TKW Consulting

Currently, over 70 percent of women with children are in the labor force. Over 11 million children under age 5 are in some type of child care setting every week. Yet, Congress has failed to make sure the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the primary federal funding stream for child care in the United States, keeps children safe and promotes healthy development. The quality of child care varies greatly by state.

Only half the states require a fingerprint check of child care providers to make sure they don’t have a violent record. Only 16 states check the sex offender registry. Few states have any training requirements before providers care for children. In too many states, a child care license means little more than the paper it is written on because states do not routinely inspect or monitor licensed child care providers to check to see if they comply with state standards (such as basic health and safety practices).

Children need safe child care. We ask you to write to First Lady Michelle Obama and your Member of Congress to urge that CCDBG be strengthened this year to keep children safe and to promote healthy development.
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Some Facts...

• Over 11 million children under age 5 are in child care settings every week.
• The #1 concern parents have is the safety of their children. Yet, half the states do not conduct fingerprint checks of child care providers. Only 16 states check the sex offender registry. Without a background check, parents can't know for sure whether their children are safe. The smile of a provider is not enough.
• Few states have any training requirements for providers before they care for children. Only 13 states require training in child development. All providers caring for unrelated children should offer settings that promote the healthy development of children.
• The inspection or monitoring of licensed child care by too many states is lax. Parents need to know that the license hanging on the wall means more than the piece of paper it is written on.
• Parents can't know about the safety and quality of child care settings unless states provide oversight to ensure compliance with state standards (such as basic health and safety standards).
• Parents are working. States need to step up their responsibility to ensure that a child care license is meaningful.