Surprising Facts About Childcare Cost

For many people, it is joy in bringing a child into the world and would be a cause for celebration

Does the high cost of day care centers make them rethink about there future decisions?

The cost of daycare centers are increasing day by day, As millions of new parents find out every year, it's not enough to buy the diapers, put together the crib, set up the nursery and start saving for college. That's because across the board -- in single-parent to dual-income households -- the sky-high costs of child care are often overlooked.

Childcare centers can control their costs by implementing effective information technology infrastructure like a childcare management software for managing the childcare center. Online childcare software improves the efficiency of the center and helps them deliver exceptional service to their customers. 

What are the 10 suprising facts about childcare center ?

1. Child Care Costs Are Often Ignored : Only 58 percent of expectant families create a child care budget before their baby is born. And even those who do have a budget don't do a great job of using realistic numbers. In the end, 75 percent of families interviewed said that they were "surprised or overwhelmed" by the cost of child care.2. Ignoring These Huge Costs Is a Big Mistake : According to Childcare Aware of America, the cost of child care for two children in a center-based care facility was the largest family expense per year in every region except for the West .Where household costs were slightly more.3. It's Like Paying for College – Twice : Childcare Aware of America compared the average costs of an infant in a child care center to the average costs of in-state tuition and fees at public colleges throughout the United States. In the states shaded blue below, the costs of child care trump tuition and fees.

4. Costs Vary Dramatically by Type : Care.com broke down the average nationwide costs of four types of child care. Yearly expenses for one infant:

PROGRAM /CENTER	COST
Family child care program	$6,604.00
Day care center	$9,672.00
Au pair	$18,720.00
Nanny	$24,544.00

5. Costs Vary Widely by Location : To control for differences in the costs of living, the graphic below shows how much of the average married couple's median income is spent on infant child care a year.

6. Care is Far, Far Cheaper Outside the City : Like most things, child care is more expensive in cities than in rural areas. Unlike other goods and services, however, the difference between the two is remarkable. For instance, in Oregon and Hawaii, the average cost of care for an infant is more than twice as expensive in urban areas as it is in rural ones. The cost of caring for an infant is 35 percent more in urban areas nationally than rural ones.

7. Your Employer Wants to Help You With Child Care : The Childcare Partnership Project said. And a study by the Childcare Action Campaign found that U.S. companies lost $3 billion annually, as a consequence of child care-related absences.
8. The Help Is Appreciated, but Not Necessarily Well-Used: A whopping 83 percent of parents who use employer-sponsored child care benefits say it helps reduce stress and improve work-life balance. The problem is that only 31 percent of employees take advantage of Flexible Spending Accounts to help defray costs.

9. More Than Half of American Families Get Tax Breaks : More than half of U.S. families take advantage of some sort of tax break. FSAs allow employees to put away up to $5,000 in pre-tax dollars for child care. If your employer doesn't offer an FSA, then you can use the Child Care Tax Credit, which helps offset the costs of up to $3,000 for one child and $6,000 for two or more.10. 'Free' Caregivers Play a Large Role : According to Childcare Aware of America, 32 percent of children under 5 receive at least some supervision from grandparents during a typical week. Ten percent regularly get care from another relative, and 5 percent get care from friends or neighbors.

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/08/25/child-care-costs-facts-figures/

Hygiene in Daycare Center

Health of children is utmost priority not just for parents, but for the society and governments across the world. Hygiene especially means washing your hands, but it’s also about washing the rest of your body. It involves being careful not to cough or sneeze on others, cleaning things you touch, throwing away things that might have germs on them (such as used tissues), and using protection when you might be at risk of catching or spreading an infection. It also means taking care when handling and storing food.

There are many literatures and articles that discusses the the hygiene and health issues of children, this article seems a good and thorough.

Some of the other issues that are not directly but indirectly associated with child care issues is the amount of time the tutors spent with the children. The biggest challenge with the administrators is that they tend to spend more time with the overall management of the childcare, and spend less time with the other activities that are associated with the childcare, which will add value to their center. The admin work can be hugely simplified by using a childcare management software for the childcare activities.

