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Resolutions Adopted at the
67th Annual Conference of Mayors
New Orleans, Louisiana
June 11-15, 1999 |
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JOBS, EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE
ACCREDITATION OF CHILDCARE, EARLY EDUCATION AND
SCHOOL AGED CARE PROGRAMS
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that between 1970
and 1993 the percentage of young children regularly attending non-parental child care and
early education settings soared from 30 percent to 70 percent; and
WHEREAS, approximately 24 million school-age children between the ages of five
and fourteen require care while their parents are at work, and experts estimate that
nearly five million school-age children spend time without adult supervision during a
typical week, many of these 10-14 year-olds taking care of younger siblings; and
WHEREAS, a parent who is employed full time can be away from home an average of
2,400 hours a year, with children spending just half of that time—1,200 hours--in
school; and
WHEREAS, recent brain research has shown that significant cognitive development
occurs before age three and that children who fall behind their peers in pre-school years
never catch up despite placement in remedial classes; and
WHEREAS, studies indicate that children left unsupervised for significant
periods of time have higher absentee rates at school, have lower academic test scores,
exhibit higher levels of fear, stress, nightmares, loneliness and boredom, are more likely
to use alcohol and to smoke cigarettes, engage in sexual intercourse and commit property
crimes; and
WHEREAS, quality care for these children is an investment that pays triple
dividends, in youth development, workforce development, and delinquency prevention; and
WHEREAS, a significant body of research has shown that children who attend
higher quality programs consistently demonstrate better outcomes, including cognitive
functioning and intellectual development, language development, and social
development--even when other family variables are controlled, including maternal education
and family income level; and
WHEREAS, according to the 1994 study "Preventing Problem Behaviors and
Raising Academic Performance in the Nation's Youth," children who participate in
school-age care programs are more cooperative with adults, are more likely to resolve
conflicts with dialogue instead of violence, and improve their academic performance; and
WHEREAS, research documents that those states with more effective regulatory
structures have a greater supply of higher quality programs, and additionally that in such
states differences in quality are minimized between service sectors (e.g., nonprofit and
proprietary programs); and
WHEREAS, research has consistently identified structural factors most related to
high quality in early childhood programs, such as small groups of children with a
sufficient number of adults to provide sensitive, responsive care, higher levels of
general education and specialized preparation for care providers as well as program
administrators, and higher rates of compensation and lower rates of turnover for program
personnel; and
WHEREAS, research has shown that key components necessary for a quality
school-age program are a trained staff skilled in the activities that school-age children
enjoy, a safe space that meets the physical, emotional and social needs of children and
youth, a wide variety of materials appropriate to the ages and developmental levels of the
children, family involvement in the program, opportunities for children to choose
activities and pursue their interests, curriculum and staff which reflects the racial and
cultural heritage of the children and which promotes diversity, and a climate
characterized by positive interaction of staff with children; and
WHEREAS, The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
and The National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA) have worked successfully to develop not
only standards of care for early childhood and school-aged youth, respectively, as
resources for providing assistance to communities who wish to implement models of
accreditation; and
WHEREAS, the quality of care, even in certified centers, often suffers due to
frequent staff turnover caused by low pay and lack of benefits,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Mayors affirm the responsibility of states
to accredit, license, regulate, and monitor the early care and education and school-aged
care markets, including centers, schools, and family and group child care homes, similar
to standards established by both NAEYC and NSACA, and recognize that the fundamental
purpose of public regulation is to protect children from harm, not only threats to their
immediate physical health and safety but also threats of long-term developmental
impairment; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Mayors urge states to adopt and improve
requirements that establish a basic floor of protection below which no center, school,
family child care, group home, or other care setting for children may legally operate, and
outline basic protections that should, at a minimum, protect children by striving to
prevent the risk of the spread of disease, fire in buildings as well as other structural
safety hazards, personal injury, child abuse or neglect, and developmental impairment; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Mayors urge the states to coordinate and streamline
licensing/accreditation regulations to focus on those aspects that research and practice
most clearly demonstrate as essential to quality care; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Mayors encourage Congress, the Administration, and
states to work collaboratively to identify new and increased sources of funding to support
early and school-aged care across the nation including increased pay and benefits for
child care workers.
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