY AND QUALITY CHILD
CARE
The President and First Lady will moderate this session.
Part 1: Why Does Child Care Matter? This panel will address: the relationship
between quality child care and children's healthy development, particularly in the earliest
years of life; the importance of good after-school programs for youth; and the need for
child care given dramatic changes in the workforce and economy.
Part 2: How Are We Doing in Meeting the Challenge? This panel will provide an
overview of the strengths and weaknesses of child care in communities across the country
and will also look at this question from the unique perspectives of parents and child care
providers.
II.
WHITE HOUSE LUNCHEON AND WORKING SESSIONS AT FEDERAL
AGENCIES
During the White House luncheon, Secretaries Shalala, Herman, Riley and
Glickman will host working sessions at several agencies.
III.
PANEL DISCUSSION: LEARNING FROM WHAT WORKS
The Vice President and the First Lady will moderate this session. State and local
officials, along with representatives of the military, business, health, labor, and faith
communities, will highlight promising efforts around the country and discuss how all
members of the community can address the challenges of assuring safe, affordable child
care for working families who need it.
IV.
SOUTH LAWN RECEPTION
If you're a working parent, chances are that you have
struggled to find affordable, quality child care. Like millions
of others, you know just how important child care is to your
family's well being and to your ability to work without worry.
Yet for too long, parents across our country have struggled with
too little information, too few choices and too much anxiety.
For far too long, America's families have faced this problem
alone. Now it is time to move this issue to the top of our
country's agenda. We have a special opportunity to do that when
the President and I host a White House conference on child care
on October 23. We hope that this conference will begin an honest
national discussion about child care and build on promising
efforts already underway in states and communities.
Here are some of the questions we need to answer as
individual parents and as a nation: How can we ensure that
children in care are safe from harm? What are the best ways to
make the hours children spend in care as stimulating and
nurturing as possible? How can we do a better job of valuing the
important work of child care professionals? How can we encourage
employers to provide child care benefits to their employees, a
practice that makes sense not just for children, but for the
corporate bottom line, as well? How can we put into practice
what research tells us -- that when children participate in good
after-school programs, they do better in school, don't engage in
risky behavior and thrive? And how can we genuinely support
parents who choose, often at significant economic cost, to stay
at home with their children?
When I was a working mother with a young child, my friends
and I shared these concerns. Today, when families are under even
greater stress, I continue to worry about how we can meet the
challenge of strengthening child care for American families. The
President and I believe it will take parents, businesses, child
care providers, experts, advocates, and officials at all levels
of government working together to ensure that children get the
care they need to learn and grow, that parents have peace of mind
while on the job, and that employers can count on responsible,
attentive workers. I hope you will join in this important
discussion.