Kitchen Hygiene: 

All areas where food and drink are stored, prepared and eaten are prone to the spread of infections. Therefore, Play workers must be particularly careful to observe high standards of hygiene in such instances:

1. Play workers will be trained in food hygiene. 
2. Waste will be disposed of safely and all bins will be kept covered. 
3. Food storage facilities will be regularly and thoroughly cleaned. 
4. Kitchen equipment will be thoroughly cleaned after every use. 
5. In cooking activities, all surfaces and equipment involved will be thoroughly cleaned before and after. 

Personal Hygiene: 

In all circumstances, play workers will adhere to and ensure that children carry out the same routines.

1. Washing hands before and after handling food or drink, and after using the toilet. 
2. Covering cuts and abrasions while at the premises. 
3. Taking any other steps that are likely to minimise the spread of infections. 
4. Washing of hands prior to and following first aid. 

Dealing with Spillages

1. Spillages of substances likely to result in the spread of infections will be dealt with rapidly and carefully. 
2. Blood, vomit, urine and faeces will be cleaned up immediately and disposed of safely and hygienically by double bagging and taken out of the setting. 
3. Play workers will wear disposable plastic gloves and an apron while using bleach or disinfectant solution, and wash themselves thoroughly afterwards. 
4. Children will be kept well clear while such substances are being dealt with. 
5. CUHP is committed to taking all practicable steps to prevent and control the spread of infectious germs, and to uphold high standards of personal hygiene in order to minimize the risk of catching or spreading infections. 

Infection control practices

1. Observation of the disease and appropriate outbreak management response. 
2. Implementation of diapering/toileting policies which include sanitizing surfaces and hand hygiene. 
3. Cleaning and disinfection of toys, surfaces, bedding and linens. 
4. Ensure a safe environment, safe activities, safe toys for children. 
5. Supervise any animal interaction. 
6. Promote proper personal hygiene and hand washing of child care workers and children. 

The new guidelines state that kids who want to blow out a candle on their birthday should bring their very own cupcake - to avoid blowing germs all over a shared cake in Australia.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/strict-new-hygiene-rules-for-childcare-will-wrap-kids-in-a-bubble-says-ama/story-fneuz9ev-1226571089528

A Model Child Care Center with Facilities

Child and adolescent psychiatrists recognize that the ideal environment for raising a small child is in the home with parents and family. Some experts recommend a minimum of six or more months leave for parents after a child is born to promote bonding. Intimate daily parental care taking of infants for the first several months of life is particularly important. Many children, particularly after the age of three, benefit from good, group day care, where they can have fun and learn how to interact with others.

American families have been radically restructured as the number of women in the workforce has nearly doubled. Instead of parents providing early child care, it is outsourced to virtual strangers. The “Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development,” supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), said that children who spend time in day care may be more aggressive than children who spend no time in day care. According to the study, the number of hours a child spends in day care also affects his aggression levels; the more hours he is there, the more aggressively he behaves. However, some reject the statistical correlation as too small to be presumed a fact.

Facilities in a Model Child Care Center

Attachment and emotional development

Some young children, when left with a day care provider, exhibited a range of negative emotions and behaviors including crying and clinging to parents, screaming or hiding from the provider after the parents have left. Such children frequently developed insecure attachment issues and separation anxiety. Other children adjusted more readily and eagerly joined their peers, barely acknowledging their parents’ departure. These children demonstrated more security, less separation anxiety and greater preparedness for eventually entering school.

Improved Vocabulary

An NICHD study of Early Child Care and Youth Development found that children who attended high-quality day care prior to kindergarten performed better on vocabulary tasks in the fifth grade than children who attended lower-quality day care.

Now let us look at the major good and bad signs of child care centers

Good signs of child care center	Bad signs of child care center
Good reputation	So-so reputation
Established ground rules	Loose rules
Stimulating curriculum	Questionable curriculum
Open communication	Non-Stimulating Environment
Qualified, dedicated, and professional staff	Emotional Support from Caregivers
A structured and child-focused curriculum that is customized for different children	Activities Don't Promote Mental, Physical, Social and Emotional Growth
Day care following health and safety regulations	Unhealthy Environment
	State Licensing Requirements Aren't Followed
Warning signs
Lack of open communication	Too Many Children
Frequent change in staff	Low standards in cleanliness and safety
Vague or Undocumented Policies	Disrespect for Your Concerns

Take time to work out what your family needs - can you always be available for the rigid pick-up times imposed by many day care centers. Ask parents you respect for recommendations and make the time to check out a few child care centers or nannies if you are considering these options. Look for day care centers with low staff turnovers and long waiting lists - these are usually the best! A good nanny will have experience, first aid qualifications and a drivers license - but don't forget to check their references, even if they come from an agency. So make the child care experience good for your kid.

