很少有儿童能够获得高质量的幼儿教育计划
DOYLESTOWN, PA (February 10th, 2014) – PCCY’s latest report “The Bottom Line is Children: Early Care and Education in Bucks County” finds that because of a lack of state investment, only about a third of low and moderate income children have access to high quality early learning programs. More than 5,000 additional seats are needed to fill the gap.
该报告还指出：
- Less than 20% of licensed child care programs are considered high quality.
- 96% of all children under five do not attend a highly rated private child care program.
- Nearly three quarters of Bucks County families depend on child care because both parents work.
- Only a third of hard working families are getting assistance to help pay for child care.
研究表明，参加高质量的早期儿童教育计划的低收入和中产阶级儿童更有可能从高中毕业并获得高薪工作。
“Quality counts when it comes to early education programs for our children,” said Shawn Towey, Child Care Policy Coordinator for PCCY. “Unfortunately only about one in five licensed child care programs in Bucks County are considered high quality.”
State budget cuts have made it difficult for a majority of low-and-moderate income Bucks County families to enroll their children in high quality programs. PCCY’s report says “state cuts made to the child care subsidy program reduced the number of slots available in Bucks County by 21% or 395 children in the last five years.”
“It is unacceptable to deprive our children of quality early learning programs they need to prepare for school,” said Stacy Helton, Director of Tabor Children’s House. “Our lawmakers must listen to the decades of research and increase investments in early childhood education.”
For Bucks County families who are not eligible for child care subsidy, the costs associated with child care can make up a considerable amount of the family budget. The median cost of child care for a typical family of four with two young children is $23,449. A high quality center can cost significantly more. The median cost of care is similar across southeastern Pennsylvania.
“Families should not have to break the bank to provide high quality early care for their children,” said Nancy Morrill, President of the Bucks County Women’s Advocacy Coalition. “With the costs of child care now rivaling the costs of college, changes need to be made to take the burden off hard working parents so their children can get the start they need in life.”
The good news for Bucks County is families eligible for child care subsidy have trended away from using unlicensed, relative/neighbor care. Since 1997, the use of such care has dropped from 25%, to only 4% today.
“It is great that an overwhelming majority of Bucks County children are enrolled in regulated programs,” said Pat Miiler, Bucks County Quality Child Care Coalition Coordinator. “However, the State must do much more to provide access to high-quality care for all our kids.”
To improve early care and education for Bucks County children, PCCY recommends County leaders:
- 支持宾夕法尼亚州的Pre-K for PA活动，最终目标是为宾夕法尼亚州每3岁和4岁的孩子提供高质量的学前班。
- 在全县范围内开展宣传活动，以提高计划质量，以帮助提供者支付一次性和长期的质量改进费用。
- 为社区大学和其他计划提供激励，以增加在儿童服务领域工作的成年人的服务水平，从而提高他们的素质。
- 从县经济发展资源中创建赠款/贷款池，以资本支出帮助托儿设施，以帮助他们提高对儿童的服务质量。
- 与其他县建立伙伴关系，倡导国家增加对所有符合条件的工作家庭的儿童保育补贴，并将等待时间减少至30天或更短。
PCCY’s report, “The Bottom Line is Children: Early Care and Education in Bucks County,” is the final report in a four-part series looking at issues affecting children in each of Philadelphia’s suburban counties. PCCY’s previous reports on education, family economic security, and child health can be viewed at www.childrenfirstpa.org/bottomlinecountyreports