Indicator: Access to Childcare
- Access to Childcare
- Before and After School Programs
- Certfied Quality Childcare
Access to Childcare
Why This is Important
Access to child care is important because it enables parents to work and child care arrangements can have strong implications for the well-being and development of children in care. Choosing child care is one of the most important decisions a parent will make. It sets the stage for lifelong learning, stimulates healthy brain growth, builds social competencies, provides stable, stimulating environments for ‘children at risk’, and offers intervention for children with special needs. Maine has many different child care options to meet the various needs of families: child care centers, family child care homes, nursery schools, legal-unlicensed child care, head start programs, school age programs, summer programs, public school pre-K programs, and in-home care.
Where We Stand
According to data compiled by Maine Roads to Quality, licensed child care programs in Maine include 921 centers, 203 nursery schools and 2,496 family child care programs. Maine Roads to Quality (funded by Maine DHHS, Office of Child Care and Head Start) is an Early Care and Education Career Development Center that promotes and supports professionalism in the early care and education field.
According to the Maine Child Care Advisory Council’s report, Early Care and Education In Maine, 2007 and Beyond, approximately 46,000 Maine children under age five (of whom 8,800 are infants) need child care while their parents work, and only 27,000 spaces in licensed child care programs for children under five. The table below lists the number of children who are on a wait list.
Access to child care is particularly problematic for infants and young toddlers. According to the 2006 Workforce Report, the number of children on waiting lists for center-based and family child care is over 5,000 and almost half of the children on wait lists are infants and young toddlers.
Data Source and Context
Early Care and Education in Maine, 2007 & Beyond, Maine Child Care Advisory Council.
http://mainegov-images.informe.org/dhhs/ocfs/ec/occhs/early_childhood_education.pdf
Maine Child Care Workforce Climate Report and Market Rate Analysis 2006 http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/publications.shtml
Maine Roads to Quality website: http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/maineroads/pages/aboutcenter.htm
Before and After School Programs
Why This is Important
Maine educators and policymakers recognize that before- and after-school opportunities can improve child well-being by: providing supervision, opportunities for enrichment, and opportunities to improve academic achievement. Youth who attend high quality before and afterschool programs also exhibit better peer relations. During 2004, 23 percent or 53,018 of Maine children were unsupervised after school and only 15 percent of Maine’s K-12 youth are able to participate in afterschool programs. Furthermore, 35 percent of children not in afterschool programs would be likely to participate if an afterschool programs were available.
Where We Stand
In Maine, 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC), the only federal program dedicated to after school programming, provides funds for after school programs that have a high proportion or number of low income students. Eligible applicants include schools, community-based organizations, and public, private, or faith-based organizations. During the 2007-2008 year, there are 31 Maine CCLC sites.
In Maine, public schools are the largest provider of after school programs. Boys and Girls clubs, YMCAs, cities or towns, and YWCAs are the top five providers of afterschool programs.
In Maine, eight before- and after-school programs are nationally accredited through the National Afterschool Association (NAA), as of June 2008. The Maine Afterschool Network uses its partnership with the University of Maine at Farmington to support development of tools and resources for afterschool providers and advocates. The network houses a resource database and lending library to support all aspects of programming.
In 2007, the Maine Legislature directed Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to create an Afterschool Work Group to examine current rules, standards and policies governing before-school and afterschool programs. The work group developed recommendations related to improving basic health and safety, enhancing quality, and supporting and strengthening programs. The Maine DHHS is working with group of stakeholders to examine the best way to implement the recommendations.
Data Source and Context
Maine 21st Century Community Learning Center and Maine After School Network, http://www.maineafterschool.net/
Reaching Potential Through Quality Afterschool at http://www.maineafterschool.net/ME21st/me21st_resources.html
Afterschool Alliance at www.afterschoolalliance.org National Afterschool Association at http://www.naaweb.org
Certified Quality Childcare
Why This is Important
In 2000, the State of Maine adopted a Quality Rating System (QRS) and launched a 4-step QRS rating system in March 2008. Quality programs promote the physical, social, and cognitive development of children. The QRS and other accreditation efforts are intended to define standards and verify the quality of services in a particular field. These efforts also help parents and policymakers identify high-quality programs
Where We Stand
National Accreditations
National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC): As of July 2008, 54 family child care sites in Maine were nationally accredited through NAFCC.
National Association for Educating Young Children (NAEYC): As of July 2008, 70 Maine sites have been awarded accreditation through NAEYC.
National AfterSchool Association (NAA): As of July 2008, 8 Afterschool programs in Maine were nationally accredited through the NNA.
Data Source and Context
Roads to Quality, National Association for Family Child Care, National Association for Educating Young Children, National AfterSchool Association
http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/maineroads/index.htm http://www.nafcc.org/accreditation/accreditation.asp http://www.naaweb.org/accreditation.html http://www.naeyc.org/academy
This Maine Marks indicator is new for 2007 and needs further clarification on what should be reported on. What qualifies a childcare center to be considered a “Certified Quality Childcare” needs to be identified.