Additional Resources:
http://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/facts_for_families/20_making_day_care_a_good_experience.pdf
http://www.babycenter.in/a541470/signs-of-a-good-daycare-center
http://www.livestrong.com/article/77119-psychological-effects-sending-children-day/

Calendar Based Enrollment in Preschool Management Software

In EZChildTrack, a child care management software, creation of programs, activities and enrollment of students into activities can be carried out effortlessly online. There is a particular type of enrollment that sets EZChildTrack apart from the rest – users are able to enroll students into desired activities via an online inbuilt calendar. With the help of an online calendar, a user can:

View all activities added to a program

• Enroll children into activities using a calendar 
• Manage enrollment details in a structured way 
• Collect fee upfront from parents 

Calendar based enrollments can be done both from EZChildTrack software’s main application as well as through the parent portal. This means that not only a program director or site coordinator is able to enroll a child into activities using the online calendar facility but a parent can do the same task as well via EZChildTrack’s parent portal. This saves a lot of time for parents who need not attend the school premises to specify their requirements or make payments. 

For a program to display this type of enrollment option, you need to first specify its enrollment type as calendar based. After this is done, if an account registers for the program, they will be able to avail the online inbuilt calendar to enroll their children into activities. Making payments for calendar based enrollments can also be done easily. A number of payment methods can be used to make payments.

A major benefit of having a calendar based enrollment option in a preschool management software like EZChildTrack is that it accounts for a user friendly interface that is convenient, organized, very easy to use, easily adjustable, and can be used to quickly spot scheduled activities. Being web-based makes it far more accessible i.e. you can log into the software any time of the day and make data modifications, program registrations, activity enrollments if required.

Child Care Professional Development Coordinator

The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) represents approximately 200,000 members, including New York City public school teachers and other school employees, child care providers and registered nurses . The UFT is also developing new training opportunities to further improve the quality of child care in the City .

What professional development approaches can help?

Recognizing the needs of staff who are new to their role is key to effective professional development support in this area. In survival mode, we all need help that is targeted to the practical level of how to do things.

WHY - What is the purpose, outcome, goal, reason for the PD&S?

1. Supporting an interest 
2.  Strengthening program identified in an individual and skills in specific development plan curriculum areas
3.  Building leadership
4.   Achieving short or long capacity in particular term service goals members of the staff team 
5.  Leading a change in 
6.  Working towards formal practice (individual, team qualifications or whole service)
7.  Preparing for anticipated 
8.  Performance issues changes in system identified in appraisal (eg National ECEC process framework)
9.   Keeping up to date with 
10.   Ensuring compliance current research and trends
11.   Supporting reflective 
12.   Relationships,practice communication and team work

WHO - Which people need to involved? 

1. Individual staff member 
2. Room team 
3. Team leaders 
4. Assistants 
5. Program staff (eg OSHC, • Age group teams Playgroup, LDC)
6. Staff new to role 
7. Experienced staff
8. Families
9. Committee of management
10. Admin staff
11. Cooks
12. Gardening / maintenance 
13.  Staff who are studying staff
14.  Directors
15.  Managers /Owners/Licensees

Responsibilities:

1. Design and implement the UFT Providers Professional Development Program. 
2. Develop and implement trainings for UFT child care providers. 
3. Manage and support a roster of over 20 part-time trainers, including their mastery of the training content as well as their training delivery. 
4. Maintain a high level of training quality through observation of training, identifying areas in need of strengthening, and ongoing feedback to the trainers. 
5. Identify and review appropriate professional development materials. 
6. Help to identify child care workforce professional development needs. 

Qualifications:

1. Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood or Child Development or a related field with 24 credits in early childhood or child development or Childhood related course work. Master’s degree is preferred. 
2. 5 - 8 years of experience as a certified teacher and/or as a child care professional with state certified training experience. 
3. 5 - 8 years of experience with adult education and adult learning. Can be concurrent with teaching or child care experience. 
4. Demonstrated skills in communication (oral and written), team building, and group dynamics. 
5. Background in managing professional development activity sessions preferred. 
6. Knowledge of Family Child Care is preferred. 
7. Familiarity with organized labor and/or union training programs is preferred. 

