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http://www.dol.gov/dol/wb/public/wb_pubs/childc.htm Child Care Workers Fact Sheet lb. AS I U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION No. 98-1 November 1997 Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Accessibility Information This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. CHILD CARE 'WORKERS Child care workers are critical to the success of this nation's working families and employers. These preschool teachers, teachers' assistants, child care workers in private household, and family child care providers the vast majority of whom are women -- are responsible for nurturing and teaching children during their formative early years. Persons Employed in Child Care Occupations, 1996 Percent Employed Women Child Care Occupations Family child care providers 479,000 98.5 Early childhood teachers' assistants 387,000 95.4 r: 276,000 97.1 n Prekindergarten & kindergarten teachers' 543,0001 98.1 Teacher's aides 623,0001 92.1 Child care workers, private household II rf; 2,308,00 (Total Lr) Ln O F Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Earnings, January 1997. kr) O LLJ According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 13 percent of families fit the traditional model of husband as wage-earner and wife as homemaker. In 61 percent of married couple families, both husband and wife work outside the home. Six out of every 10 mothers of children under age 6 are in the labor force. It is no wonder, therefore, that child care fields currently employ about 2.3. million workers and that opportunities in these fields are expected to grow at a faster than average rate through the year 1 of 5 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE 9/17/98 3:36 PM http://www.dol.gov/dol/wb/public/wb_pubs/childc.htm Child Care Workers Fact Sheet 2005. CHILD CARE WORKER EDUCATION/TRAINING The training and qualifications required of child care workers vary widely. Each state has licensing requirements that regulate caregiver training, ranging from a high school diploma, to community college courses, to a college degree in child development or early childhood education. However, child care workers, families and employers all benefit when child care workers have greater education and training opportunities. Importance to Child Care Workers Child care is not, overall, a high paying field. Despite the importance of the work they do, child care workers in private household, who work full-time, had median weekly earnings of $198 in 1996; early childhood teaching assistants had median weekly earnings of $231. Better trained child care workers can compete for jobs with higher wages and better benefits. For example, preschool teachers in public schools who gain State certification generally have salaries and benefits comparable to kindergarten and elementary school teachers. According to the National Education Association, public elementary school teachers earned an estimated $37,336 in 1996 or $747 per week. As preschool teachers and child-care workers gain experience, they may advance to supervisory or administrative positions in large child-care centers or preschools. Often, however, these positions, too, require additional training, such as a bachelor's or master's degree. Importance to Employers Child care training does not only benefit child care workers, it benefits working parents and their employers as well. Companies gain their competitive edge from having engaged, committed employees. Studies have shown that when employees have help in balancing work and family when they know their children are safe and well cared for absenteeism and turn-over go down, and morale and productivity improve. Employers are coming to recognize that they have a bottom line interest in providing quality child care options. RESOURCES FOR CHILD CARE WORKERS AND EMPLOYERS The Department of Labor does not sponsor, endorse, or approve any private or commercial organizations, products or services, including those of non-profit organizations or other institutions outside the Federal government. This material represents only a partial listing of information that is available, and inclusion on this list does not constitute a warranty of the accuracy or completeness by the Department of Labor. If additional information becomes available from members of the public, the Department may expand the list. Comments and suggestions may be sent to: Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210. The following are resources for employers interested in providing quality child care options and prospective child care workers: Information for Employers on Providing High Quality Child Care Increasingly, the private sector is stepping in to respond to the child care needs of employees. There are several innovative approaches being used by businesses and by states to increase business commitment to 2 of 5 3 9/17/98 3:36 PM Child Care Workers Fact Sheet http://www.dol.gov/dol/wb/public/wb_pubs/childc.htm child care. Some of the collaborative efforts include child care provider training as a component. Through the Working Women Count Honor Roll, the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau's has recognized 770 employers and others for taking concrete, practical steps to address working women's most pressing concerns: better pay and benefits, help in balancing work and family, and more respect and opportunity on the job. A number of these organizations have made innovative improvements in the area of child care and particularly, child care provider training. The Women's Bureau's Final Honor Roll Report includes descriptions and contact information for all of the Honor Roll programs. The U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau Clearinghouse provides no-cost, in-house database searches on employer sponsored dependent care options, bibliographies, Federal and State government resources, and non-profit organizations. The Clearinghouse can be accessed between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST, Monday-Friday. Telephone (202) 219-4486. Innovative programs are described in Financing Child Care in the United States: An Illustrative Catalog of Current Strategies: The Child Care Financing Challenge published by The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trust, 1997. The Early Childhood Funders Collaborative is a joint initiative of 38 leading foundations and corporations, who detailed their efforts to support more than 100 projects across the country to strengthen the quality of child care programs. The participating organizations are investing $11.8 million in a wide range of initiatives designed to improve the quality of care and leadership in child care centers, family child care facilities and early childhood programs. For more information contact Barry Wanger, of Wanger Associates. Telephone: (617) 965-6469. The American Business Collaboration For Quality Dependent Care The American Business Collaboration for Quality Dependent Care is a partnership between 22 big businesses, local service providers and Work/Family Directions to provide quality elder and child care services for their employees and other workers in 68 communities nationwide. The partnership includes the following companies: Aetna; Allstate Insurance Company; American Express Company; Amoco Corporation; AT&T; Bank of America; Citibank; Chevron Corporation; Deloitte & Touche LLP; Eastman Kodak Company; Exxon Corporation; GE Capital Services; Hewlett-Packard Company; IBM Corporation; Johnson & Johnson; Lucent Technologies; Mobil Corporation; Nynex; Price Waterhouse LLP; Texaco