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Guide to Child Care and Development Services in San Benito County

In 1991, Assemblywoman Jackie Speier (AB 2141), recommended that local child care planning councils be created for each county in California. These councils were charged with establishing local priorities for expending Federal Child Care and Development Block Grant (FBG) funds. In order to set priorities, local communities were encouraged to determine needs and evaluate resources. Upon receiving these recommendations, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors and San Benito County Office of Education each voted to collaborate with one another in the development of a county-wide FBG funding priorities, and to create a Local Planning Council (LPC).

The LPC of San Benito County is made up of appointed members representing county government, County Office of Education, community college, employers, resource and referral agency, Department of Health and Human Services, community organizations and child care experts. Since its inception, it has met on a need's basis to review priorities, to ensure the integration of child care (both subsidized and non-subsidized) in all phases of community activities, and to increase awareness of the importance of child care to the economic growth and vitality of the community. The LPC also is charged with providing a focus for community child care and development efforts, providing a link between services funded by the California Department of Education (CDE), and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), and providing a voice for child care and development in county government and local education.

San Benito County families have experienced the same changes that have affected the American family in the last 25 years. The need for child care took off in the 1970's and accelerated in the 1980's. Women with young children have joined the work force in these rapidly changing social and economic circumstances, and child care services are in great demand. It is the San Benito County LPCs hope that the community sees child care as a broad-based community issue.

The focus of this guide is to inform San Benito County community members and team players of available options for child care benefits that are currently available as well as to serve as a resource.

California has long been the national leader in the development of innovative and create' e child care services. Some small elements of child care existed in California in the 1930's and 1940's, impacting only a small number of children.

In the 1940's, two developments took place that had a lasting effect on child care:

• Lanham Act - Legislation was approved to establish child care during World War II. Centers were established at the Kaiser Ship Building Works on the west coast. In planning the program, only top-notch administrators and credentialed staff were hired to operate the child care centers. Examples of unique services rendered included - 24 hour care, nurses and doctors on-site; shopping services for working parents; clothes available for purchase on-site; take home meals that could be purchased at a central kitchen; and a mending and shopping service. The end result was quality programming that has rarely been duplicated even today.
• There was a flowering of child development theory in colleges and universities. Child psychology evolved, and there emerged interest in early development and new theories of child rearing practices.

The 1940's and 1950's also saw a burgeoning of nursery schools, parent co-ops, and parent/child observation classes. This area developed a commitment to quality programs for children. In the more than forty years that have elapsed, new research has added much to our knowledge of what young children need and how children learn. The 1960's and 1970's were years of turbulence and social change. Most significant was the development of Head Start and other compensatory programs for low-income children. In addition, these were the times when large numbers of women became employed, returned to school and/or training programs. In response, federal and state monies were allocated to subsidize child care services.

Government assistance in paying for child care has a long history in California. It has evolved from a small number of federally funded child care centers for mothers working in the defense industry in 1943 to the diverse statewide system we now have in 1996. The system now includes certificates for all types of care, child care centers for all age groups, respite care for children who are victims of abuse or neglect, school-age parenting and infant care, care for migrant children, campus child care, on-site school age child care, family child care homes, State Preschool and Child Care Resource & Referral programs to help parents find child care, help train child care providers, assist the community in identifying needs, encourage supply building, and maintain local data on child care. The demand for more child care subsidies continues to grow in response to welfare reform and increasing number of low-income single parent and two parent families in the workforce.

Child care is a growing concern. The composition of the workforce will continue to dramatically change over the next decade, women, minorities and immigrants making up a larger proportion of the work force than ever before. Child care is a requisite for many parents seeking to leave or avoid welfare and succeed in the workplace.

Quality child care and development is growing in demand because of two factors: more and more families find it necessary to have both parents working to get by financially, and single-parent households are on the rise. In California, both parents work in 80% of two-parent families, and the number of single parent families doubled in the last decade. The demand for infant care is growing especially fast, with mothers of children under age three the fastest growing group in the workforce. In short, child care and development programs are now more essential than ever.