Preferred:

1. Background in managing professional development activity sessions. 
2. Knowledge of Family Child Care. 
3. Familiarity with organized labor and/or union training programs. 

Lillian Katz, author  proposing developmental models of professional growth. describes the sequence of professional growth in four stages (Katz 1995). Although there are limitations to conceptualizing learning in ‘stages’, this model can be useful when considering the professional development needs of staff members in child care settings at varying levels of experience.

Lillian Katz - Developmental Stages of Teachers

Stage 1: Survival : During this stage, the staff member is predominantly focused on themselves and their own needs. Surviving the daily challenges of their role and getting through from day to day is the main concern. Many staff at this stage, question their personal and professional competence and
in doing so, their desire to continue to work in their role. The survival stage is associated with being new to a role, so therefore may be re-experienced in times of change, either because of moving to a new role or because of new initiatives in the service.

Stage 2: Consolidation : During this stage, new staff will have developed ways of working each day that they find effective and so begin to broaden their focus to include developing deeper understandings of their role and the characteristics of individual children.

Stage 3: Renewal : In this stage, staff members are highly competent in their day to day work and begin to look for new challenges and ways of extending their expertise.

Stage 4: Maturity : This stage is characterized by continued interest in extending expertise coupled with deepening interest in ideas, philosophy and the bigger picture aspects of the profession as a whole.

Managing Programs using a Preschool Management Software

With the help of a preschool management software such as EZChildTrack, it becomes easy to manage programs efficiently. The web based software allows program directors to quickly create new programs and modify details of existing ones. It is not only possible to manage an active program’s information but it is possible to go through details of inactive ones using this software. These different types are organized into relevant folders making it easy to access them whenever required.

Using EZChildTrack, it is possible to store all related information in a single system including the program’s basic details like its duration, associated sites, program type as well as its more complex entities like fee structure and deposit details. A user can also keep a tab on the program’s registration fees for students, any initial deposits that the parents need to pay at the time of activity enrollment. 

Apart from that, program directors can also decide to waive registration fees for participants who are supported by agencies. It is also essential for a preschool management software to store all mandatory documents linked with program registration for each account holder. 

EZChildTrack offers a safe and secure platform using which all necessary documents can be saved easily. You can easily retrieve them whenever required. It is also possible to set up a program’s parameters at the time of defining a program. You can define how the program’s registration form would look like in Parent Portal. Each program may have different registration requirements. This makes EZChildTrack a highly flexible system using which you can set up registration forms as per your needs.

All programs – irrespective of its size – can be managed using the preschool management software EZChildTrack. The program info can be accessed and managed anywhere, anytime provided the program director has an Internet enabled device.

Choosing High Quality Child Care

Every child is special and unique and deserves the best start possible. Studies reveal that a high quality child care program will help children become more ready for school which increases their chances to succeed. Research also indicates that employers benefit when their employees' children are in quality child care arrangements. All licensed programs, except religious sponsored programs, have a star-rating similar to the ratings you will find for other products and services. The child care license is posted in every child care program for parent review. Quality ratings for Nebraska child care and early childhood education programs are the focus of a new system launched July 1 to help parents and guardians evaluate child care facilities when choosing care for their young children.

Beginning in 2017, parents and the public will have access to the ratings, but, in the meantime, programs that have achieved all or certain quality ratings will be issued certificates that they may display to inform parents about the quality of their programs.

Benefits of High Quality Child Care

• High-quality care was characterized by the caregivers’ warmth, support, and cognitive stimulation of the children under their care. 
• High quality child care appears to provide a small boost to academic performance, perhaps by fostering the early acquisition of school readiness skills. 
• More time spent in child care may provide a different socialization experience, resulting in slightly more impulsive and risk-taking behaviors in adolescence. 

Better trained providers lead to higher quality care and more positive outcomes for children. Initial competency-based training helps ensure providers who do not have a strong formal education still have a base of professional knowledge and skills to work with children and operate a business. At a minimum, key training areas should include:

• Child development. 
• Child guidance/discipline. 
• Child abuse identification and prevention. 
• Business practices and licensing requirements. 
• Learning activities. 
• CPR and first aid. 
• Health and safety issues such as putting infants on their backs to sleep, administering, medications, transporting children, fire drills, etc. 

