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OCT-22-1997 12:51
EXEC. SEC. TREASURY DEPT
202 622 0073 P.02/07
draft 10/22 12:30 pm; 8 minutes
Remarks Prepared For Delivery
White House Child Care Conference
Secretary Robert Rubin
October 23, 1997
It is a pleasure to speak with you at this historic conference about the
importance of child care to the health of our economy.
Over the last five years we have witnessed significant progress in our
economy. Five years ago, before President Clinton took office, a high budget
deficit kept interest rates high and stifled growth. We had 7.3 percent
unemployment and were viewed by many as yesterday's economy. Today, due in
large measure to the President's powerful deficit reduction program of 1993, we
have nearly eliminated the budget deficit, which, in turn, brought interest rates
down, increased confidence and drove and sustained the economic recovery.
Unemployment is now at 4.9 percent, the economy has generated over 13 million
new jobs over the last four and a half years, inflation has remained low, and real
wages are rising. We are clearly once again the strongest major economy in the
world.
Though many factors have contributed to this success -- including the
private sector's restoration of competitiveness in a broad array of industries --
the key and indispensable factor has been the President's sound economic
strategy grounded in fiscal responsibility, especially the deficit reduction act of
1993, opening markets and investing in people. But we must not let this progress
mask the challenges we still face in producing a prosperous and competitive
economy over the long run. A key question we face is how to continue creating
an environment that promotes increased productivity, which, in turn, is critical to
OCT-22-1997 12:51
EXEC. SEC. TREASURY DEPT
202 622 0073
P.03/07
competitiveness in the global economy and raising standards of living. Creating
that environment includes several elements -- investing in people by improving
education and training, investing in infrastructure, and increasing access to
technology, for example. But there is no doubt that one key to increased
productivity is to have a flexible and mobile workforce where all can participate
to the full extent of their abilities. And that is where child care is central.
Before joining the Clinton Administration, I worked in the private sector for
twenty six years. 1 remember when I first started there were virtually no women in
executive or managerial positions, in large part because there were so few
women in the business and law schools from which businesses and law firms
drew. Over time that changed. More women entered business and law schools,
and talented women joined executive and managerial ranks in increasing
numbers. Businesses I observed then often faced the challenge of keeping very
good people as they started their own families. My experience in what is
admittedly a small and specialized segment of the private sector taught me that it
is very much in the interest of business to create a work environment that
supports the needs of each individual through measures such as flex time,
telecommuting, and, of course, by providing access to child care. It benefits the
individual obviously, and it benefits the company by allowing them to draw from
the largest possible universe of potential employees and by best enabling them
to retain their talented and knowledgeable people. In turn, the economy at large
benefits because it enables workers to fulfill their potential.
Just as the composition of businesses and law firms changed, the
composition of the labor force overall changed significantly. Today, 62 percent of
married mothers with a child under age six work, compared with 30 percent in
OCT-22-1997 12:52
EXEC. SEC: TREASURY DEPT
202 622 0073 P.04/07
1970. This change has meant a whole new set of issues facing working parents.
Today there are 20 million families with either a working single parent or two
working parents using child care, including 8 million families with children under
the age of five. The majority of these are middle-income families -- but families
for whom the cost, quality and availability of child care is an issue of major
concern. And addressing these issues should be a high priority of business, as
well as government, for the benefit of business and of the economy.
Of course, the challenge of finding affordable child care is particularly
difficult for lower income people, especially those trying to move from welfare to
work. For working families paying for care for preschoolers and annual incomes
of less than $14,000, annual child care costs total, on average, 25 percent of their
income. And in many states, a single parent leaving welfare to enter the work
force, after losing government benefits and incurring child care costs, could see
his or her income increase by only 50 cents or less for every dollar she earns.
Whether we speak of low or middle income families, there can be no doubt
that providing effective child care is an issue of critical importance to our society
and our economy. And all of us have important roles to play: families,
businesses, and government at all levels -- federal, state, and local.
One way to address this problem is through public-private partnerships. In
Rochester, New York, for example, a public-private partnership established in
1990, the Rochester/Monroe County Early Childhood Development Initiative, has
developed a set of goals for improving child care, worked with business to raise
private funds for accredited child care, and worked with United Way to subsidize
child care for low income families. During its first five years, these efforts led to
OCT-22-1997 12:52
EXEC. SEC. TREASURY DEPT
202 622 0073 P.05/07
the creation of child care for 2,000 additional children, and 86 percent of
Rochester's 3 and 4-year-olds are now in child care, up from less than 35 percent
in 1989.
There are also many businesses that have run their own programs.
Lancaster Laboratories, a company with 600 employees in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, opened an on-site child care center in 1986. The center offers care
for 150 children, with full-time care for preschoolers from age six weeks and an
after-school program to age 11. Now, 94 percent of mothers on maternity leave
return to work, compared to one-half before the center opened. Because the
company doesn't need to hire and train new workers, the benefits to the company
exceed the cost of operating the child care center. Of course, most small
businesses have barriers to running their own programs, and we must look at
ways to adequately address the needs of people that work for small businesses.
It's good for business, good for the employees, and good for the children.
By identifying and publicizing programs such as these, we can create that
kind of success elsewhere. That's why I'm pleased to take the lead by calling
together a private sector working group to explore the challenges of child care
for parents who wish to work and to identify best practices that deserve greater
attention. Addressing these problems is critical not only to the lives of the
working parents and children involved, but to business, and the well-being of our
economy as we enter a new century. Thank you very much.
OCT-22-1997 12:52
EXEC. SEC. TREASURY DEPT
202 622 0073 P.06/07
Roset
Topics for Child Care Working Group
As part of the Administration's child care initiative, a private-sector working group will report to
Secretary Rubin on problems faced by working parents, and the steps that businesses can take to
address these problems by promoting affordable, quality care. The purpose of the working group
is to identify the best and most innovative practices in the private sector and in public-private
partnerships. In particular, the commission will focus on:
Problems Facing Working Parents
There are 20 million families with working parents using child care (both single parents
and two-parent families), including eight million families with children under the age of 5.
Child care is expensive for many families; for those families paying for care for their
preschoolers, costs are, on average, almost eight percent of income. This burden is even
greater for low-income working parents. Parents also face difficulties in ensuring their
children receive quality care and in arranging backup care, in case their child is sick or
their primary provider is unavailable.
Resource and Referral Networks
Many working parents are unaware of what child care is available or how to judge the
quality of child care. Some businesses operate or support child care resource and referral
agencies, which provide parents information on child care options and how to select a
quality provider. Some also provide information to providers on how to improve quality.
Workplace Flexibilities
Many parents feel constrained by the demands of both work and family. Some businesses
support their employees by allowing them greater flexibility in their work schedules.
Examples include job sharing, telecommuting, and giving employees more say over how to
structure their hours (e.g. flex-time).
On-Site Child Care Centers
Some businesses have had great success with on-site child care centers. These centers
assure parents that their child is receiving adequate care, and parents can visit during work
breaks. Many businesses have found that on-site centers reduce turnover, increase
productivity, and are beneficial in attracting new hires. Some on-site centers also allow
for drop-in care if a child is sick or regular care is unavailable.
OCT-22-1997 12:53
EXEC. SEC. TREASURY DEPT
202 622 0073 P.07/07
Public-Private Partnerships
Businesses and governments have joined together in some areas to support quality child
care. In some instances, they have jointly developed child care priorities (for example,
more subsidized slots for low-income families or an increase in the number of accredited
centers) and methods to achieve them. Businesses have also provided expertise and
logistical and financial support to these partnerships.
TOTAL P.07
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Whether I'm talking to parents struggling to make ends meet or women trying to
balance work and family, there are two words that always come up: child care.
You can hear neighbors talking about it at the end of the driveway; over the back
fence; and waiting on the train platform.
They're worried about having to choose between keeping a job and keeping their
children safe.
And they usually talk in whispers: Most people would rather tell their bosses they
have a flat tire than admit they have a child care problem.
Now, thanks to the President and Mrs. Clinton, we've brought the issue of child
care into the spotlight and turned the private conversations families have into national
discussion we all must have.
This is not the first time in our history that we've faced this challenge.
When Rosie the Riveter entered the work force during World War II, her family
needed child care. So President Roosevelt and Congress passed the Lanham Act.
10/21/97 TUE 19:48 FAX 2026907318
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003
2
Today, millions of daughters and granddaughters of the World War II generation
are in the work force - not to win a war, but to win independence for themselves and
financial security for their families.
In fact, just between 1970 and 1994 the number of working women with children
under six more than doubled.
So once again, families need child care. And, once again, we must act.
As a big Cleveland Indians fan, I've obviously been thinking a lot about the
World Series (I apologize to the Orioles fans who are still in mourning).
And when I think about where we stand in understanding and addressing the child
care issues facing our nation, I guess I see us in the 7th inning stretch.
Because of the leadership of the President and First Lady, the first innings have
brought real progress.
We're spending more - a full $4 billion more over 6 years.
We're learning more -- for example our National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development has found a direct link between high quality child care and a child's
subsequent cognitive and language development.
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3
But we still must do more.
Because the 7th inning stretch is a time not only to stand up, but also to look out - -
to engage ourselves and the American people in a real dialogue about where we've been,
where we are, and where we need to go.
Let me give a snap shot of where I think we stand on three issues: Availability,
affordability, and quality.
For parents, these areas really boil down into three basic questions about child
care: Can I get it? Can I afford it? And can I trust it?
First, availability: Can I get child care?
We have a diverse system of child care. Everything from centers to family day
care to friends and relatives.
That's important. Parents need choice.
But, too often, as the General Accounting Office report made clear, parents bump
up against major shortages of care, especially for infants, for children with disabilities,
and for families working nontraditional hours.
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Think about the father who works the night shift and cannot find any child care
outside of normal business hours.
Or the mother who gets a job in April and has to quit in June because there's no
one to take care of her children in the summer.
This is the real world for real families across our country.
Over half of our schools do not offer after-school services to children - and those
same children - especially in low-income communities - often cannot find after-school
care in their neighborhoods either.
There's also a big gap in age-appropriate care for middle school and junior high
school kids who need safe havens and guidance as they make the journey through
adolescence.
Child care is sometimes available, but transportation from home, work, or the
place of care is not.
And even when child care is available - and reachable - it has to be affordable or
it doesn't do parents much good.
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Which brings me to the second question all parents - poor and middle class - are
asking about child care: Can I afford it?
As Mrs. Clinton has pointed out, families earning under $1200 dollars a month
pay about a quarter of their income for child care.
The federal government is trying to ease this burden.