The need for child care does not translate into demand unless parents can pay, and few can afford to pay the cost of good quality care. Child care services are purchased by parents from an array of nonprofit and for-profit providers. Public funds provide subsidized child care for low-income parents, but this service is limited and families who earn more than the state median income are not eligible for low cost quality care.

San Benito County faces the same child care issues as communities across the nation, though local conditions affect how they are experienced. These concerns include the following:

The cost of child care creates a heavy financial burden for many families. National research indicates that on average, working families spend 10% of their income for child care. However, the working poor pay 20 - 50% % of their income on child care. Many parents endure enormous financial hardships, making numerous sacrifices to secure care for their children.

cost of full time child care at private child development centers and licensed family child care homes in County is.

Subsidized child care services funded by the California Department of Education reimburse agencies at the following rate. A base rate of $22.43 per day per child or $5,518 per child per year (base upon on providing services a minimum of 246 days per year). A higher daily reimbursement rate is provided for infants toddlers and special needs. Families have to be income eligible in order to qualify for subsidized services.

Quality child care programs share these characteristics:

• The environment is safe and comfortable
• Children receive care in small groups
• Each adult worker is responsible for only a few children
• Personnel are well prepared and adequately paid
• The program encourages parent involvement and is linked to comprehensive health and nutrition services
• Training is required for child care providers
• Consistent standards of quality are established for infant, toddler, preschool and school-age child care
• Child care is developmentally, culturally and linguistically appropriate

The demand for infant care continues to outstrip the supply. In particular, infant care is more to provide than care for older children. This makes it more difficult for women to return to work after leave. School-age child care is also hard to find. In San Benito County, only two public elementary schools have s on-site child care programs. These programs are limited by the licensed child care facilities . A 1995 child care survey conducted by the San Benito County LPC indicated a need for more school-age care, more affordable care, and more center-based care, particularly in the San Juan Bautista area.

The county's licensed child care facilities in general are unevenly distributed with a greater supply in Hollister than in San Juan Bautista. In an area where many people commute long distances to work, child care is because it adds to commute time. In addition, the operating hours of child care programs do not always e with working hours, and may dictate or limit work shifts.

San Benito County parents draw upon an array of child care services and arrangements: from child care centers (for-profit or nonprofit) and family child care homes (FCCH), after-school-programs, and more informal arrangements with relatives and friends. The parents need expanded and enhanced services: examples include early morning, evening and weekend care, sick child and emergency care.

In addition, the county has limited subsidized child care funding for low-income families, and these programs have typical waiting lists of up to two years long. Lack of child care, insufficient subsidized care, and poor quality care all have social costs. These include absenteeism and turnover in the workplace, unsupervised children, and parents who remain on welfare because they cannot afford child care.

There is evidence that it is less expensive to provide quality child care now than to correct future problems caused by the lack of such care. In a series of extensive longitudinal studies conducted over more than 20 years, the High/Scope Research Foundation found that preschoolers, especially four year olds, that entered a Head Start-type program for preschool developmental enhancement and parenting support succeeded in school and later life at a statistically higher level than like children who do not have a similar preschool experience. Not only were the children with preschool experience able to achieve higher grades in junior high and high school, but they also exhibited higher salaries after completion of school. The study significantly shows a clear relationship between the preschool experience and success in later life.

The 1994 Report on the Carnegie Task Force on Meeting the Needs of Young Children identified a child care crisis in America, in which many of our youngest children suffer. They miss important early experiences that are necessary to develop health intellectual and social capacities. The costs of providing such care will be significant, but the costs of ignoring the growing crisis in child care quality are even higher.

Child care centers and family child care homes in California are required to be licensed by the Community Care Licensing Division of the State Department of Social Services, except in several counties that subcontract with the state to issue family child care locally.

Two sets of regulations apply to child care

• All programs must meet the guidelines specified in Tide 22 of the California Administrative Code, which is based on the Health and Safety Code.
• In addition, most state-subsidized child care centers must meet Education Code requirements (commonly known as Title 5), which set stricter adult/child ratios and staff qualifications than Title 22.