The federal law, which gives guidance to the states in establishing their licensing systems and protections for children, CCDBG, does not require a background check for child care providers, minimum training requirements, or even inspections to see the condition of the settings for which federal funds are used.

Indiana’s new child care quality rating system, scheduled to begin implementation in selected regions of the state in 2008 and then continue phased implementation statewide through 2009. Statewide child care quality rating systems are a relatively recent trend in the United States. According to the National Child Care Information Center: QRS award quality ratings to early care and education programs that meet a set of defined program standards. These systems provide an opportunity for States to

• Increase the quality of care and education for children; 
• Increase parents’ understanding and demand for higher quality care; 
• Increase professional development of child care providers. QRS can also be an effective strategy for aligning components of the early care and education system for increased accountability in improving quality of care. 

The goals and benefits of Quality program in Indiana as originally conceived were:

• To raise the quality of child care and early education experiences for children, 
• To give parents tools to help determine the best quality program for their children, 
• To support and recognize providers for quality care. 
• Encourage a more stable child care workforce through increased stature, professionalism, salaries and benefits 
• Help children make a smooth transition to kindergarten 

For more information regarding this, please check the following links:http://www.naccrra.org/sites/default/files/default_site_pages/2013/quality_matters_may_2013.pdf
http://ncchildcare.nc.gov/parents/pr_sn2_ov.asp
http://www.in.gov/fssa/files/ScientificBasisPTQ.pdf

Enrollment Report in Daycare Management Software

There are a number of enrollment based reports which you can generate using a web based daycare management software like EZChildTrack. These include enrollment list, enrollment count and details based on child information records and child registration forms. The enrollment list report helps users to print elaborate reports on program participants and their enrollment details. The enrollment count reports the number of daily enrollments for a selected program. A generated enrollment based report also contains complete details of students like student contact information, medical treatments, emergency contact information etc. The daycare provider can sort out reports of each student individually through child's name or primary account holder’s name.

The parent portal serves as a gateway to better engage parents during the registration process. In addition to registering for courses, it allows them to automatically submit all required documentation, view status and pay fees. EZChildTrack helps in reducing administrative tasks and eliminate paper-based processes. This allows you to reap the benefits of a massive cost reduction in your annual enrollment and registration process. It is possible to further filter down report data by using the filters on each report screen. This helps you to drill down data that you actually need for your analysis. Such a reporting tool which helps you to narrow down results help in reducing ample time needed to make informed decisions.

Our student registration system and enrollment software delivers the simplicity and convenience that both you and your participants require. The daycare management software helps you to avoid duplicate records effectively. Simplify the management of your admissions process and move applicants through the admissions funnel more quickly with electronic checklists, actions, reminders, and status updates – all giving you more time to invest back into getting to know your prospective families.

Government Policy on Licensing of Day Care Centers

Nationally, there are about 330,000 licensed child care programs. For getting license there are background checks but for every childcare center its not needed. The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the federal law that sets the parameters from which state legislation is written, does not require background checks for child care providers Any individual applying for licensure as a daycare center, group daycare facility, or family daycare home voluntarily licensed by the Department must be at least eighteen (18) years of age.

The applicant has to produce necessary documents as per the information required by the department. In order to get a Child Care Center License has to first apply for orientation Orientations are done regularly. It is non refundable so the owner of the child care center should make sure that every formalities are done properly. They may sign up for an orientation by contacting the State Licensing Agency nearest you. To see a list of Child Care Licensing Agencies in California. The child care provider should be familiar with the licensing laws and regulations. The child care provider should pass home inspection and also must complete and submit all the information and forms required in the application packet.

There are certain centers which are exempted from licensing they are being highlighted in the below points:

• Relatives who are looking after kid instead of the parents. 
• Caregivers do not receive payment for services
• Parents rotate responsibility for care of all of the children equally among themselves
• Every caregiver is a parent, legal guardian, or adult relative of at least one child in the Co-Op 
• No more than 12 children are cared for at any given time by any provider/parent. 
• Public/private schools 
• Before and after school programs/extended day care programs operated by public/private schools. 
• Recreation programs operated by Boy and Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, and similar organizations ,Public recreation programs 
• Organized Camps as defined in Health and Safety Code Section 18897. 
• Certain school parenting programs or adult education child care programs. 
• Temporary child care services provided to parents who are on the same premises as the site of the child day care program. This does not include child care programs operated on the site of a ski facility, shopping mall or department store. 
• After School Education Safety Programs as defined in Education Code Section 8482 – 8484.3 
• Registered Heritage Schools as defined in Education Code Section 33195. 

