Making Child Care Work for Everyone
This article was published in 1999.
The High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, in collaboration with the National Association
for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), established the Program Recognition Project
to identify programs offering high-quality services and above-average staff compensation, while
maintaining affordable fees for families.
One hundred and four programs either applied or were nominated to be considered by the Program
Recognition Project. Through initial reviews and on-site assessments, the High/Scope staff selected
ten exemplary programs.
These programs represented a range of service types and reflected a diversity of affiliations.
Almost all of the programs share certain features and goals that point to some keys to success
for achieving high-quality care and education, good compensation for staff, and fees that are
affordable to parents.
The following are the common characteristics of the selected exemplary programs that make child
care work for everyone. These programs:
- Use financial resources beyond parent fees, including financial subsidies for children of low-income families, donations from individuals and foundations, and in-kind gifts.
- Create a variety of alliances to bring in additional resources, such as fundraising efforts with organizations with historical ties to the program or connections with staff and parents.
- Educate parents about the value of early childhood education and the cost of providing services. Informing parents leads to their support.
- Have directors who secure additional benefits, higher salaries, additional planning time, or support for professional development for staff. Such efforts encourage teaching staff to see themselves as professional educators.
- Establish boards of directors or advisory committees to help programs forge stronger ties to their communities and to conduct larger fundraising efforts.
- Involve parents in their children’s program. Programs with involved parents are more likely to feel comfortable sharing information and to work in partnership with the caregiver.
- Recognize family needs and try to work flexibly with parents. Focusing on family needs is critical to making programs work for parents.
- Have institutional structures in place that promote quality, compensation, and affordability and that guarantee their future existence.
- Set high standards for quality that are conveyed through established policies and written standards. Firm commitment to high-quality care and education not only benefits children and families, but also may increase the interest of outside funders.
The ten exemplary programs selected by the Program Recognition Project have made significant
strides toward balancing the sometimes competing interests of staff, children, and families. They
have succeeded in developing high-quality child care and education services and providing
above-average salaries to staff. Their achievements stem from institutional and personal commitments
to the professional status of early childhood teachers and to financial stability for early childhood
programs. These programs offer promising solutions to funding and management problems and illustrate
the positive outcomes of increasing funding for early childhood care and education.
Adapted from "Making Child Care Work for Everyone: Lessons from the Program Recognition
Project" by A. F. Kinch and L. J. Schweinhart Young Children 54(1).
|
Exemplary Programs Selected by the Program Recognition Project
Bridges Family Child Care
Madison, Wisconsin
Children’s [Hospital] for Children
Cincinnati, Ohio
Day Care Services Association
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
KCCA Pre-Schools of Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Kennewick Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program
Kennewick, Washington
Lakewood Avenue Children’s School
Durham, North Carolina
Miami Valley Child Development Centers, Inc. (Head Start)
Dayon, Ohio
River Valley Child Development Services
Huntington, West Virginia
Sycamore Tree Preschool
Bremerton, Washington
UCLA Child Care Services
Los Angeles, California
|
|
NAEYC Home > ECE Issues > Early Years Are Learning Years > Making Child Care Work
