Our overloaded child care system is failing children and families. The authors explain what children of different ages--and their families--need, and what kinds of programs are necessary in light of current social and economic realities.

ABOUT THE BOOK If you're a new parent (or just new to looking for child care), the many options and choices available can be overwhelming. Most people think of a daycare facility when the concept of childcare is considered, but there are actually many other options, including ones you probably never knew existed. Child care can generally be divided into two broad categories: care in your own home by a provider or care in an outside facility. Within each of these lie a number of choices. Care in your home can be provided by anyone from a family member to a live-in nanny to a part-time babysitter. Outside care choices include small home day cares and large centers. The costs and services vary from provider to provider. Arranging for child care when you can't be there is not only a practical issue, but an emotional one too. The decision to leave your child with someone else is a tough one that many parents struggle with. They want to make sure they choose the best care for their child - one that provides a safe, stimulating, comfortable environment in which the child will thrive and learn. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK As children grow, they may be more active and require more care than a family member is able to provide. If you choose a family member for care, be sure to set a timeframe in advance so that you know what to expect, and plan on looking for alternative care when the child is older. Another potential problem with in-home care by a family member is that the person may not provide the kind of care you desire. Just being family doesn't guarantee that the person is good at caring for your children. If there are significant differences between your values and expectations - such as how much television you want your child to watch, what type of activities to do, and how discipline is handled - it may be best to consider a different type of arrangement. A final, more practical problem is that if you will still need backup care. If your family member is sick or traveling, you'll have to find alternate arrangements. Be sure to have a backup plan in place. Another option for in home care is a nanny. The benefits of hiring a nanny are the same for other in-home care. Transitions are easier, and the children may feel more comfortable in their own home... Buy a copy to keep reading! CHAPTER OUTLINE Child Care When You Can't Be There + Introduction + Determine Your Childcare Budget + In-home Childcare Choices + Child Care Outside the Home + ...and much more

Replacing family allowances with childcare subsidies in Russia might have a strong positive effect on women's participation in the labor force and thus could be effective in reducing poverty.

As the need for child care services in the United States continues to grow, so does the debate about how effective child care policies should be shaped. It is more important than ever for legislators, public officials, advocacy groups, and concerned parents and citizens to focus on that debate and on the need to change policies and attitudes--changes that must take place if children and families are to have sufficient, affordable, and quality child care services. This volume provides a balanced and thorough assessment of the child care field and a thought-provoking guide to the difficult choices that lie ahead. The authors, experts in child and family policy, examine important facts about major demographic and social developments, describe the effects of the Reagan administration's emphasis on privatization and deregulation, and analyze the contributions and limitations of several local and state initiatives. An invaluable source for everyone concerned with child care issues, this volume makes solid recommendations for shaping a much-needed child care policy that is responsive to the circumstances and needs of families and their children.

This book shines a light on the dynamics of parental decisions and discovers a remarkable ability. Disputing idealized professional measures as irrelevant to the everyday life of most families, Professor Emlen describes detailed evidence from his own research and arrives at a simple but profound conclusion: that parents have a propensity to make the best choices possible. It all depends on how much flexibility they can marshal from work schedules, shared family efforts, and helpful providers of childcare. Based on successful measurement of childcare quality from a parent's point of view, the findings show that as parents solve their flexibility puzzle, the more flexibility from any or all sources, the better the quality of care. Emlen gives the familiar concept of flexibility new scope and depth, as a necessity for any planned activity, as a resource that comes from multiple sources within the immediate environment, and as a creative problem-solving ability that parents possess. This satisfying explanation of parental choice contradicts prevailing opinion and has pivotal importance for policy. Emlen traces how an influential vanguard within the childcare profession gave parents a bum rap that led to bad policy, as advocates sought a system of childcare that left parents behind and ignored the vulnerability of families. Emlen charts a new direction, with policies that will increase the wellsprings of flexibility, while respecting freedom of parental choice of childcare. Many readers will hail a book that makes a case for policy that strengthens the wellbeing of families, improves employment policies, and offers ways to enhance the big picture of childcare in America in all its diversity. This book will be read by those interested in an ecological study of the nature and dynamics of parental judgment and decisions-particularly in the author's fundamental hypothesis explaining the relationship between flexibility and optimal choice. The book will be read also by corporate managers of human resources, early childhood experts, childcare professionals, and by working parents themselves, who will appreciate the book's thoughtful defense of parental choice.

Choosing Quality Child Care is a guide for parents on how to identify and choose a child care provider that meets their needs and preferences. Written by child care experts and experienced American Red Cross instructors, Choosing Quality Child Care contains information on the types of child care, paying for child care, and what to look for as indicators of quality child care. A seven-step process for completing the search is supplemented by tools and resources, such as observation checklists and interview forms.

Although federal and state support for childcare has increased dramatically in response to welfare work requirements, low-income families are still facing difficulties balancing work and family obligations. There is wide variation across states in the strictness of welfare work requirements and in the generosity of childcare support. In addition, the level of co-payments required and the flexibility to use subsidies for informal modes of childcare differ across states, leading families to make different childcare and employment choices. The purpose of From Welfare to Childcare is first to describe what changes occurred in childcare following the 1996 welfare reform legislation, and then to analyze how federal welfare and subsidy policies influence the availability, accessibility, and quality of childcare arrangements for single mothers with young children. National in scope, it focuses on how the reforms influence the way that children are cared for when their mothers leave welfare and enter the workforce. This book is suitable for national, state, and local policymakers, non-profit organizations that study and attempt to influence public policy, and scholars interested in family and social policy issues. It can be used as a text in graduate level courses on welfare, poverty, and children and public policy.