Background checks: The reality of background check is that only 33 states only conducts background check using fingerprints against FBI records and only 29 states conducts a state criminal records check and the other twenty-one states require a check of the sex offender registry before hiring child care center staff.

A full background check is key to providing this protection. It includes:

• Using fingerprints for checks of FBI criminal history records. 
• Using fingerprints for state checks of criminal history records. 
• Checking the child abuse registry. 
• Checking the sex offender register. 

Child Staff Ratio: Child to staff ratio must be adhered to during all hours of operation. Ratios are determined by a point system. Points are determined by the age of children. Twelve points per staff member is the maximum. Zero to less than twenty-four months is equal to 2 points. Twenty-four months to under 36 months is equal to 1 1/2 points. Thirty-six months to under 5 years old is equal to 1 point. Five years old to under 13 years of age is equal to a ½ point. Local jurisdictions that license child care providers may be more stringent. For more information, read here.

Health & Safety Requirements:

1.Sleep, Play, & Restrooms should be clean

2.The center should be properly ventilated (heat/light) even the restroom should be properly ventilated.

3.Use of alcohol or smoking is prohibited during operating hours when children are present. Tobacco related products like chew and pouches are not allowed.

4.There should be hand washing facilities and diaper changing areas in the center. There should be separate hand washing sink and diaper changing sink. The sanitizer for the diaper changing area is recommended to be a stronger bleach water solution (1-3 Tablespoons to 1 Quart of water per NAEYC Accreditation Program 2011). Use gloves while changing diapers. The employee is to wash his/her hands between each diaper change. The child’s hands should also be washed. Disposable/cloth diapers: There are no rules requiring a particular type of diaper

5.Fire Safety and Evacuation Plan 

A fire evacuation plan must include the staging area, exit locations, evacuation routes and fire extinguisher locations. Include a routine drill schedule.

6. Food Source/Thawing

• Serve pasteurized milk and juice only 
• No home canned foods, except jams or jellies. 
• No wild game, USDA approved meat only. 
• Do not thaw foods at room temperature. 

Thawing Options:

• In refrigerator (best option) 
• In cold running water 
• As part of cooking process 
• In microwave, then immediately complete cooking 

Food Preparation/ Personal Hygiene
Food preparation includes:

Cooking meat and poultry to proper temperatures , avoiding cross-contamination, They should properly wash there hands before cooking hand ,use clean clothes or apron during food prep, minimize bare hand contact with food ,unwrapped foods may not be re-served once plate is on the table, use serving utensils or gloves whenever possible to prevent hand ,contact with ready to eat foods.

Wash Hands Often: Before touching or preparing food, before putting on gloves, after wiping nose, after coughing into your hand, after changing each diaper, after using the toilet.

Food Contact: Surfaces/Sanitizing: Food contact surfaces must be kept clean (counters, tables, high chairs, cutting boards) and sanitized with a solution of chlorine 50-200 ppm or, quaternary ammonium chloride 200 ppm.

7.Smoke Detectors, Fire Extinguishers, Fire Exits

Fire Extinguisher - A minimum of one fire extinguisher (type 2A:10-BC) ,Smoke Detector - one for each sleeping area, hall-way, and on each floor level. Each one must have a test button. Emergency Exits - Adequate emergency exits are determined by the local Fire Official. No second story or basement child care without an approved fire exit. Unlicensed Family ICCP providers must be in compliance with Fire Safety Standards in the Child Care Licensing Rule

Inspection: Care Aware® of America believes that all child care programs that regularly care for unrelated children for as a business entity should be licensed and should be inspected regularly with inspection reports posted on the Internet for easy parent access. The child care centers will adhere to rules and regulations of keeping there child care centers healthy and safe if there are frequent inspection of the programs that are being conducted at the centers. Violations of the programs can also be prevented with the help of unannounced inspections. Accidents are also being prevented with the help of inspection at regular intervals of time.

