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OCR Page 1 of 75that child care providers have first aid and CPR training, that providers wash their hands
before and after diapering and preparing food, and that minimum child-to-staff ratios are age-
appropriate and practical. In 1997, for example, Montana met recommended levels for the
number of children a single caregiver could care for in a child care center for five of the six
age groups examined. 7
Staff education and training are among the most critical elements in improving children's
experiences in child care. Even though approximately 1,500 hours of training at an
accredited school are required to qualify as a licensed haircutter, masseur, or manicurist, 8 40
states -- including Montana -- do not require providers who care for children in their homes
to have any training prior to serving children. 9 And 33 states allow teachers in child care
centers to start work without prior training. 10
The lack of quality affordable care is even greater for families with
babies and toddlers, and for families with school-age children.
Our youngest children are particularly vulnerable to poor quality care, yet quality
affordable care for young children is scarce.
Many of our youngest and most vulnerable children are being cared for in child care -- almost
half of all babies younger than 12 months are regularly spending their day being cared for by
someone other than their parents. 11 If national patterns hold true in Montana, this means as
many as 4,899 babies are in child care. 12
Even though having a close nurturing relationship with an attentive caregiver is critical to
helping babies grow, many states allow a single caregiver to care for too many infants and
toddlers. Less than half of the states -- including Montana -- met recommended levels for the
number of babies and toddlers a single caregiver was allowed to care for. 13
The scarcity of good after-school options leaves many school-age children home
alone and at risk of harm.
In Montana, 77 percent of mothers with school-age children work. 14 An estimated 30,526
children between the ages of 5 and 17 in Montana lived in families with incomes below the
poverty line ($13,300 for a family of three in 1997). 15
Good after-school options in schools, churches, and community organizations can help
children and teens do well in school and stay out of trouble, but they are inadequate in many
communities. In Montana, for example, only 8% of the public schools offered extended day
programs in 1993-1994. Nationwide, this problem is even more serious in low-income
neighborhoods.
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