And we've done a pretty good job of helping people on welfare make the
transition to work by expanding child care.
For example, most federal assistance goes to families at or near the poverty line.
For a family of four, that would be just over $16,000 dollars
But this is a problem that extends far beyond poor families. It is a challenge that
faces all working families.
Many states are trying to address this - and make child care more affordable - by
linking eligibility to income instead of welfare status.
But we need to be careful. Because even as many of these states increase
eligibility, they're also increasing co-payments.
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And we need to vigilant. Because, right now, only about one million children are
receiving federal child care assistance even though millions more are eligible.
But even when parents can get child care. And even when they can afford it.
They still need to ask themselves: "Can I trust it?"
Which is the third and last piece of the child care problem I want to highlight:
this morning: safety and quality.
It doesn't matter where you live or what kind of care you choose, you should
always have confidence that your child is getting the best.
We have many exemplary child care settings that we should be proud of. They're
in the military, businesses, schools and communities
But, many child care facilities have serious shortcomings.
Part of the problem is low reimbursement rates from states. That's why some
states, for example Rhode Island, are raising rates.
Another part is inadequate licensing. All states have some form of child care
licensing. But many children - - even infants - are in care that is exempt from licensing.
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To make matters worse, our Department found many child care facilities that did
not meet the health and safety requirements of their own states.
And unlike the military, where child care centers are inspected many times each
year, in the civilian sector, some child care programs do not receive a single inspection in
a year -- or even more.
But perhaps the biggest threats to quality are poor training and low wages for
providers.
More than half of all states have little or no pre-service training for child care
workers. That can mean that they aren't even given basic health and safety information.
What's more, most child care staff earn around $12,000 dollars a year with few, if
any, benefits.
These low wages cause a third of child care workers to leave every year, which
can be damaging to young children who, as we know, need stable care.
I've briefly outlined where we are on the three questions all parents are asking
about child care: "Can I get it, afford it, trust it?"
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8
And as I said, 1 consider this conference to be our 7th inning stretch. But reaching
the end of the game won't be easy. Nothing worth doing ever is.
Reaching the end of the game will take giving parents the information and
assistance they need to make one of the toughest decisions of their lives.
It will take all of us working as a team - -- from the federal government, to the
states, to the communities, to the providers, and above all else, the parents.
And, when all is said and done, reaching the end of the game will depend not just
on what we say today, but upon what all of us do tomorrow.
Thank you.
OCT 21'97 13:38 FR WK KELLOGG FOUNDATION
969 2188 TO 912024566244
P.02/04
HenleyPark Hotel
ph 616/969-2545 h
WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON CHILD CARE
Valora Washington
"Jumpstarting Change:
The Role of Local Communities
In Assuring Child Care That Works"
I. Introduction
A. Reference to earlier panel on why child care matters.
B. The opportunity/importance of community involvement.
II. The State of Affairs: How Well Are Communities Doing?
some working well/some only beginning,mixed picture
III. Jumpstarting Change: What Works in Communities
some working well/some only beginning, mixed picture.
SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES:
A. Get everyone involved
child care professionals, parent and providers
cannot do it alone
EXAMPLES: Kellogg Foundation, Early Childhood Funders
Collaborative with ABC
B. Realize and encourage each sector (business/philanthropy) to add its own
value and strength to the process.
build relationships
value added of various sectors
civic and business leaders
experts in child care
elected officials
parents
others
EXAMPLE: Florida Education Fund
C. Are willing to take a look at themselves
begin with community
assessment/community visioning.
OCT 21'97 13:38 FR WK KELLOGG FOUNDATION
969 2188 TO 912024566244
P.03/04
availability?
access?
cost?
roles?
families are central to communities
everyone creates the communities vision
communities with vision support families
EXAMPLE: Avance, Rio Grand Valley, Texas
D. Develop concrete plans that are comprehensive.
know what you want to achieve
focus on goals - identify critical issues/specific gaps
build on community assets
assess your community's resources - - describe resources, initiatives,
programs needed
cross-community collaboration (human and financial resources that
can be tapped/supplemented)
work for specific indicators of success
EXAMPLE: Battle Creek, Michigan KYIP
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
IV. Jumpstarting Change: A Few Challenges
A. Importance of preserving the child care diversity in communities while
bringing order to chaos and standards that assure child safety and quality.
EXAMPLE: King County, Washington
B. The issue of cost and what this means for access, availability, quality,
compensation. (example of community addressing the cost challenge)
C. Engaging the majority - the people who don't have children/young children
who feel this issue doesn't concern them.
D. Encouraging personal parental responsibility through recognition of the need
for all families to have broader social support.
E. Need for clearer articulation of outcomes/results that community can
understand and buy into.
F. "We know more than we do" - looking through the eyes of the child.
2
OCT 21'97 13:38 FR WK KELLOGG FOUNDATION
969 2188 TO 912024566244
P.04/04
V. Next Steps: What We Must Ask Ourselves
A. Where are our community values/vision that we want for our children (shared
vision).
B. What are our communities' strengths and gaps in building the caring
community for children? Community closes the gap between quality and what
parents can afford.
C. Do we have the entire community involved?
D. In everything we do:
look through the eyes of the child putting their needs and interests first
do what we know works, focusing on solutions available now
bring more accountability into the system
look at concrete results and outcomes for children
D. Goethe:
"Knowing is not enough;
we must apply
Willing is not enough;
we must do"
\Wkkf05\vo01\SHARED\DEPTFAMILIESPUBLICVWEARLYCHIloudineWHITEHOUSE CONF ON CHILD CARE.doc
3
** TOTAL PAGE. 004 **
OCT-21-1997 17:11
FERN TIGER ASSOCIATES
510 763 8368
P.01
4 pages
California
Child Care
Resource
&
Referral
Network
To:
Noa Meyer
From: Fem Tiger for Patty Siegel
Date: October 21, 1997
Following is Patty Siegel's outline for the Panel Presentation of October 23rd. If you have any
problems receiving this fax please contact me directly at (510)763-3867.
111 New Montgomery Street, 7th Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 882-0234 Fax: (415) 882-6233
OCT-21-1997 17:11
FERN TIGER ASSOCIATES
510 763 8368
P.02
California
Child Care
Resource
&
Referral
Network
Outline: Panel Presentation / October 23, 1997: White House Conference on Child Care
1.
Thank you, Mr. President and Mrs. Clinton etc.
2.
Brief introduction to the world of R&R from the front lines of child care which are really
the phone lines at the more than 600 resource and referral agencies across the country
where thousands of counselors talk daily with more than one and a half million parents
looking for child care and where resource and referral staff provided training to nearly
350,000 child care providers in the past year
Child Care R&Rs have 4 important responsibilities:
The heart of our work is to help families find and choose the child care that best
mects their particular and unique needs;
In order to make these connections we have to identify and track the supply of all
licensed child care in our communities;
And because that supply is often unavailable or inadequate we work to build and
sustain the supply to ensure that good, safe, quality care is available for parents when
they need it, where they need it, and at prices they can afford;
And to inform the broad community about the importance of good child care and
how it impacts the world of work, education, health care, and family life
As you can imagine these are difficult tasks and responsibilities that we take very seriously
3.
What we hear on these phone lines from providers in centers, in family child care homes,
in schools is
Enormous frustration
Child care isn't working
it's not available;
it's not affordable;
and it's not as good as it should be
4.
Let me first tell you what we hear from parents (my emphasis is California where more than
10% of all of the children of America live but the stories are similar across the country )
The frustration is at all income levels; (TII focus on where majority of calls come
from - from new parents with babies. very young children under 2)
111 New Montgomery Street, 7th Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 882-0234 Fax: (415) 882-6233
OCT-21-1997 17:12
FERN TIGER ASSOCIATES
510 763 8368
P.03
Consider the stress of a parent about to re-enter the workplace It's a stressful
transition but that stress is amplified by the reality of just how difficult it is to find
child care for that baby.
And that reality is that 2/3 of all child care in California is in centers and only 4% of
center spaces are for babies and children under two;
If you ever wanted to create an instant community just bring together a sampling
of parents like the ones I've spoken to during the past 24 hours as I traveled from
California to D.C. the stories they've shared a flight attendant, a waitress at the
conference center, a taxidriver, and an engineer who commiserated with mc as we
shared seats on the five hour flight these parents from across all income levels are
instantly united in a great family of concern as they face the daunting challenge of
finding quality care for their babies and children.
Each in this small sampling makes incredible sacrifices and amazingly complicated
arrangements in order to hold a job and raise their children.
5.
Imagine the plight of the flight attendant when her work schedule rotates and she needs care
for her child through the night, or when her flight is delayed and she unexpectedly needs
extended emergency care. Imagine the dilemma of the waitress whose salary barely exceeds
minimum wage a salary of about $11,000 and whose workday begins at 11 a.m. and ends
after 7 p.m Imagine how much more complex the plight of the engineer would be if his
2-year-old happened to be blind or deaf or have cerebral palsy. Imagine how any of these
added issues would impact your need for child care and the range of options available
But 1 have to tell you it's not just the capacity challenge that worries parents. Everyday we
hear from parents who know what they want and what's good for their children. They want
care givers who know and understand how children grow and learn and caregivers who can
provide a stimulating, safe and nurturing environment. But because our child care system
in this country has been patched together without the forethought and mindfulness that
today's conference begins to generate, good child care with health and safety protections,
trained staff and stimulating environments, is hard to find.
But of all of the frustrations parents face, the inability to find care that is affordable
is the most daunting and most frightening because this impacts a parent's ability
to join the workforce And for those earning minimum wage and those who have
struggled to maintain economic independence in low wage positions, the choices are
few
Sadly, the choices of these families are dictated too often by what they can afford, not
by what's best for their children.
Consider the facts: a single mother in California, working full time at minimum wage
will need to use 68% of her income for child care in a licensed center If she
qualifies for state or federal child care assistance in California and many other states
the waiting list could take more than 2 years
6.
But the frustrations are not only from parents Providers are barely able 10 make ends meet
on their salaries which average less than $7/hour (making it near impossible to afford care
OCT-21-1997 17:12
FERN TIGER ASSOCIATES
510 763 8368
P.04
themselves...) Most providers have no benefits; they don't get paid vacations and they don't
get sick leave
7.
Still good providers can't afford to remain in these jobs if this room was filled today with
teachers, child care providers, and center directors and we reconvened this meeting one year
from now, half of the room would be empty.
This workforce of dedicated individuals love their jobs; eager for training
committed to children but they cannot afford to keep these low-paying jobs
Challenge is not just how to create quality care that is affordable the challenge is
also to find resources to pay for the people to do this job and to honor them as doing
important work that supports families, children, and the businesses of America
8.