Training is also very important. Initial training helps ensure providers have a base of knowledge about how children develop before beginning to work with them. It also acquaints them with basic health and safety skills such as first aid and CPR, practices related to safe sleep position for infants, information about the danger of shaking babies and the prevention of other hazards such as children swallowing small objects or drowning in small amounts of water. Annual training supports initial learning and helps providers improve their skills, deepen their understanding about how children learn, and stay current on changes in health and safety practices. Annual training can also reduce the isolation of family child care providers.

If you are interested reading more on Government policies on setting up child care centers, please read here.

Agency Accounting Feature in Child Care Management Software

In a childcare management software, special emphasis is laid on agency- based accounting. All the major activities related to an agency like billing, payment, reconciliations are all managed excellently in the web based platform. Agencies are those institutions that provide financial aid to families who are not able to bear all the financial expenses for childcare by themselves. It becomes easier for childcare programs to manage such agency related details via EZChildTrack as well.

EZChildTrack allows you to automatically generate invoices for agency. No manual work is needed to generate these invoices – all you need to do is specify your requirements and generate the invoice. This saves loads of time needed to generate invoices and other reports because it is all automated and takes away very little of your time. 

Childcare programs can concentrate on other important matters of their program especially those sections of the program which might require more attention. This in turn, enhances overall productivity. Based on the agency approved subsidy, children are enrolled into activities. In EZChildTrack, account receivables are maintained separately from that of parents. This allows for easy tracking of receivables of account holders and agencies and avoids unnecessary confusion. When agency makes payments, this information is recorded securely in the system and the amount is applied to respective account holders.

Additionally, EZChildTrack is a childcare management software that allows you to print agency related statements apart from invoices. You have the ability to transfer any agency balance to parents or write it off. The good thing about an online based software is that you can edit and manage all these details of an agency whenever, wherever required. The data can be accessed 24/7. All that is needed is an Internet enabled device and you are ready to start rolling.  

US Families Not Counting the Child Care Expenses

According to a recent study by Care.com website, the world's largest online care destination for finding and managing family care, fifty percent of the population of US do not count the expenses they meet for the child care in the family. Even though 75% of the population are overwhelmed by the child care monthly expenses, a good half nearly do not budget for it.

The survey which was conducted in May 2014, which surveyed more than 700 parents found that parents are misinformed about the cost of child care.

"Care is the largest single expense for many families with young children, a realization that catches many by surprise," said Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Care.com. "Whether you're a dual-income household or a single parent, budgeting for and meeting that expense is an on-going challenge. We hope to help families not only find care but also manage the cost associated with it."

"There are several planning steps we encourage families to take when expecting a baby," said Donna Levin, Co-Founder and VP of Operations, Care.com. "They should research the maternity and paternity leave policies of their employers and decide together who will take leave and for how long. Many families are also surprised to learn about the different kinds of care available, such as nannies, baby sitters and day care centers, and it's important to understand the differences as you select the solution that best fits your family. And finally, budget. Care.com's pay and nanny tax calculators are a good place to start in determining budget, how much you can afford to spend on child care, and what options make the most sense for your family."

And the earlier families plan, the more money they can save. Many employers offer flexible spending accounts (FSAs) where families can set aside up to $5,000 pre-tax for child care expenses. Additionally, some businesses offer child care reimbursements for working parents, on-site day care or membership to services like Care.com. However, the study found that only 31% of employees currently take advantage of benefits like FSAs, although 83% of employees who have access to child care benefits say they help reduce stress and improve work-life balance.

For more information and resources to help find and manage care, visit www.care.com/cost-of-care.

Account Management in Daycare Management Software

A daycare management software offers unique data management solutions for childcare programs. The software is mainly used in daycare centers and childcare programs to make it easier for them to manage data easily and quickly. The software is designed to be user friendly, powerful and flexible.

One of the popular daycare management software, EZChildTrack has complete information linked to an account can be viewed at a single place with just a click of a button. The software allows you to track account details, registration/enrollment details, payments. You can record all of your accounting, and personal information at one place. The user is able to filter out information based on demographics of children and family. This software can retrieve information like emergency contacts and adults authorized to pickup, immunization records, program registration information. Also they can track enrollment and de-enrollment details of students, enrollment history and registration documents, communication with account holders. Approving new account holders and registration of new students and proper management of waiting list are some of the main benefits of using this software. Parent communication is possible through customized text messages and through email blasts. This software helps in keeping information updated every year so that a childcare program can smoothly run their operations. Bills due can be viewed, and account holders can make payments and also do on-screen data input and printout of invoices. Instead of using the old-fashioned manual data entry through paper and pen, you can print professional-looking invoices quickly.