(Source: Guide to Training and Professional Growth in the Child Development Field, developed by The Quality/Staff Training Action Planning Group, a subcommittee of the Local Planning Child Care Planning Council of Santa Clara County, 1996)

Child Care Centers

Care provided in a child care center or school. All center-based child care and preschool facilities must be licensed except for a few specified types. Infant Child Care Centers are licensed to care for infants and toddlers under age 2. Child Care Centers are licensed to care for children over age 2 who are not enrolled in school. School-Age Child Care Centers are licensed to serve children who are enrolled in kindergarten and above. Child Care Centers for Mildly Ill Children are licensed to provide non-medical care to mildly ill children of all ages. Centers can be a private proprietary business that are owner-operated, private nonsectarian school and corporate franchises and chains.

Centers can be private nonprofits operated by nonprofit community agencies, private nonsectarian schools, churches and synagogues and parent cooperatives.

Public agencies such as public schools, colleges, universities, city, county and state agencies can also operate child care centers.

Centers are inspected prior to licensure and receive an unannounced visit each year. An annual fee of $ 100 to $500, depending on the capacity, is assessed per license. Fees for private nonprofit and public agencies with multiple licenses are capped at $1,000.

This type of care is provided in a home of the caregiver - most often a woman with children of her own.

Small Family Child Care Homes are licensed to care for eight children, including the provider's own children under age 10. At least two of the children must be 6 or older, and no more than two may be infants.

Large Family Child Care Homes are licensed to care for 12 children and must have a second caregiver present. At least two of the children must be 6 or older, and no more than three may be infants.

Family child care homes are inspected prior to licensure and once every three years thereafter. Random spot checks are made to 20 percent of homes annually. Small family child care homes are assessed an annual fee of $25; large homes a $50 fee.

A few center-based facilities for children are exempt from licensure to include: special education preschool programs; school age parent and infant development programs; extended day care programs operated by public and private schools; public recreation programs that operate for short period of time; and cooperative child care arrangements involving no payment. Exempt homes are family child care homes that care for the children of only one family and do not need to be licensed. In-home care is child care that is provided in a child's own home and is exempt from licensure. In-home care may be provided by relatives, neighbors, nannies, or other caregivers.

The Trustline Registry is a list of licensure-exempt child care providers who have received a background clearance from the California Department of Justice. This clearance is the same as that is required for licensed child care facilities. The registry currently contains about 13,600 names in California. Licensure-exempt family child care providers and in-home providers (except grandparents, aunts and uncles) must be "trustlined" to receive payment through some state and federal subsidy programs.

More and more children are now cared for part of the time by adults who are not their parents. Choosing caregivers is one of the most important decisions parents have to make. The more that is known about what to look for when choosing child care, the better equipped parents will be to make that decision wisely, and with a sense of security that they have done the best thing for their child.

When considering family child care homes or a child care center, parents need to be concerned with three major areas:

• The caregiver (or caregivers)
• The place
• The program

There are important factors to look for in each of these areas. Parents need to visit the places that offer child care outside 'de the home once, and preferably twice - once alone, and once with the child. They should be prepared to ask lots of questions, it being a good idea to make a list of questions. A good caregiver shares concern for a child's welfare, and will be prepared to answer questions.

There are a number of practical questions that should be answered on the first interview with the caregiver. A list of basics follows:

• Is the home or center licensed?
• What are the fees and the payment schedules?
• During what hours is care available?
• Are there flexible or extended hours for emergencies, and at what cost?
• What is the training and background of the staff?
• What is the ratio of staff to children?
• What are the entry requirements (minimum age requirement, for example)?
• What is the daily schedule of activities?
• How are parents informed of their child's progress?
• What procedures are there for handling an illness or an accident?

The first and most important aspect of any child care arrangement is the caregiver- the person (or people) who will supplement the care that is provided by the parent. The caregiver is responsible for every aspect of the program a child will be joining.