Closing
In the facc of these formidable challenges today's conference is a welcome beginning We
who are on the front lines of the crisis, applaud you for hearing the issue and for making it
a priority And we are anxious to report back to the parents and providers who we connect
to about the progress and hope from today's new beginnings for improving child care in
America.
As we bring this critical issue for families to the forefront of national attention, I urge you
to remember that the problem is all around us. but it's often private, unknown, and unseen
(Close with patchwork quilt metaphor and the need to create an infrastructure and
expanded resources for delivering quality child care services)
TOTAL P.04
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HUMAN SERVICES USA
&
HEALTH
FAX
OF
DEPARTMENT
TRANSMISSION
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office of the Secretary
DATE: 10/21/97
Jenklein
TO:
FAX:
456-6244
PHONE: 456-2599
FROM: Howard q Lawra
Office of Public Affairs
Phone:
202-690-7470
Fax:
202-690-7318
Rongh sen draft lauwin
TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES TRANSMITTED:
COMMENTS:
MEALIN
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Office of the Secretary
USA
LAURA E. SCHILLER
Director of Speechwriting
Room 630E, H. H. Humphrey Bldg.
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20201
(202) 690-7470
e-mail: [email protected]
Fax (202) 690-7318
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., HHH Bldg., Room 638E, Washington, D.C. 20201
10/21/97 TUE 19:48 FAX 2026907318
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J.
002
1
Whether I'm talking to parents struggling to make ends meet or women trying to
balance work and family, there are two words that always come up: child care.
You can hear neighbors talking about it at the end of the driveway; over the back
fence; and waiting on the train platform.
They're worried about having to choose between keeping a job and keeping their
children safe.
And they usually talk in whispers: Most people would rather tell their bosses they
have a flat tire than admit they have a child care problem.
Now, thanks to the President and Mrs. Clinton, we've brought the issue of child
care into the spotlight and turned the private conversations families have into a national
discussion we all must have.
This is not the first time in our history that we've faced this challenge.
When Rosie the Riveter entered the work force during World War II, her family
needed child care. So President Roosevelt and Congress passed the Lanham Act.
10/21/97 TUE 19:48 FAX 2026907318
DHHS/ASPA
1
003
2
Today, millions of daughters and granddaughters of the World War II generation
are in the work force - not to win a war, but to win independence for themselves and
financial security for their families.
In fact, just between 1970 and 1994 the number of working women with children
under six more than doubled.
So once again, families need child care. And, once again, we must act.
As a big Cleveland Indians fan, I've obviously been thinking a lot about the
World Series (I apologize to the Orioles fans who are still in mourning).
And when I think about where we stand in understanding and addressing the child
care issues facing our nation, I guess I see us in the 7th inning stretch.
Because of the leadership of the President and First Lady, the first innings have
brought real progress.
We're spending more -- a full $4 billion more over 6 years.
We're learning more for example our National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development has found a direct link between high quality child care and a child's
subsequent cognitive and language development.
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But we still must do more.
Because the 7th inning stretch is a time not only to stand up, but also to look out -
to engage ourselves and the American people in a real dialogue about where we've been,
where we are, and where we need to go.
Let me give a snap shot of where I think we stand on three issues: Availability,
affordability, and quality.
For parents, these areas really boil down into three basic questions about child
care: Can I get it? Can I afford it? And can I trust it?
First, availability: Can I get child care?
We have a diverse system of child care. Everything from centers to family day
care to friends and relatives.
That's important. Parents need choice.
But, too often, as the General Accounting Office report made clear, parents bump
up against major shortages of care, especially for infants, for children with disabilities,
and for families working nontraditional hours.
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Think about the father who works the night shift and cannot find any child care
outside of normal business hours.
Or the mother who gets a job in April and has to quit in June because there's no
one to take care of her children in the summer.
This is the real world for real families across our country.
Over half of our schools do not offer after-school services to children - and those
same children - especially in low-income communities - often cannot find after-school
care in their neighborhoods either.
There's also a big gap in age-appropriate care for middle school and junior high
school kids who need safe havens and guidance as they make the journey through
adolescence.
Child care is sometimes available, but transportation from home, work, or the
place of care is not.
And even when child care is available - and reachable - it has to be affordable or
it doesn't do parents much good.
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Which brings me to the second question all parents - poor and middle class - are
asking about child care: Can I afford it?
As Mrs. Clinton has pointed out, families earning under $1200 dollars a month
pay about a quarter of their income for child care.
The federal government is trying to ease this burden.
And we've done a pretty good job of helping people on welfare make the
transition to work by expanding child care.
For example, most federal assistance goes to families at or near the poverty line.
For a family of four, that would be just over $16,000 dollars.
But this is a problem that extends far beyond poor families. It is a challenge that
faces all working families.
Many states are trying to address this - and make child care more affordable - by
linking eligibility to income instead of welfare status.
But we need to be careful. Because even as many of these states increase
eligibility, they're also increasing co-payments.
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And we need to vigilant. Because, right now, only about one million children are
receiving federal child care assistance even though millions more are eligible.
But even when parents can get child care. And even when they can afford it.
They still need to ask themselves: "Can I trust it?"
Which is the third and last piece of the child care problem I want to highlight:
this morning: safety and quality.
It doesn't matter where you live or what kind of care you choose, you should
always have confidence that your child is getting the best.
We have many exemplary child care settings that we should be proud of. They're
in the military, businesses, schools and communities.
But, many child care facilities have serious shortcomings.
Part of the problem is low reimbursement rates from states. That's why some
states, for example Rhode Island, are raising rates.
Another part is inadequate licensing. All states have some form of child care
licensing. But many children - - even infants - are in care that is exempt from licensing.
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To make matters worse, our Department found many child care facilities that did
not meet the health and safety requirements of their own states.
And unlike the military, where child care centers are inspected many times each
year, in the civilian sector, some child care programs do not receive a single inspection in
a year or even more.
But perhaps the biggest threats to quality are poor training and low wages for
providers.
More than half of all states have little or no pre-service training for child care
workers. That can mean that they aren't even given basic health and safety information.
What's more, most child care staff earn around $12,000 dollars a year with few, if
any, benefits.
These low wages cause a third of child care workers to leave every year, which
can be damaging to young children who, as we know, need stable care.
I've briefly outlined where we are on the three questions all parents are asking
about child care: "Can I get it, afford it, trust it?"
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And as I said, 1 consider this conference to be our 7th inning stretch. But reaching
the end of the game won't be easy. Nothing worth doing ever is.
Reaching the end of the game will take giving parents the information and
assistance they need to make one of the toughest decisions of their lives.
It will take all of us working as a team - from the federal government, to the
states, to the communities, to the providers, and above all else, the parents.
And, when all is said and done, reaching the end of the game will depend not just
on what we say today, but upon what all of us do tomorrow.
Thank you.
10/19/1997 23:41
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PAGE 01
202. 456. 9412
MEMORANDUM
TO
Joan, Jenn and Nicole
FROM
Ellen Galinsky
RE
The first draft of my comments
DATE
October 19, 1997
Here is my first draft. I know it is too long, but I hope it captures what you want: links to
brain development research, information on how we measure quality, what good, mediocre
and poor quality look like, and how quality can be improved. I have tried to keep the tone
"researchy" but "photographic," as you suggested.
I am taking my computer to California so I welcome feedback. Let me know what you
think I should cut, change, add, etc.
Thanks for all of your help.
can you send this ner to Joan
Lombardi- ( can't fet through
to her tax. Thank
10/19/1997 23:41
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GALINSKY
PAGE 02
White House Conference on Child Care
Ellen Galinsky
Last April, at The White House Conference on Early Learning, this country heard, many
people for the first time, about the recent research on the brain development of young
children and learned that
The development of the child's brain-following birth-is far more
rapid and more extensive than previously believed possible. At birth, the
newborn's brain is about a quarter of it adult weight, but it is not simply a small
brain, otherwise complete except for its size. The parts of the brain that handle
thinking and feeling and relating to others are yet to be developed.
The brain at birth has about 100 billion brain cells-or neurons-with 50
trillion connections among them. By the time a child is three, there will be a
twentyfold increase in the number of synaptic connections among brain cells,
numbering about 1000 trillion.
We learned that early experience, in an elaborate dance between
nature and nurture, affects the way the brain is wired. The experiences
that the young child has, the sound she hears, the sights she sees, the
sensations she feels, the things she tastes all will create the synaptic
connections, affecting the way the child's brain is wired.
We learned that the brain operates on a use it or loose it principle. In
the 1970s, Peter Huttenlocher from the University of Chicago counted the
synapses in the frontal cortex of the brain, finding that children's brains have
many more than you and me, as adults. After the first decade of life, however,
the number of connections begins to decline. By the time the child enters the
teenage years, about half of the synapses have been "pruned," or discarded with
about 500 trillion remaining. This number stays relatively constant throughout
life.
The brain connections that have been reinforced by repeated experience tend to
remain while those that are not are discarded. Thus, a child's early
experience-whether it is positive or whether it is negative- help shape his
brain, affecting to some degree how he thinks, feels, and relates to others
throughout his life.
Finally, we learned that the early care children receives has a
decisive, long lasting impact on how they develop, their ability to learn,
and their capacity to regulate their own emotions. Very young children
experience the world through the relationships they have with the important
caregivers in their lives.
Scientist have even determined two of the aspects of relationships that are most
important to young children's development: warm and responsive care.
Brain research helps us understand the "why" behind this finding. Myron A.
Hofer from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons has
1
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PAGE 03
found that the interactions between the baby and his or her caregiver regulate
many of the baby's biological systems such as sleep, body temperature,
hunger, arousal and sleep.
The power of this give and take between caregiver and child can be made very
visible in the studies in which there is a camera filming the infant and a camera
filming the caregiver. Researchers such as Ed Tronick at Harvard University
have mapped out in moment by moment detail the patterns of the caregiver/child
interaction. These researchers have noted that there is a back and forth
exchange that pediatrician Berry Brazelton likens to a dance or what
developmental psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner call a ping pong game. The
intensity mounts and then the child will look away, calming down, before re-
engaging. During these studies, the caregiver may be told by the experimenter
to freeze, to stop responding; then the infant does everything she or he can to
get the caregiver's attention. When these bids fail, the baby will often get
upset, flail around, and cry. When the caregiver is told to begin responding to
the child, the baby calms down. Inside the brain, the stress-response system is
turned off. Of course, this does not mean that caregivers have to be "on" and
responding every minute, but these studies do show that it is in the everyday
moments-in the daily interactions with nurturing caregivers that babies begin
to develop the network of brain cells that help them learn to regulate and calm
themselves.