The speed and accuracy of operations, and, most importantly, the ability to see real-time statuses of account holders is a plus when it comes to using this software. The data is instantly available and can be made available to different users in different locations at the same time. With such a software package, the data is there -- all organized in one place ready to be reviewed, reprinted and resent in case of problems. Even a layman who doesn’t have any experience in using a software can use this day care management software because of its extremely user friendly capabilities. EZChildTrack software allows faster data entry than manual accounting. It also updates some records automatically which means that your account records will always remain up to date, saving time in updating.

Are You Interested in Becoming Child Care Provider?

If your interested in becoming a childcare provide in Vermont, you can apply online through the state website. The vermont State law requires any person who provides care to more than two families, other than  their own children, then you must be registered with Department for Children and Families.

If you become registered or licensed by the Child Development Division of the Department for Children and Families, you are eligible for getting paid from the Vermont state's child care subsidy program.

There are three ways to get approved,

* Licensed Program: For normal child care centers providing care to children in approved location. The number and age of children that can be admitted to the center will depend on the available approved space and staffing qualifications.

* Register Family Care Home: This is a special category child care program a center is approved only in the provider's residence. Here the center is limited to small number of children and from nearby locations.

* Legally Exempt Child Care: This is another special category where the provider is caring for not more than two families. This program also is eligible to receive payment through child care subsidy program.

So if you are interested in starting a child care center, check this link of Vermont State's website of Child Development Division of the Department for Children and Families, and apply by the respective links.

Website of Child Development Division of the Department for Children and Families.

Increasing Daycare Costs Results in More Stay At Home Moms

At new research study by the Pew Research Center has came out with a striking report that the daycare expenses are increasing across the US and it is resulting in an increase in the stay at homes. Married women are increasingly setting aside their careers and are staying at home to take care of their children.

According to the report, in 1999, only 23% of mothers stayed at home to look after their children, but that number rose to 29% in 2013. The average middle class family spend around $235,000 over 17 years to upbring a child according to a report by United States Education Department.

Overall in 2011, more than 2.7 million preschoolers with employed mothers (25.2% of preschoolers in that category) had their primary care arrangement through a day-care center, preschool or other organized facility, according to Census.

To reduce the costs of Daycare centers it is advisable to use more technology and innovation. One such option is to use daycare management software for the daycare centers that will help them considerably control their expenses. This will long way go to reduce the daycare fees and make it more affordable.

Reference: Pew Research Center.

According to the report, Massachusetts ranks top in sending a infant to the daycare center at an annual costs of $16,430, followed by New York. The costs also varies considerably with geography. New York comes with top of the list for Children at 4 years and school age child.

Day Care Management Software - A Preview

Daycare management centres use various different types of softwares to manage their administrative activities. From stand alone expensive softwares, most of the centers nowadays use web based management softwares, which are less expensive and easy to maintain because data can be accessed from any part of the world.

In this blog we will discuss some of the functionalities of these web based softwares.

Electronic Registration in a Day Care Management Software

With the increased volume of data that needs to be managed in day care centers, it has become inevitable to make use of an efficient daycare management software that would help you to maintain all information centrally. One of the primary tasks in a day care center is to register participants and to store this registration data safely. With the help of a secure electronic registration form, the whole registration process can be completed in a matter of minutes. A web based registration form can be accessed whenever and wherever required (the only requirement being an Internet enabled device) which means registration can be carried out 24/7.

A parent registration form allows parents to input participant details themselves thereby increasing their involvement in the whole registration process. They get to view, choose and register their children to desired programs and activities. They get to specify their registration and enrollment preferences. You can also easily define account/child registration fees for a program. Parents can also make payments immediately using a number of payment modes. For example, they can opt to make payment via their credit cards or bank accounts. They can even save their account details in the system for the future to make payments faster and easier. Registration applications submitted by parents can be approved by program directors.

In case you want to add some new customized fields to registration forms, a good daycare management software allows you to do that as well. With the help of an upload option, you should be able to upload all mandatory registration documents. This is highly convenient for program directors, who when reviewing an account, can go through the registration documents and analyse the account holder’s details in-depth. This also prevents manual data entry since you do not need to enter details in those documents again. All you need to do is upload the document and you’re done.