Inc.; Texas Instruments; and Xerox Corporation. Over the past four years, the financial contributions of the 22 businesses has increased from $50 million to over $120 million. Contact Work/Family Directions, 930 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215. Telephone: 617-278-4000 The 1199/Employer Child Care Fund The mission of the Local 1199/Employer Child Care Fund (CCF) is to establish high quality and affordable child care programs and to provide other related services and information. With this goal in mind, the Fund operates a day care center, the 1199 Future of America Learning Center; several School-Aged programs that are open during the holidays, summer and on weekends; Cultural Arts Programs for youngsters; and youth programs. The fund serves children from infancy to 17 years of age. In the five years of operation, the CCF has grown from serving 250 children to 7000 children. The Alliance of Work Life Professionals honored the program with its Innovative Excellence Award in 1997. Telephone: (212) 564-2220 3 of 5 9/17/98 3:36 PM Child Care Workers Fact Sheet http://www.dol.gov/dol/wb/public/wb_pubs/childc.htm Information for Prospective Child Care Workers The 1996-97 Occupational Outlook Handbook provides detailed information on the fields of preschool teacher and child care worker -- the nature of the work, working conditions, employment outlook, training requirements and earnings. (Click on "Outlook for Specific Occupation" and then on "Service Occupations") For those interested in starting their own child care center, the Small Business Administration provides information on how to set up a small business. The Federally-sponsored Head Start program provides jobs for many child care workers. The address is: Head Start Bureau, P.O. Box 1182, Washington, DC 20013. U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training (BAT) supports registered apprenticeship programs in more than 800 occupations, including a program for Child Development Specialists in West Virginia. The training model in West Virginia has an impressive record of developing a workforce of professional specialists who can create a nurturing environment for raising healthy and sick children from infants to 8 years old. Since 1989, 800 registered apprentices in West Virginia have received classroom and on-the-job training as child care providers. Across the state, more than 140 employers have participated in the program by hiring apprentices. The West Virginia initiative has changed a field once dominated by babysitters, low-wage workers and high turnover. After four and one half months of classroom training and successful completion of a criminal record check, registered apprentices are placed in a paid job. Over the next 18 months, individuals receive a salary increase annually, earn college credits (usually between 27-33 credits), and are mentored by a child care provider at work. Training graduates receive a nationally recognized joint certificate from BAT and the West Virginia Department of Education. Regents degree, a non-traditional degree allows credit for experience and relevant training. For more information on the West Virginia Apprenticeship Training Program, contact Dana Daugherty. Telephone: (304) 528- 7540. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Child Care Bureau was established in the Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, in January 1995, to administer federal child care programs to states, territories, and tribes for low-income children and families. The newly established Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) has made available $2.8 billion to States in 1997. A minimum of 4 percent of CCDF funds must be used to improve the quality of child care. These quality expenditures can be used for resource and referral, monitoring, training and technical assistance, grants or loans to providers to improve standards, and projects to improve the compensation of child care workers. Contact your State agency (http://ericps.ed.uiuc.eduinccic/statepro.html) responsible for administering the government funding resources. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is an organization of early childhood professionals and others dedicated to improving the quality of early childhood education programs for children birth through age eight. One of their goals is to establish and promote high standards of quality for the professional preparation and qualifications of adults who work with young children. They establish guidelines for the preparation of early childhood professionals in Associate, Baccalaureate and Advanced degree programs; endorse standards for the preparation of early childhood special educators; promote the application of these guidelines; and participate in evaluation systems that apply these guidelines. Furthermore, they define and promote guidelines for 4 of 5 5 9/17/98 3:36 PM Child Care Workers Fact Sheet http: / /www.dol.gov /dol/wb /public /wb_pubs/childc.htm early childhood personnel nomenclature, salaries, and benefits tied to responsibilities and qualifications. NAEYC, 1509 16th St. NW, Washington, DC, 20036. Telephone: (800) 424-2460 or (202) 232- 8777. National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) is the national membership organization working with the more than 400 state and local family child care provider associations in the United States. The focus of NAFCC is to promote quality family child care through accreditation and to promote training and leadership development through specialized technical assistance. Address: NAFCC, 206 6th Avenue, Suite 900 Des Moines, IA 50309-4018. Telephone: (515) 282-8192 or (800) 359-3817. Fax: (515) 282-9117. E-mail: nafcc@assoc-mgmt.com National Association of Child Care Professionals (NACCP) is deeply committed to strengthening the professional skill level of child care directors, owners, and administrators nationwide, without regard to tax status or corporate structure. NACCP believes effective management is the critical link to superior child care. Address: NACCP, 304-A Roanoke Street, Christiansburg, VA 24063. Telephone: (800) 537-1118. Fax: (540) 382-6529. E-mail: admin@naccp.org National Child Care Association (NCCA) is a professional trade association representing the private, licensed early childhood care and education community. NCCA has a dual advocacy for quality, affordable child care as well as the business of child care. Address: NCAA, 1029 Railroad Street, Conyers, GA 30207. Telephone: (800) 543-7161.) E-mail: nccallw @mindspring.com National Center for the Early Childhood Work Force (NCECW) is a non-profit resource and advocacy organization committed to improving the quality of child care services through upgrading the compensation and training of child care teachers and providers. NCECW is recognized as the national resource clearinghouse on child care staffing issues, as well as a leader in advocating for better regulation and funding of child care services. In addition, NCECW serves as the national coordinator of the Worthy Wage Campaign, a grassroots effort to empower child care workers themselves to fight for solutions to the staffing crisis. Their goal is to create a unified and powerful voice for the child care work force, advocating for fair and decent employment for care givers and reliable, affordable care for families. Address: NCECW, 733 15th Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20005. Telephone: (202) 737-7700 ---DISCLAIMER--OL Home Page I C3 Women's Bureau Home Page I El Top of Document 6 5 of 5 9/17/98 3:36 PM
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