Megan Gunnar from the University of Minnesota has looked at the impact of
such interactions on the production of the stress hormone cortisol. She has
found that by the end of the first year, those children who have received
consistent, warm and responsive care from their caregivers produce less
cortisol. If they do become upset, they can turn off their stress reaction more
quickly than children who have not received this kind of care. Thus, these
children will be able to respond better when they face the inevitable difficulties
of life.
What are the implication of research on brain development for child care?
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there were 21 million children
under the age of six in the United States in 1995. More than 12.9 million of these
children-61 percent- were in child care.
Children in child care need what they need in their families. They need
warm and responsive care?
Several years ago, the Families and Work Institute in collaboration with Carollee Howes at
UCLA, Susan Kontos at Purdue University, and Marybeth Shinn at New York University
conducted a study of family child care and relative care. When we analyzed all the ways
that quality-as we measured it-affected children's development, we found that warm
and responsive care was central. Two other multi-site studies of center-based setting
reveal the same thing. Although family life and child care are different and families are
first and foremost in children's lives, children need warm and responsive care at home
and in child care.
Interestingly enough, when we asked parents what was most important to them in child
care, parents mentioned the same characteristics. They want their children to be safe.
2
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PAGE 04
They want their children to be with people who care about them-that is are warm. They
want their children to get enough attention, in other words are responsive. And they want
caregivers who communicate what is happening to the child during the time the parent and
the child are apart.
What does warm and responsive care mean?
When one thinks of "child care quality," or even "warm and responsive" care, these
concepts may seem soft and fuzzy and not measurable. Not SO. We can observe and
quantify these characteristics in valid and reliable ways in the studies we do.
Warm care means being caring. It means expressing joy in who the child is and helping the
child feel safe and secure.
Responsive care is a complex concept that encompasses emotional, social, and intellectual
development. Emotionally, it may mean comforting a child who is hurt. Socially, it may
mean teaching toddlers who bang each other on the head because they both want the same
toy that there are other ways to negotiate over a toy. And intellectually. it may mean
responding to the baby who points to a ball, by using words: "Do you want the ball?"
because we have learned from the brain development research that children learn about
language long before they are capable of talking. And when the preschooler gets excited
about trucks, the child care provider pulls out a book about trucks to read with the child or
writes down what the child says about trucks. In a very real sense, responsive care is early
education. It is during the preschool years that the foundations of school readiness and
school success are laid.
What does good quality child care look like?
How can families know? Parents can watch the ways teachers behave with children. Are
they warm and caring? Do they seem to know what is going on with the child? A parent
can ask a child care provider to describe another child she has cared for. If the provider
uses pejorative and negative words about that child, chances are the provider will have
negative feelings about the parents' child as well.
Parents can tell if the provider is responsive. If they look at a child care classroom, the
children should all be busy-exploring, using materials, talking in pleasant voices with
each other. If they all run over to the visitor, they are probably bored and the setting is not
stimulating enough.
Which child care providers or programs are most likely to provide good quality of
care?
Studies have found that it is not the name on the door (preschool/ child care/family child
care) that is most important. The range of quality is very similar in all these arrangements.
Our studies and others have, however, uncovered the characteristics associated with
higher-quality education and care. They found that children in center-based arrangements
fare better emotionally. socially, and cognitively when they are in arrangements that have:
a sufficient number of adults for each child and smaller group sizes so children
receive individual attention;
3
PAGE 05
10/19/1997 23:41
9143595143
GALINSKY
child care providers who continue to learn about children and their development;
low staff turnover-which is affected by how much staff are paid-so that children
can form stable relationships.
In care that takes places in the home of the provider-what we call family child care and
relative care, children fare better when their providers, among other characteristics:
are committed to taking care of children and are doing so from a sense that this
work is important and it is what they want to be doing;
seek out opportunities to learn about children's development and child care;
think ahead about what the children are going to do and plan experiences for them;
and
seek out the company of others who are providing care and are more involved with
other providers.
We call this "intentional" care because these providers are intentional about their work.
What have studies found about the quality of care and early education in this
country?
Three multi-site observational studies of both center care (in school-based programs, Head
Start programs, and child care centers) and family child care conducted between 1988 and
1994 reveal an uneven picture of quality.
As has been said, these studies indicate that 12 to 14 percent of the children are in
arrangements that promote their growth and learning while 12 to 21 percent are in
arrangements that are unsafe and harmful to their development. For infants and toddlers,
the proportion in unsafe settings is even higher: 35 to 40 percent.
What does unsafe child care look like? What does mediocre care look like?
In our research, we have seen many children in unsafe settings. We have seen providers
not paying any attention to children. We have seen dangerous objects within children's
reach. We have seen children spend their days in cribs and playpens.
We have also seen children in mediocre care. We have seen children running around, from
the front of the couch to the back of the couch in home based settings, wandering aimlessly
in classrooms, with little to do or to learn.
Can quality be improved?
Not only can quality be reliably measured, it can be improved.
A study of community-based family child care training in three sites conducted by the
Families and Work Institute and its colleagues revealed that the children were more likely to
4
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GALINSKY
behave as if they felt more safe and secure with their providers following training, and the
quality of the caregiving environments had also improved. This initiative was funded by
business.
In another study conducted by the Families and Work Institute and its colleagues where the
state had legislated improved ratios and higher educational requirements for staff, the
changes in children's development were impressive: they behaved as if they felt more safe
and secure with their teachers, exhibited better cognitive and social development, were
more proficient with language, and even had fewer behavior problems.
New insight into the brain development of young children reveals that we know what it
takes to promote the healthy development of young children in child care and early
education settings. The question is: Will we act on this knowledge? That, of course, is
the purpose of this historic conference.
5
OCT 20 '97 14:44 FR ARTHUR ANDERSEN LLP 303 291 9211 TO 9912024566244
P.01/04
ARTHUR
ANDERSEN
ARTHUR ANDERSEN & Ca SC
Facsimile
Denver
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it to the person addressed, you may not copy or deliver this to
Denver, Colorado 80202-3341
anyone else. If you receive this facsimile by mistake, please
303 295 1900 Telephone
notify us immediately by telephone. Thank you.
303 291 9211 Facsimile
To (name) NOAN MEYER
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Office number (303)291-9244
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OCT 20 '97 14:44 FR ARTHUR ANDERSEN LLP 303 291 9211 TO 9912024566244
P.02/04
I.
Intro - Ordinary Guy
White middle-class, middle-aged bank president, raised by a career
military officer and a stay-at-home mom whose children have never
seen the inside of a child care center.
1.
My involvement
A.
Governor Romer asked me to chair Colorado's Business
Commission on Child Care Financing
1)
Designed to re-engineer child care and its
financing mechanisms.
B.
Macedonia Baptist Church - Patriotism challenged
1)
Quote Reverend Alan Boesak formerly of ANC in
South Africa.
a.
Greatness of a nation is no longer
measured by the size and strength of its
arsenal.
b.
Greatness of a nation is measured by the
future it provides its children.
c.
Now that I live in America and see how you
treat your children, I fear that you have
strayed from the path that led to your
greatness.
d.
Fortunately the grace of God does not fall
like rain from the sky; instead, it
manifests itself in the actions of
ordinary people.
II.
So just what did Reverend Boesak mean?
A.
If you are over 40, please raise your hand.
1)
10 - maybe 15% sat down.
2)
Asked in San Diego of group of high school kids.
8 out of 10 sat down.
3)
It wasn't until then that it became apparent
that the neighborhood in the rearview mirror I
left behind in the morning as I went to work had
changed. I had been seeing the neighborhood I
was born into in 1956, not the neighborhood my
children were being raised in, in 1997.
4)
As a white, middle-aged, middle-class man, I was
making decisions that affected my employees'
children and my own children, predicated on my
own experiences as a child and not based upon
the reality of today.
OCT 20 '97 14:44 FR ARTHUR ANDERSEN LLP 303 291 9211 TO 9912024566244 P.03/04
III. How has that world changed and what is the impact?
A.
14% of women with children under 6 were in the work
force in 1950.
B.
Today, that number is 60%.
C.
31% of children are born out-of-wedlock.
D.
40% of all kids wake up each morning in a home without
a father.
IV.
What are we doing each morning with our children?
A.
We turn them over to an industry where
1)
The average wage is $6.00 per hour yet average
profit is < 2%.
2)
Their primary caregiver is likely to change more
than twice per year.
3)
60% of care is developmentally neutral.
20% negative or unsafe.
4)
With 60% of all young children in child care and
80% receiving developmentally neutral or
negative care, nearly 50% of all our children
arrive at kindergarten with a meager
developmental background and questionable
preparation to learn.
B.
So here you have it, we have seen the most profound
demographic change in the history of our union and not
a single institution - not schools, not government,
not employment, not even the family - have been re-
engineered to accommodate the effects of maternal work
force participation. Our collective response has been
to remand our children to care each day that is
qualitatively suspect and financially nonsensical.
V.
In Colorado, we have grown to understand that absent,
systemic change, the concept of affordable, quality care, is
an oxymoron. As a result, this past Columbus Day we began
our own journey of discovery known as the Educare Colorado
Initiative. Funded by Colorado's business and foundation
communities and overseen by business, civic and government
leaders, this initiative is designed to emerge with a
comprehensive, integrated, strategic, business plan to
facilitate the formation of a functioning statewide child
care system, not just for children on welfare but for
children in all care.
This effort is begun with & one sentence vision and four guiding
principles:
The Educare vision, building on past experience proposes to
create a fully funded: child-centered: parentally involved:
permanently sustainable; high quality: universal early care
system, that is appropriately monitored and evaluated.
OCT 20 '97 14:45 FR ARTHUR ANDERSEN LLP 303 291 9211 TO 9912024566244
P.04/04
These are the four guiding principles we propose for your
consideration. We think that the combined impact of these
principles establishes Educare's agenda and advances the vision
described earlier.
Principle #1: The system designed must be more than a
traditional plan. It must include commitments that will
assure its full implementation. While we must implement
something of this scale in stages, our focus will be to
create a full-scale effort over a defined period of time.
Principle #2: Educare is taking advantage of this moment in
time that is characterized by an unprecedented confluence of
events and conditions, namely:
Welfare Reform;
A Healthy Economy:
Devolution of Government; and,
Increasing public awareness of the importance of
quality care in the earliest years.
Principle #3: Our goal is to develop a multimodal/delivery
system governed by market forces. Educare's purpose is not
to compete with or undercut existing early care initiatives.