Here are some things to look for in a good caregiver:

• Is there frequent interaction between the caregiver and the children - one to one, as well as in groups?
• Are children treated with affection?
• Are children treated with respect?
• Is cooperation fostered, rather than competition?
• Is there plenty of encouragement and a minimum of criticism or scolding?
• Are children shown how to solve problems as they arise?
• Are the reasons for doing or not doing something explained?
• Does the caregiver listen to the children? * Are there enough caregivers to promote individual attention?
• Does the caregiver communicate with parents and seem responsible to their concerns?
• Is there an open door policy - are parents free to drop in unannounced?

A relationship with the caregiver is very important. The parent and caregiver need to see the benefits of the other's observations in order to see that the child is enjoying and profiting from the experience. The child's growth land happiness are common objectives. Establish a trusting relationship with the caregiver on a daily basis, as well as in planned meetings or conferences.

Whether a person is looking at a family child care home or a center, the space and materials available are an important consideration. Try to look at it from a child's viewpoint. How would you have liked to be there as a child?

• Is it clean and cheerful?
• Is there enough space for the children to move freely?
• Is there outdoor space and is it enclosed, safe and easy to supervise?
• Is play equipment safe and well maintained?
• Is there a quiet area for children to retreat to if they need to be by themselves?
• Are toilet facilities adequate and easy for the children to use?
• Are dangerous objects (e.g. knives) and substances (detergents, drugs) locked away or out of children's reach?
• Are the materials and toys stored so that the children can get at them and put them away?
• Is there a variety of supplies such as paints, crayons, paper and clay?
• Is there adequate space for naptime, and enough cots, mats or cribs?

The daily schedule of activities will shape a child's days. It's very important that it be both flexible and stimulating. It should be designed to enrich the child's development and to provide for cognitive, emotional and social growth. For young children, playing and learning cannot be separated; they happen at the same time.

Some things to look for in a day's program are:

• time and activities for both the child alone and the child in a group
• small muscle skill activities (using scissors, crayons, etc.)
• large muscle skill activities (climbing equipment, tricycles, etc.)
• times for children to make their own choices as well as time to follow directions
• creative activities: dance, music, art, dramatic play
• both outdoor and indoor activities
• opportunities for the children to remove themselves from the group for a period of time
• meals that are nutritious and appealing.

There is no place, however well run, that is right for every child. Parents are the final - and the best judge of what is good for a child. It is up to parents to monitor their child's welfare. They should keep their eyes open, ask questions about anything that bothers them, and visit periodically. Once a child care arrangement has been chosen, it is important for parents to maintain a creative partnership with the caregiver chosen so that the child go from home to child care in an atmosphere of affection and caring.

Child care and development in California is a local enterprise. Policies and programs may be shaped at the state and federal levels, but it is the program managers, their staff, and providers who breathe operational life into the system in local communities. The people who provide and use child care and development services represent the hands-on, human dimension of government services. Their efforts very often determine the extent to which the programs serve children.

There are at least seven local agencies that perform administrative or support functions for subsidized child care and development services:

The San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency provides local administration for all welfare-related child care services, including Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN), Non-CalWORKS Education and Training (NET), Transitional Child Care (TCC), the AFDC Child Care Income Disregard, Supplemental Child Care (SCC), the California Alternative Assistance Program (CAAP), and Cal-Learn.

There is at least one R & R in each county, and Growth and Opportunity, Inc. is the state designated agency in San Benito County. Sixty local agencies (including private nonprofit organizations, local government, and local agencies) contract with the state of California and other organizations to provide resource and referral (R & R) services to parents and providers. These programs provide information and assistance to parents seeking child care and development services. They develop consumer education materials; offer training and support services to providers; and maintain waiting lists for some programs. In many areas, they assess child care and development needs in their communities and assist in local planning s activities. Some R & R's have contracts with county welfare departments to provide child care information to GAIN clients.

