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