We propose, rather to explore how to combine existing and
newly developed initiatives and funding sources in a manner
that preserves what is currently working, and builds on that
to a point that meets the elements of the vision: full
funding; child-centered; parental involvement; sustainable;
high quality; universal; systemic; monitored and evaluated.
Principle #4: With regard to the existing initiatives and
programs. Educare should provide a way for them to connect
with each other to create more of a system. From that point
forward, all additions, increments, and enhancements will be
made within that system. That system will begin with
investments that create the social, physical and financial
infrastructure that has long been missing. The
infrastructure should include elements of quality service,
from training workers to adequately compensating them. That
infrastructure should include the education of parents to
correct problems they have in knowing how to identify
quality early care; a key finding in the "Cost, Quality"
study. Educare should then assure parents and providers
that parents will have the opportunity to choose care for
their children, and, when the parents select quality, that
decision will be supported by financial incentives that
incrementally reward those who choose to use this system for
the primary purpose of Educare, (to quote Ed Zigler) "the
delivery to school of a capable child ready to learn."
(Call to action, yet to be written)
** TOTAL PAGE. 04 **
Major General Meyer -remarks
Proposed Outline for White House Child Care Panel Discussion
On behalf of Secretary of Defense Cohen and the entire Department it is my
pleasure to participate on this panel and discuss the Military Child
Development Program.
-iniro self / history
DoD has the largest corporate sponsored child care program in the country.
Over 1.4 million active duty members
Over 1.29 million children under the age of 18 years.
More than 345,000 children are under age 3.
Each year over 109,000 children are born to our active duty.
They are at the lower end of the pay scale.
Military parents are geographically separated from their extended
families
Availability and affordability of child care is a real quality of life issue for
them. Child care is critical to the DoD "bottom line.
we consider child care a workforce issue
impacts effectiveness of the force
'T
171081
01:71
110 10 INDS
affects ability to attract and retain a high caliber workforce
Program is very large and growing
We serve over 200,000 children daily
at over 800 centers and school age care facilities.
9,700 family child care homes.
nearly 40% of our care is for infants and toddlers.
Our child development program wasn't always good.
A 1982 GAO Report pointed out:
facilities did not meet fire, health and safety codes,
there were no program standards
no oversight of family child care homes.
In the mid 1980's, like the rest of the country, wc experienced a series of
highly publicized child abuse allegations.
We had to re-look how we were doing business.
We issued construction standards,
a 17. act 707
-101704 171WFJ
: 61:71
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a DoD Child Development program policy,
initiated background clearances on all personnel and
began an aggressive clean-up through inspections and oversight.
We are pleased to share our lessons learned in building a our child care
system. Five key factors changed our program from one once referred to as
the "ghetto of American child care" to a model for the nation.
1. A systematic approach
Each component of the system is an equal partner.
family child care,
child development centers,
school-age care.
Each has equivalent requirements for
inspections,
training,
background clearances.
There is a single point of entry for child care.
0 /0 #: FF70 OCF 707
-101702 171WEJ
: 07:71
: 16-07-01:
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2. A commitment to funding.
Child care is expensive - Quality costs more than most young
families can afford to pay.
We have a cost sharing system between us and the parents.
In our centers and school-age care programs, parents pay fees on a
sliding scale based on total family income.
In our family child care program we use appropriated funds to
provide training, equipment, and in some cases direct cash
subsidies to our providers.
I should point out that one distinction of our funding is that the
government share goes directly to the program as opposed to the
parents. This share is used to improve wages and training as well
as reduce the fees paid by parents.
3. Strict oversight.
quarterly unannounced inspections
a system of checks and balances requiring higher headquarters
involvement
world-wide accessible child abuse and safety hotline
0 /+ #: FEZO 001 707
FAMILY POLICY-
: 07:71
: 26-02-01:
SENT BY :OFP
A "fix, waive, or close" policy
Note that our standards fall in the middle of state standards.
What is different is our enforcement of the standards.
4. Wages tied to training
Caregivers enter $6.53/hour plus benefits and progress to
$8.98/hour.
Stringent requirements for training for all caregiving personnel.
Completion of training leads to promotions.
Failure to finish training leads to dismissal.
Our turnover rate, once as high as 300% is now less than 40%.
5. Commitment to national accreditation standards.
Today over 75% of all eligible military child development centers
are accredited by the National Association for the Education of
Young Children.
This compares to 5-8% nationally.
We think that speaks for itself.
-101701 THANK
07:71
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Department
Distribution
of the Treas
to:
date: 10/20/97
Executive Secretary
room:
Attached for your comments/clearance is a copy of the Secretary's
White House Child Care Conference speech. Please review and
return all comments to Linda Johnson by 5:30pm today. Thanks.
Distribution
Froman/Solomon
- Bus example
Knight
Schloss
- Florida
Gruber
Boorstin/Kaplan
partnership
Barr
worky group
Neal C. Comstock
room 3408
phone 622-0064
draft 10/20 1:00 pm; 5 minutes
Remarks Prepared For Delivery
White House Child Care Conference
Secretary Robert Rubin
October 23, 1997
It is a pleasure to speak with you at this historic conference about the
importance of child care to the health of our economy.
Over the last five years we have witnessed significant progress in our
economy. Five years ago, a high budget deficit kept interest rates high and stifled
growth. We had 7.3 percent unemployment and were viewed by many as
yesterday's economy. Today, we have nearly eliminated the budget deficit, and
that helped keep interest rates low, and sustained the economic recovery.
Unemployment is now at 4.9 percent, the economy has generated over 13 million
new jobs over the last four and a half years, inflation has remained low, and real
wages are rising across the income spectrum. We are clearly once again the
strongest major economy in the world.
The source of this success has been a sound economic strategy grounded
in fiscal responsibility, opening markets and investing in people. But we should
not let this progress mask the challenges we still face in producing a prosperous
and competitive economy over the long run. A key question we face is how to
create an environment that promotes increased productivity, which, in turn, is
critical to raising standards of living. Creating that environment includes several
1
elements -- investing in people by improving education and training, investing in
infrastructure, and increasing access to technology, for example. But there is no
doubt that one key to increased productivity is to have a flexible and mobile
workforce where all can participate to the full extent of their abilities. And that is
where child care is central.
biz/law schools
% word at
Before joining the Clinton Administration, I worked for a major investment Golden
bank on Wall Street for twenty six years. I remember when I first started there
Suchs
were virtually no women at my firm, or on Wall Street in general. Over time we
started to get extremely talented women joining the firm, and we faced the
En
challenge of keeping very good people as they started their own families. Today
there are 20 million families with employed mothers using child care, including 8
a small segment of
million families with children under the age of five. My experience in the private
sector taught me that it is very much in the interest of business to create a work
environment that supports the needs of each individual through flex time,
telecommuting, and, of course, by providing access to child care. It benefits the
dan from largest
Add
individual obviously, and it benefits the company by allowing them to retain possible
best er ably
differst GS is
talented and knowledgeable people, avoiding the costs of retraining. In turn, the
erables
economy at large benefits because it encourages workers to go where their
Fucture the
talents dictate.
is
vast majority worky noth,
Of course, the challenge of finding affordable child care is particularly
2
difficult for lower income people, especially those trying to move from welfare to
work. For families with preschoolers and annual incomes of less than $14,000,
annual child care costs total, on average, 25 percent of their income. As for the
difficulties facing those who are leaving welfare, consider the example of a
working mother of two in Pennsylvania. After leaving welfare, losing government
benefits and incurring child care costs, her disposable income increases by only
22 cents for every extra dollar she earns <ck: gus/econ policy -- is that assuming
she makes minimum wage?> A low income mother should not have to choose
between caring for her child and going to work.
Whether we speak of low or middle income mothers, there can be no doubt
that providing effective child care is an issue of critical importance to our society
and our economy. Clearly, government at all levels -- federal, state, and local --
have roles to play, in partnership with businesses.
Straight business example,
Already, such partnerships are evolving. In Rochester, New York, a public-
private partnership, the Rochester/Monroe County Early Childhood Development
made
Initiative, established in 1990, has developed a set of priorities for improving
consise
child care. During its first five years, ECD's efforts led to the creation of 2,000
new child care slots, and 86 percent of 3 and 4-year-olds are now in child care, up
from 55 percent of 4-year-olds and 20 percent of 3-year-olds in 1989. Working
together, Monroe County and United Way created more than 600 new subsidized
3
slots for low-income families in 1995. Businesspeople, in turn, established a
private sector fundraising initiative, Rochester's Child, to provide funds to
quality, accredited child care centers, and work with United Way to help family
child care providers become accredited. The number of accredited centers has
increased from 3 in 1989 to more than 40 in 1996.
By identifying and publicizing programs such as these, we can create that
kind of success elsewhere. Doing so is critical not only to the lives of the
econy
mothers and children involved, but to business, and the well-being of our society
as we enter a new century. Thank you very much.
4
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Oct. 20, 1997
FAX 202-456-9412
To : Jennifer Klein
Fr: Michey Seligson 617.497.9331
Jennifer -
Here's the latest version of my talk -I've -
tried to cover ace the bases. LeL
me hear from you today. I'll be at have
all day.
Thanks
Julicky
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DRAFT 10-19-97
White House Child Care Conference panel presentation
Opening
President and Mrs. Clinton, I want to thank both of you for the honor of
asking me to participate in this conference. I have been working for more
than twenty years on school-age child care with many others, trying to help
parents and children and communities, and so it is tremendously exciting to
know that you are not only interested in this vital issue, but that you want to
help.
I first got involved in school-age child care when I needed after school care
for my own children, Sally and Jon. I was lucky to connect with other
parents and we started a parent coop center with a small after school
program. In that same community of Brookline, Mass I then helped other
groups of parents start extended day programs in all the elementary schools,
in partnership with the Brookline school committee which provided rent free
space so that low-income parents could afford the care. Two tiny articles in
the Ladies Home Journal and McCalls magazine brought me 2,000 letters
from parents and schools and public and private agencies. I still remember
one letter from a mother who drew a map showing me how many big streets
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her daughter had to cross, the location of a scary field, the number of blocks
between school and home.
Is this a problem? What are the dimensions? Where do children go after
school?
Many adults over the age of thirty remember out-of-school time as time to
play with friends, explore the neighborhood, play records, ride bikes, and
above all, eat! Someone's mother or relative was home but mostly invisible.
People remember feeling safe. Things are different now. Kids don't speak
about feeling safe in their neighborhoods, or even at home. 25 million
children in America have working parents, many of whom work full-time
once their kids reach school. Children spend less than 20 percent of their
waking hours in school. Risks to health and even life are now common
among young children. Newly reported data from eight states on peak hours
for violent juvenile crime show nearly half of crimes taking place between 2
PM and 11PM. (National Center on Juvenile Justice and the Office for
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention).