Alternative Payment Program (APP) Agencies

There are 110 APP' s spread throughout the state, in local government, education and community non-profit agencies, about two-thirds of APP's are part of the same agency as the Resource and Referral service. Growth and Opportunity, Inc. is the agency in San Benito County that holds the APP contracts. The APP contracts with the Department of Education administer the local General fund Alternative Payment Program, the IV-A-AT -Risk program, and the Federal Block Grant Certificate Program. The agency determines eligibility for certificate programs, maintain waiting lists, establish agreements with providers rents, and send payments to providers or parents.

Family Child Care Systems comprise less than five percent of the Department of Education's General Child Care and Development Program. The Department contracts with local nonprofit agencies, school districts, local governments, and individual child development programs to administer local family child care systems. These agencies are responsible for determining eligibility, providing support services to children and providers, reimbursing providers, and monitoring program quality. Family child care providers participating in these networks may be associated with, or employed by, a child development center, or operate as independent contractors.

Since 1991, County Boards of Supervisors and Superintendents of County Offices of Education have been authorized to form local Child Care Planning Councils. The San Benito County Board of Supervisors and the San Benito County Office of Education collaborated to form a local LPC. These councils were created in every county to development community priorities for the Federal Child Are and Development Block Grant, and to do overall community planning for subsidized and non-subsidized child care services. Although severe state and local budget difficulties have constrained the activities of many councils, new state funding in 1994, 1995 and 1996 has substantially strengthened the council.

The Department of Health and Human Services directly contracts with local Head Start Grantees, which may be county offices of education, school districts, or nonprofit community agencies. Grantees administer all aspects of the programs for their delegate agency (providers) and report directly to the federal government. The Santa Clara County Office of Education is the Head Start grantee from San Benito and Santa Clara Counties. The administration of the federal Head Start program completely bypasses state and local government.

The Department of Education also contracts directly with 1, 155 providers, including local government and education agencies, nonprofit organizations, and individual child care and development centers. Growth and Opportunity, Inc. is the major contractor in the San Benito County. These agencies handle all administrative functions and provide direct services for children and families for over 3,200 child care development centers located throughout California.

Program evaluation is critical for determining if programs meet quality standards. Existing quality review and accreditation processes include: the Department of Education's Exemplary Program Standards (EPS), the Head Start On-Site Program Review Instrument (OSPRI), and the voluntary accreditation systems operated by the National Association of Education for Young Children's (NAEYC) and the National Association for Family Day Care Accreditation. All of these instruments include a variety of validated standards for measure of quality. Potentially, one or more of these instruments could be used to distinguish "approved" programs throughout the state. The Family Day Care Association and NAEYC accreditation processes are time and energy consuming, and relatively costly. As a result, there only about 400 plus accredited child care centers in California, and even fewer accredited family child care home.

In addition, the most extensively used instrument for subsidized program evaluation, the Department of Education's EPS, is aimed at program improvement, and does not include "pass/fail" standards for quality. This tool would require extensive revision to be used as a program approval instrument. Finally, no quality assessment process has been developed for exempt care, which comprises a significant portion of subsidized child care in California.

(Source: Child Care and Development ,Services for Children and Families,Phase II Final Report by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), October 1995)

Communities throughout the state are experimenting with a wide range of comprehensive programs for families with young children. Model programs include Even Start, Healthy Start and Head Start. Head Start continues to evolve and improve it's attempt to meet the growing needs of families. Historically, Head Start has had a limited mandate, primarily three to five year olds from low-income families who need an extra boost to be ready for school. While it too has been criticized for uneven quality, Head Start has gained enormous credibility as a cost-effective, national program that significantly improves changes of early school success.

The Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality and Expansion, formed in 1993 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, envisions an expanded and renewed Head Start that serves children under the age of three. Another Head Start need that is being addressed in some communities is innovative programming to provide full-time child care and development services for working families including migrant families.

While the above models for children's services are exciting and promising, leadership for building new partnerships in the community also need to be local. The problems of young children and their families do not lend themselves to one solution. Communities need a comprehensive approach that involves collaboration with the local colleges and universities, government agencies, child development experts, local schools, county offices of education, social services, health care agencies, businesses and other community resources.

One shining example is the San Benito County Private Industry Council's (PIC's) partnership with local, state and federal agencies to build a child care center for JTPA trainees and the community in Hollister. The project is unique because the site for the center is where a number of services for the community are located, i.e., Department of Health and Human Services, Employment Development Department, Community Services and Workforce Development, Child Care Resource & Referral, etc. Funds were received from the Community Development Block Grant, United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development, Santa Clara County Office of Education's Head Start program, and local community entities. The child care center has a classroom for Head Start preschool children and one for JTPA low-income families. The PIC is also a partner in a task force working on the development of an integrated one-stop career center. The one-stop center expects to offer a wide variety of services to better serve the community's needs at one comprehensive location.

To spark community change that will benefit children and their families, more collaborative efforts need to be made with federal, state and local governments to help communities improve their services and support. They can do so by mounting systematic efforts to support local change, by removing cumbersome regulations, and by mobilizing other sectors, including business and the media, to make the needs of families with young children a priority.

In the face of an increasing need, government agencies directly and indirectly continue to provide support in the area of child care services. The major funding sources for full time child care of children include Federal and state programs for child care for low-income families, food subsidies for child care' and income tax deductions. The Earned Income Credit (EIC) is a special tax benefit only for people who work full- or part-time. Eligibility is based upon income and number of people in the family. Example. If a parent lived with one child in 1995 and the family earned less than $24,396, a deduction of up to $2,094 could be obtained. A two Parent family with two or more children in 1995 earning less than $26,673 is eligible for up to $3,110. Even workers who are not raising children can get EIC if they earned less than $9,230, and if they were between ages 25 and 64 can get up to $3]4peryear.

Should employers be involved in family issues? Many employers believe that investing in the workforce is important. Child care issues affect nearly one quarter of the workforce. Today, more employers than ever before are thinking about offering child care benefits to their employees. According to Child Care Options, A Guide for Em 'Employers in Santa Clara County, a 1989 survey by the Wyatt Company, a benefits consulting firm, found that 25% of Bay Area employers had some type of benefit in place, while 50% said they were likely to offer one within 12 months. Most companies with no child care listed cost (37%) and liability (27%) as the main barriers. The third most frequent reason was lack of information (14%).

Employers can benefit in many ways through support for working parents. Alternative approaches have been used by employers to help parents: They include assisting parents in recognizing quality child care and finding care; providing flex time so that they can balance work and family responsibilities; and providing support for existing child care programs in the community or providing direct child care services under their auspices. California provides a tax credit to employers and employer collaboratives in the state who assist their employees with child care and is available until January 1, 1998.

Caring communities can be envisioned as having affordable, accessible, convenient and effective services that help build strong families. These programs should provide appropriate environments for young children from birth through their early school years.

According to the The Report of the National Task Force on School Readiness, National Association of State Boards of Education, 1991, there are four characteristics that form the foundation of this vision:

• Integrated and comprehensive services
• Developmentally appropriate practice
• Parent involvement and family-focused policies and services
• Well-trained and adequately compensated staff

Services should be conveniently located, promote continuity and respond to the comprehensive needs of both children and families. All families with young children can use some assistance, such as help in locating and evaluating child care. Other families need a wider range of support in order to do a good job in raising their children. A community support system should allow families to choose the services they need, with minimal bureaucratic costs and requirements.

Needed are developmental services for children including developmentally appropriate full-day programs in centers, family child care homes, family support programs (before and after school child care), and health programs with screening and assessment to identify children with potential special needs and referrals to appropriate programs. This vision comprises a range of funding sources, including public and private agencies and affordable parent fees.

Collaboration is needed to bring together a number of community interests that can be used to develop and ensure comprehensive services. Collaboration can result in increased funding and provide better linkages among agencies. San Benito County needs a shared vision that allows community leaders, local government, educators, service providers and private and philanthropic sectors to pay more attention to families with children and support local efforts to direct attention and resources to meet the needs of young children and their families.

For additional information about this web page, please contact:

Elaine Luksus
Growth and Opportunity, Inc.
355 Woodview Avenue, Suite 600
Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Phone: (408) 779-1943
Fax: (408) 778-5458