Unsupervised children are at significantly higher risk of truancy from school,
stress, receiving poor grades, risk-taking behavior and substance abuse
(Dwyer et al, (1990); Marshall et al (1997) )
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Children spend more of their out-of-school time watching television than any
other single activity, and we know the impact of that on kids-kids read less,
play less, and are more aggressive. On average, American children spend 40
hours a week watching television and playing video games, more hours than
they spend in school, and children in low-income households are estimated to
spend 50 percent more time watching television than their privileged peers.
Our best estimates tell us at least at least 5 million children between 5 and 14
spend too much time on their own during a typical week.
The 1990 National Child Care Study breaks down percentages of after school
arrangements-and concludes that while there are a lot of kids who go home
to relatives, to child care centers, to family day care homes, it's pretty clear
when kids pour out of school buildings at 2 or 3 p.m. they don't all head for
the local Y.A lot of kids go to malls, to fast food restaurants, to each others
houses where there may or may not be an adult present to supervise.
Parents tell their younger children to go straight home from school, to lock
the door, and how to answer the phone so no-one knows they are alone-all
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good ideas to keep kids safe. But many kids are glued to the t.v. during this
time, and often experience loneliness in this kind of social isolation.
What does research have to say about what makes for healthy kids who feel
good about themselves and others, and who are competent in school? The
key studies point to two factors: caring relationships and constructive
activities.
One evaluation of afterschool programs (Vandell) finds that the single most
important factor is the quality of children's interactions with the program
staff. Kids do better in school, are more self assured-if they attend carefully
structured programs where the primary work of the adults is caring about
and for the kids. The Cooperative Extension Service (Riley,et al, 1994)
studied the effects of 64 such programs in 15 states, and found that
principals and teachers reported their students as doing better academically,
behaving more cooperatively, handling conflicts better, showing increased
interest in reading, and becoming less involved in vandalism.
Jerome Bruner has written compellingly that what helps kids learn is the
nature of their relationships, our capacity to listen and to hear their stories.
We develop a sense of self not in a vacuum but in relation to others--the
chance to try to learn something you don't know how to do-physical or
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artistic or intellectual-in a safe place where you don't pass or fail. Good
after school programs make that possible. As do adult staff who understand
the age group, who are comfortable in a relaxed setting that is different from
school, who use their unique talents and personalities and their capacity to
engage the children.
This is not just about some working families needing after school child care.
This is an issue that cuts across all income groups, including families
preparing to enter the out-of-home work force. Every family that on this very
day is managing the work and family and school and child care whirlwind
knows what I mean.
Yet some Americans are more in need of help with school-age child care
than others. Some don't have the resources to pay for lessons, after school
sports, academic programs, summer camps. Some kids do not get the same
exposure to ideas, skills, positive relationships with adults and their peers.
The National Before and After School Program Study clearly shows this
discrepancy-83 percent of approximately 50,000 school-age child care
programs depend on parent fees for their survival. Many families simply
can't pay.
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What is being done? How are communities dealing with this issue?
Today there are a few more resources in a few communities for parents to
get help finding care. There is a national network of child care resource and
referral agencies. There has been generous funding from the American
Business Collaboration that has helped to develop more programs and
improve quality. Some states have enacted enabling legislation so schools
can partner with community agencies, others have financed training and new
programs. After-school programs exist in schools, in churches, in parks and
recreation centers, in youth-serving agencies, child care centers and in family
day care homes.
Building collaborations is an effective way to stimulate development of the
supply of services, make inroads in improving quality, and leverage both
dollars and facilities. This kind of partnering is working well in Boston,
Chicago, and Seattle, through a privately funded initiative of the Dewitt
Wallace Readers Digest Fund, called MOST (Making the Most of Out-of-
School Time). In Chicago a new partnership with the city's Park District is
creating new school-age child care spaces for several thousand children; in
Boston, Parents United for Child Care has leveraged hundreds of thousands
of dollars from the private and public sector to support low-income families'
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school-age child care; in Seattle anyone can go to a public library or eighty-
eight other community access points to log on free to the data base through
and get information about 300 out-of-school time programs like art centers,
sports and recreation, tutorial services.
But there are problems.
We've got much further to go. There is not enough affordable school-age.
Programs could serve more children right now with funding targeted for a
spectrum of low income families.
While there is widespread agreement on standards of quality established by
the field, and a new accreditation system of the national professional
organization, NSACA, quality is uneven at best. We have the right to
expect certain quality standards such as ratios and------
It is more and more difficult to recruit qualified school-age child care staff.
Salaries are low and turnover is high, and people move on quickly to better
paying work.
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Programs depend almost exclusively on parent fees and often pass along to
parents the cost of having to lease school facilities and pay for custodial
services. There is a huge transportation problem-who should pay to bus
children from school to after school program? Parents or the school district?
Some school boards have welcomed partnerships with community-based
organizations, or are running their own programs; others resist them.
Rural areas have special issues such as the distance program participants
must travel. And many children with special needs do not have access to the
existing system because of inadequate staff training.
Conclusion
Finally, this is about kids, it's about families, it's about communities. The
singular mission and the most important goal is not only to keep kids safe,
but to create wonderful opportunities that let them be kids; opportunities
that free them from taking premature responsibility for themselves or their
siblings. Wherever programs are housed, no matter the sponsorship, we
should expect them all to be places kids like to come to-they do vote with
their feet! Programs should respect the power of play as children's work.
Good programs understand that the social-emotional needs of children are
inextricably linked with school ability and accomplishment. And good
programs can serve as the bridge between parents and schools, giving
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parents not only the reassurance their kids are safe while they are at work or
preparing for work, but also the knowledge that a trained, caring adult is
there to help. Thank you.
ID:
OCT 21'97
15:29 No . 020 P.02
Congress of the United States
Hasbington, DC 20515
October 21, 1997
The Honorable William Clinton
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We compliment you on convening the White House Conference on Child Care,
which should supplement the cnormous steps already taken to improve the nation's child
care system in last year's welfare reform law.
To help parents make good child care choices and cnable millions to enter the
labor force, last year's welfare reform law completely overhauled federal child care
programs. That law is based on several principles. First, the two major federal roles are
to help parents pay for child care and to promote parental choice in obtaining child care.
Second, the responsibility for setting specific child care standards resides at the state and
local level. Third, parents are best suited to ensure that their children receive good care.
No government agency can replace vigilant parents in making sure that day care promotes
their children's development and safety. Government can, however, provide parents with
support in meeting their responsibilities to their children.
Based on these principles, last year's welfare reform law:
Provided up to $30 billion through 2002 in state and federal child care funds,
including up to $4 billion in new federal funds;
Eliminated whole volumes of statutory and regulatory requirements that
interfered with getting funds directly to parents;
Required that parents have the authority to select the care that best meets their
children's needs;
Required states to have health and safety standards for day care facilities; and
Prohibited federal funds from being spent in facilities that do not meet state
standards.
Given this comprehensive approach that is just now being put into effect
nationwide, it will take time before we can correctly assess whether further legislative
changes are needed. However, with increased state flexibility and record child care
funding augmented by more federal and state resources, we are confident that states have
the legislative tools and financial means to help low-income parents find suitable child
care for their children. With more dollars in the system, we are seeing a record number of
children being served and have already increased the availability of good child care for
working families.
PHINTED ON REDYCL FD PAID
ID:
OCT 21'97
15:29 No 020 P.03
The Honorable William Clinton
October 21, 1997
Page 2
National interest in welfare reform and child care is now at an all-time high. The
new Government Performance and Results Act will keep Congress and the Department of
Health and Human Services focused on whether the government is helping provide more
and better child care. So we have several reasons to believe that the legislative
framework is in place to help working families get the child care they need to work, and
also to ensure that broad national child care goals are being met.
We appreciate having the opportunity to participate in the White House
Conference on Child Care. We are always willing to discuss with experts the best ways
to provide more and better care for children. As the many child care changes in the new
welfare law are being implemented, however, we should avoid further changes that would
make federal law a constantly moving target that is impossible for states to implement
and that complicates parents' ability to find proper care for their children.
Sincerely,
ClayShaw E. Clay Shaw, Jr.
Frank Legy
Chairman
Subcommittee on Human Resources
Subcommittee on Early
Childhood, Youth, and Families
1
CHILD CARE VIDEO
10/23/97
Kathy Carliner
Having a child, and in our case two children, and trying to maintain our careers is literally
like a house of cards.
Adrian Farid
If I feel like the kids are not in a good environment I cannot work.
Rob Caravello
There's always something running through the back of my mind. What's he doing now,
what are they teaching him now?
Paula Dow
Without quality child care, I'd have no idea how I would make it.
Dr. Harry Chugani
During the first few years of life, the brain grows very rapidly and the connections that
are going to be in place permanently will really depend upon the quality of the
environmental exposure.
Rob Reiner
And that's where the child care giver comes in. So we have to make sure that these
caregivers are qualified and understand what they're doing.
Paula Dow
He's learned the abc's, the name's of the streets in the local towns.
2
Kathy Carliner
We learned so much from the caregivers, especially in the first year of life when the baby
started at the center because we didn't know what we were doing.
Esther Barnes
I believe that the caregiver is the ultimate teacher.
Dr. T. Berry Brazelton
And what we're learning now is that if you get a caregiver that cares about your baby, the
baby can make 2 or 3 important relationships.
Girl #1
Even though I had her for a short period of time it was still, you know, she was still
special to me.
Lisa Lombardo
I never want a parent to feel that they're leaving their child with strangers.
Casey
Martina was almost like a mother to me.
Anna Jo Haynes
It's like losing your mother every time a caregiver goes. It's like saying mommy is gone.
Girl #2
I felt sad because I didn't get to say good-bye to her.
Mary Grace Walker
When the people in their world don't come and go with the speed of summer lightning,
then they're able to do the work of young children, which is exploring the world.
3
Carol Martinak
He used to start crying and say, ToT don't take me there, and I didn't even know.
Boy
I told my parents like a few little things she did that I didn't like, but I never told them
things that I really didn't like.
Carol Martinak
He's happy now, he didn't want to come home on Friday. (Laughter)
Kathy Carliner
I wrote a letter to the director of our center and thanked her for one thing and that was
showing my son who was only one year old at the time that there was a whole array of
grownups who loved him.
Rami Farid
We spend almost as much on child care as we do on our mortgage.
Karen Rice
55% of my net pay.
Carol Martinak
How do I pay for child care? I charge it. I put it on my credit card, and I pay it off as I
can.
Maurice Barnes
We are definitely mortgaging our future because we don't have enough affordable child
care.
Kathy Carliner
I so strongly feel that corporate America has to open up its eyes and see what working
parents are going through.
4
Michael Cook - Deloitte & Touche
Business cares about child care because it is the #1 issue in the minds of our people.
Ted Childs - IBM
Let me answer you by telling you what I see by when they're not taking care of. I see
parents who are weary, parents who aren't productive at work, parents who have trouble
coming to work and frequently who have to leave work.
Ian Rolland - Lincoln Life
So we think that this is absolutely good business, it's not a do gooder kind of thing, it's a
hard nose business decision.
James Goodnight - SAS Institute
The investment in these types of programs helps you to retain quality employees. If you
don't retain them, somebody else is going to get them.
Paul Allaire - Xerox
Obviously, longer term, we're looking for these children to be employees as well.
Robert Wehling - Procter & Gamble
Every business has to be concerned about the quality of life in its community, and I
haven't seen a vital community that doesn't have a quality day care system.
Dennis Riviera - Local 1199
Child care is important to bringing communities together.
Hon. Tom Carper - Governor of Delaware
We can say we'll look after you, make sure you get a job and maybe some health care,
but if we forget about the kids, especially the young kids
5
Sanford Weill - Traveler's Group
...we're going to lose the minds of these kids before they even go to kindergarten.
Hon. Howard Dean, M.D. - Governor of Vermont
So if you want a strong community, and a strong school system, you don't start by
building up your school system, you start by building up your child care system.
Chief Esserman - NYPD
The most powerful weapons in our anti-crime arsenal are the programs that help kids.
Ted Childs
I don't know what percentage of children are of our present, but I do know that they're
100% of our future.
Hon. George Voinovitch - Governor of Ohio
And our job, our nation's job, is to galvanize all the resources that we have in this country
and bring them to bear on this problem, this challenge.
Walter V. Shipley - Chase Manhattan Bank
There needs to be a concern on the part of the communities, there needs to be a concern
on the part of companies, there needs to be a concern on the part of private citizens.
Rob Caravello
We're being asked to do something that my father's generation didn't do, that his father's
generation didn't do.
Hon. Lincoln Almond - Governor of Rhode Island
It's just not a question of day of daycare in the sense of baby-sitting, you also want
quality daycare.
6
Carol Martinak
You can't go to budget store for that you know. You need to get quality input for quality
output.
Michael Levine - Carnegie Corporation of New York
We're not talking about providing a Cadillac model for any family in America. What
we're talking about is just common sense.
Berry Brazelton
It'll take a lot of money because taking care of small children isn't cheap. And it
shouldn't be.
Bea Romer - First Lady of Colorado
It just seems so very obvious to me that we should all be concerned about children.
Kathy Carliner
It's been really a gift that we've given our children, and it has been the single factor why
I've been able to continue in my career.
Girl #1
We're people, , we're just miniature people, we're mini people. But I mean it's not like
off on your own when we're born. Somebody has to take care of us.
FROM: COMMUNICATION CONSORTIUM TO:
202 456 6244
OCT 20, 1997 7:25PM #257 P.01
CCMC
Communications Consortium
MEDIA GENTER
TO: Ann Lewis, Jennifer Klein, Nicole Rabner, Steven Cohen
The White House
FROM: Kathy Bonk, CCMC
RE: Advocates Audio Press Conference on Child Care
October 20, 1997
Tomorrow's audio press conference is in great shape. We anticipate having at
least 75 reporters on line. Attached is a list of those who have registered and the
forms are still coming in.
Also attached is our media talking points memo that people will (hopefully) follow.
We have had several conversations today with the Washington Post about an
op-ed from Lynn Kagan at Yale to balance the piece that ran in Outlook
yesterday. Her piece went in late this afternoon. We have an op-ed strategy
ready to roll over the next few days once more editorials begin running.
You all are doing a terrific job. Let me know what else might be helpful. Feel
free to call me anytime at 202/326-6767 or at home at 202/234-6629.
Post-It® Fax Note
7671
Date 10/20
# of
To Nicole Rabner
pages
004
Co./Dept.
From KATHY Bank
Co. care
Phone #
Phone #
Fax # 456-6244
Fax #
1200 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20005-1754
Phone: 202/326-8700 Fax: 202/682-2154
FROM: COMMUNICATION CONSORTIUM TO:
202 456 6244
OCT 20, 1997 7:26PM #257 P.02
CHILD CARE 10/21 AUDIO PRESS BRIEFING
PRESS WHO HAVE REGISTERED AS OF 10/20/97 AT 6:00 P.M.
MEDIA OUTLET
JOURNALIST(S)
ABC News Radio
Rusty Lutz
Associated Press
Laurie Meckler
Business Week
Keith Hammonds
CD Publications (Silver Spring, MD)
Steve Albright
Chicago Defender
Michael Brown
Chicago Sun-Times
Susy Schultz
Chicago Tribune
Bonnie Rubin, Christi Parsons
Child Magazine
Heather O'Connor
Christian Science Monitor
Marilyn Gardner, Linda Feldman
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Tom Brazaitis
CNBC Television
Sharon Epperson
Connecticut Public Radio
Bill Storandt
Contemporary Pediatrics (Montvale, NJ)
Judith Asch-Goodkin
Cox Newspapers
Julia Malone
Detroit News
Larry Bivins
Early Childhood News (St. John, IN)
Sandra Duncan
Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale)
Jill Young Miller (Washington Bureau)
Florida Today (Melbourne, FL)
Audie Murphy
Fox News
Meg Kaplan
Good Morning America
Robert Wheelock
Hearst Newspapers
Dan Freedman
Indianapolis Star & News
Kathleen Schukel
lowa State Daily
Dana Dempsey
Knight Ridder
Deborah Lynn Hook
Leadership News (Laurel, MD)
Natalie Holmes
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
H.J. Cummins
New Haven Register
Lolita Baldor
New York Daily News
Brian Kates - - Editorial
New York Times
Robert Pear, Phil Hilts, Tamar Lewin
Newhouse News Service
Beth Frerking
Newsday
Glenn Kessler, Marie Cocco
Newsweek
Pat Wingert
Parents Magazine
Diane Debrovner, Karin Rubenstein
Philadelphia Daily News
Barbara Laker
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Sally Kalson
Portland (ME) Newspapers
Andrew Garber
Portland (OR) Family Magazine
Jennifer McCammon
Potomac TV (Washington, DC)
Cecily Fernandez
Reason Magazine (Washington, DC)
Michael Lynch
San Francisco Peninsula Parent
Lisa Rosenthal
Santa Barbara News
Ben Hellwarth
Scholastic, Inc
Susan Strecker
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Richard Dudman
The Arizona Republic
Linda Valdez
The Daily Mining Gazette (Michigan)
Vanessa Dietz
FROM: COMMUNICATION CONSORTIUM
TO:
202 456 6244
OCT 20, 1997 7:26PM #257 P.03
2
The Daily News (McKeesport, PA)
Carol Waterloo Frazier
The Journal Star (Peroria, IL)
Barbara Drake, Dayna Brown
The Los Angeles Times
Melissa Healy, Elizabeth Shogren
The Macon Telegraph (Macon, GA)
Stephanie Johnson
The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC)
Ruth Sheehan
The Somtoginn Newspaper (Sarasota
John Evans
Springs, NY)
The Washington Post
Barbara Vobejda, Jacqueline Salmon,
Peter Baker
The Washington Times
Cheryl Wetzstein
Thomson Newspapers
Bob Vitali
Time Magazine
Vickie Rainert
United Press International (UPI)
Lori Santos
US News and World Report
Elise Ackerman
USA Today
Mimi Hall, Richard Wolf
Wall Street Journal
Rochelle Sharp
Waterloo Courier (Waterloo, IA)
Eric Stern
Working Mother Magazine
Catherine Cartwright
WUFT-FM (Gainsville, FL)
Tanya Ott
Youth Today (Washington, DC)
Jennifer Durrence
FROM: COMMUNICATION CONSORTIUM
TO:
202 456 6244
OCT 20, 1997 7:27PM #257 P.04
child care and
early education
MEDIA ADVISORY
For Immediate Release
Use Through: October 21, 1997
Contacts:
KATHY BONK OR KAREN COWLES, 202/326-8709
ELLEN LUBELL, Child Care Action Campaign, 212/239-0138
LEAD ADVOCATES TO HOLD AUDIO PRESS BRIEFING AS WHITE
HOUSE CONFERENCE ON CHILD CARE APPROACHES
Washington, D.C. - President and Mrs. Clinton will host a White House Conference on
Child Care on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23 aiming to launch a national discussion on ways
to improve child care and early education. Leading children's advocates will hold an audio
news briefing at 11:30 AM (EDT) on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21 to urge the White House
and policymakers nationwide that now -- in the midst of a booming economy -- is the time
to act by investing in good, quality and affordable child care to support working families in
America.
Speakers at the news briefing will include: Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children's
Defense Fund; Karen Nussbaum, Director, Working Women's Department, AFL-CIO;
Marcy Whitebook, Co-Executive Director, National Center for the Early Childhood Work
Force; and George P. Graves, Police Chief, Downer's Grove, Illinois and Illinois Advisory
Committee member of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. Richard B. Stolley, President, Child
Care Action Campaign, and Senior Editorial Adviser, Time Inc. will be both a presenter and
serve as facilitator.
This briefing provides an opportunity for journalists across the country to hear leading
children's advocates and secure background information before the White House
conference. Journalists will be able to ask questions with follow-ups after being
recognized by the conference operator. Other child care advocates and experts also will
be available on the call to answer questions as needed. To reserve space and participate
in this audio news briefing, please fax back the attached form to Karen Cowles by Monday,
October 20. You will receive instructions, an 800 and identification number, and
background materials for the briefing after your fax is received.
In addition, key organizations can be contacted for story ideas and the names of local child
care advocates.
Child Care Action Campaign
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Communications Consortium Media Conter
330 Seventh Avenue
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Suite 300
New York, NY 10001-5010
Washington. D.C. 20005-1754
(212) 239-0138 Fax (212) 268-6515
(202) 326-8700 Fax (202) 682-2154
mation
FROM: COMMUNICATION CONSORTIUM TO:
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OCT 20, 1997 7:27PM #257 P.05
New Brain Research Highlights Need for Quality Care - Recent research on brain
development shows that children's relationships and experiences in their earliest years
directly shape their mental, social, emotional, and physical capacities. Good quality care is
critical to children's developing brains. For more information on the role child care plays in
child development, learning, and school success, contact: Lynette Ciervo, Zero to
Three, 202/638-1144; Ellen Galinsky, Families & Work Institute, 212/465-2044; or
Barbara Willer, National Association for the Education of Young Children, 800/424-
2460.
Parents Struggle to Find Affordable, Good Quality Care - Child care is the third largest
household expenditure after housing and food for many working families; yet what parents
pay is often not good enough to buy good quality child care. Journalists seeking contacts
in their own communities with parents facing child care dilemmas or with child care
advocates, contact either Nancy Sconyers, National Association of Child Advocates,
202/289-0777 (ext. 213); or Yasmina Vinci, National Association of Child Care
Resource and Referral Agencies, 202/393-5501.
Early Childhood Care and After-School Programs Cut Crime Dramatically - Quality
preschool services have been shown to cut at-risk toddlers' chances of growing up to be
criminals by up to 90 percent. And because the peak hours of violent juvenile crime are
between the end of school and 8:00 p.m., after-school programs also significantly reduce
crime. For more information, contact Sanford Newman, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids,
202/638-0690.
Investing in the Child Care Work Force Reduces Turnover and Promotes Good
Quality More than one-third of the nation's child care providers will leave their jobs this
year for better positions elsewhere due to extremely low wages and poor benefits in the
child care field. This high turnover jeopardizes the quality of care for millions of children
each year. For more information, or to be put in contact with a child care provider in your
community, contact Marcy Whitebook, National Center for the Early Childhood Work
Force, 202/737-7700; or Yasmina Vincl, National Association of Child Care Resource
and Referral Agencies, 202/393-5501. For a copy of the 1997 study, "Making Work Pay
in the Child Care Industry: Promising Practices for Improving Compensation," contact
Marcy Whitebook.
The Need for Good Quality Care is Greater Than Ever - - More than half of all cities
responding to a 1995-96 survey, "Critical Needs, Critical Choices," conducted by the
National League of Cities in urban areas reported some form of child care to be one of the
greatest needs of children and families. To contact child care coordinators in cities that
have them, or to obtain a copy of "Critical Needs, Critical Choices," contact John Kyle,
National League of Cities, 202/626-3030.
The White House Conference on Child Care will address three areas including the lack of
affordable child care, quality child care concerns, and the need for school-age care.
Journalists may view the conference at several satellite sites across the country. To
obtain more information about the conference, contact the White House Press
Office at 202/456-2580 or the First Lady's Press Office at 202/456-2960.
(more)
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OCT 20, 1997 7:28PM #257 P.06
child care and
early education
CHILD CARE MESSAGE MEMO
October 1997
Needed: A National Investment in Good Quality Child Care
The economy is strong. Businesses are prosperous, But the majority of working parents
are struggling: they are working hard to provide bright futures for their children, and child
care is a daily concern. Mothers and fathers know their children need good quality care to
help them develop to their full potential and enter school ready to learn, but there is simply
not enough good quality care that families can afford in our communities. Parents need
help bridging the gap between what they can afford to pay and what good quality care
costs. That help must come, soon, in the form of a national investment, by both the public
and private sectors, that supports parents and improves the quality of care our children
receive.
The lack of good quality care and a way to pay for it - have a tremendous impact on our
families, our neighborhoods, our prosperity, our nation's future. Good quality child care is
care that is safe, loving, gives children opportunities to grow and learn, and is provided by
adults who want to work with children, who are paid well enough to remain in their jobs,
and who are knowledgeable about children's development. Parents shoulder 60% of child
care costs overall (while government pays 39% and businesses less than 1%). In
comparison, parents pay an average of 23% of the cost of a public college education, with
private and public sectors paying the rest; the relatively smaller contribution of parents to
college costs shows the greater investment in higher education by government and the
private sector.
Because the child care "system" relies on parents to pay the cost of care, parents literally
get the type of care and the quality they can afford. Many of our lowest-income families
depend on unreliable patchwork arrangements of friends and relatives whom they pay tiny
amounts or not at all. Middle class families, seemingly with more choices, also face child
care difficulties.. Parents earning in the mid-thirties can pay out 12% of their income for
child care without any guarantee that they are buying quality.
The High Cost of Good Quality Child Care
For many working families, child care is the third largest household expenditure, after
housing and food; parents pay an average of $4,100 per year for one or more children;
many pay much more. Child care takes an even bigger share of low-income working
families' paychecks, up to one-quarter of the incomes of families earning less than
$15,000. Yet good quality child care is estimated to cost $8,000 per year per child to
provide. Care for infants and toddlers is the most expensive and the hardest to find. In
most communities, before- and after-school programs are scarce, and odd-hour care is
almost non-existent at any price.
Child Care Accion Campaign
Communications Consortium Media Center
330 Seventh Avenue
17th Floor
1200 New York Avenue, N.W
Suate 300
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New York. NY 10001.5010
Washington, D.C. 20005-1754
(2.2) 239-0128 Fax (212) 268 6515
(202) 326-8700 Fax (202) 682.2154
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OCT 20, 1997 7:29PM #257 P.07
- 2
Good Quality Child Care Means Better Education Outcomes
From birth, a child's brain develops rapidly. Between birth and age three, a child's brain is
forging the connections that shape its functioning for life. New research on the brain
confirms the crucial role of care that stimulates and nurtures, whether from parents or
other caregivers, in molding children's emotional and cognitive development in the first
decade of life.
Child care is one of the earliest learning environments. Good quality early childhood care
helps children enter school ready to learn, and has long-term beneficial effects on school
achievement, grade retention, placement in special education, and social adjustment.
Good quality care also can produce long-term improvements in the intellectual and social
development of disadvantaged children. According to one recent study, because the U.S.
underinvests in both the quantity and quality of child care, the nation forgoes educational
and other benefits at an annual cost estimated in the billions of dollars. Good quality
programs for school-age children also promote better educational outcomes.
Quality Care Lowers After-School Crime and Teen Pregnancy Rates
Violent juvenile crime triples between 3 and 4 pm, compared with between 1 and 2 pm, on
school days. Nearly half of all violent juvenile crime occurs between 2 and 8 p.m., which
are also the peak hours for adolescent sexual activity. Good quality after-school
programs can deter these behaviors. These programs are needed in settings - including
community centers, schools, youth agencies and child care centers - that provide safe
places for children to spend time when their parents aren't home, and that offer a range of
activities under adult supervision. But after-school (as well as holiday and summer)
programs have been cut across the nation. Good quality early childhood care also has a
preventative impact on juvenile crime and teen pregnancy.
Cities and States View Child Care as Critical
More than half of all cities responding to a 1995-96 survey, "Critical Needs, Critical
Choices," conducted by the National League of Cities, reported some form of child care to
be one of the greatest needs of children and families. Child care is at the center of state
plans to make welfare reform succeed. A few states recently have overhauled the way
they deliver child care services and subsidies so that eligibility is based on income, not
welfare status. The goal is to give all low-income working parents access to the care they
need to get and keep jobs, But many states are not willing or able to make this
commitment.
Good Quality Child Care is Essential for Economic Development
More businesses are realizing the benefits of good quality child care. Employees who
have reliable care for their children are less likely to miss time on the job, are less likely to
be absent or distracted. Studies show that employers who help workers find good quality,
affordable child care enjoy a distinct payoff in staff loyalty, productivity, and profitability.
But the concerns of business must go beyond the self-interest of an individual company.
Sweeping changes in the American economy demand a radically different kind of work
force, one that is better trained and educated and at home with complex technologies.
The nation's ability to compete globally depends on the quality of care our children receive
from birth.
(more)
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- 3 -
The Low Wages of Child Care Workers Hurt Children
Due to extremely low wages and poor or non-existent benefits, more than one-third of the
nation's child care teachers and providers will leave their jobs this year, This high turnover
rate results in inconsistent and unreliable child care. It undermines children's ability to
form strong and secure bonds with their caregivers, which they need for healthy growth
and development. High turnover, researchers have found, is a reliable predictor of poorer
quality child care. The continuity provided by consistent, sensitive, well trained and well
compensated caregivers is one of the most important factors in how children learn. Child
care providers who work for low wages in effect subsidize the child care system with their
forgone wages. We cannot improve quality for all children without ensuring that their
caregivers are well paid.
The Time for Investment is Now: the Administration and Congress Must Lead the
Way
American children live in a world dramatically different from the one in which their parents
were raised. More women are in the work force than ever before: more than half of all
mothers return to work before their child's first birthday, and almost three-quarters of all
mothers are in the work force by the time their child turns six. Family structures
themselves are radically different: the male breadwinner/stay-home housewife model
accounts for only 10% of families with children. Single-parent families have never been
more numerous. But the reaction to these changes has been slow, particularly the
response to the need for good quality child care.
Child care has moved from an exclusively private issue to one of increasingly critical
public concern. Where will the money come from to expand and improve child care? Now,
when the economy is strong and consciousness about child care is higher than ever, is
the time to make the investment in our children and families, There is no solution to the
child care quandary that does not involve an investment.
We applaud the President and Hillary Rodham Clinton for convening a White House
Conference on Child Care.
The Administration and Congress should pledge significant new investments in, and make
a down payment on, good quality child care and ask that governors, mayors, employers,
schools, philanthropies, community organizations, and others do the same.
###
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.
HillaryPodhem Clinton
THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON CHILD CARE
October 23, 1997
/ hope that this conference will be the beginning of " national dialogue about how best 10 care for all of America's
children and will make a valuable contribution to our effort 10 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 improv-
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-sponsore
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 contir
10 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 pass:
of the Family and Medical Leave Act to allow workers to take unpaid leave when their families need them. And
signed into law the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act to extend important new protections for
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 Earr
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 matte
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-CI(
and Mr. Doug Price, FirstBank of Colorado.
Broad Participation Across the Country. The entire conference will be broadcast by satellite to over 100
locations in over 45 states across the country, as well as to several Federal agencies. Satellite conferences
co-hosted by regional federal agencies, local officials. and children's and other organizations.
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 t
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 aft
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, wit
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
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 Childhooc
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 %. The President's Child Care Provider Scholarship Fund
also modeled on the Defense Department's model of tying pay raises to increased training, which has helped t
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, supplie:
transportation, and child care expenses. For example, a typical caregiver in a child care center earns $12,000
year. Attending a community college half time, with total costs of $3,000, this individual would be eligible fc
a $1,350 Pell Grant in 1997-98. The Fund will then provide additional monies. All applicants must first appl
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 chi
care providers in all 50 states, providing them with information on the aid already available to current and fut
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 fo
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 prograr
enable young people to carn 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.