Child Care Choices, Consumer Education, and Low-income Families

Child Care Choices, Consumer Education, and Low-income Families PDF Author: Anne W. Mitchell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Child care services
Languages : en
Pages : 72

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Book Description
In 1991, the National Center for Children in Poverty undertook a study of low-income parents as child care consumers. The study involved a review of current research findings, interviews with staff of child resource and referral agencies, and an examination of child care consumer education provided in the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program. This report presents the results of these inquiries. Chapter I identifies sources of consumer information on child care. Three public subsidy programs discussed are the Family Support Act, Child Care and Development Block Grant, and the Title IV-A At-Risk Child Care Program. Chapter II considers parents as child care consumers, examining the ways parents search for child care, the kinds of child care families use and the kinds they really want, and the child care characteristics that satisfy parents. In chapter III, the same issues are examined with respect to low-income parents. In addition, constraints facing low-income child care users, including transportation problems, time constraints, lack of money and expertise, and problems related to cultural differences, are discussed. Finally, chapter IV focuses on the provision of child care consumer education, identifying essential program features, points in time when consumer education should be provided, delivery methods, and information provided to JOBS participants. The JOBS child care consumer education report is appended. (AC)

Child Care Choices, Consumer Education, and Low-income Families

Child Care Choices, Consumer Education, and Low-income Families PDF Author: Anne W. Mitchell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Child care services
Languages : en
Pages : 72

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Book Description
In 1991, the National Center for Children in Poverty undertook a study of low-income parents as child care consumers. The study involved a review of current research findings, interviews with staff of child resource and referral agencies, and an examination of child care consumer education provided in the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program. This report presents the results of these inquiries. Chapter I identifies sources of consumer information on child care. Three public subsidy programs discussed are the Family Support Act, Child Care and Development Block Grant, and the Title IV-A At-Risk Child Care Program. Chapter II considers parents as child care consumers, examining the ways parents search for child care, the kinds of child care families use and the kinds they really want, and the child care characteristics that satisfy parents. In chapter III, the same issues are examined with respect to low-income parents. In addition, constraints facing low-income child care users, including transportation problems, time constraints, lack of money and expertise, and problems related to cultural differences, are discussed. Finally, chapter IV focuses on the provision of child care consumer education, identifying essential program features, points in time when consumer education should be provided, delivery methods, and information provided to JOBS participants. The JOBS child care consumer education report is appended. (AC)

Child Care Choices

Child Care Choices PDF Author: Edward Zigler
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0029358213
Category : Child care services
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
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.

American Families

American Families PDF Author: Stephanie Coontz
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415915748
Category : Ethnicity
Languages : en
Pages : 542

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Book Description
This collection testifies to the extraordinary variety of families in the United States, revealing that family arrangements have always been diverse and have often been in flux. Case studies describe the wide array of family forms and values, gender roles, and parenting practices that have prevailed in different times and places for different population groups. Paying special attention to the intersections and cross-currents of class, race, and ethnicity, as well as their differential impact on gender, sexuality, and personal identity, the contributors highlight the socioeconomic and cultural forces that affect the organization and internal dynamics of family life. These articles provide a variety of perspectives that nonetheless point to a common theme: the myth of family homogeneity has not merely excluded some groups; it has deformed our understanding ofallfamilies. Social policies and psychological practice must take account of the complexity, contradictions, conflicts, and accommodationsthat shape people's individual and group experience of family life. Drawing on historical, sociological, anthropological, and psychological research,American Familiesprovides an overview of the theoretical and conceptual issues involved in studying the variations and interactions among different, constantly changing, families. It also considers the social, political, and practical implications of viewing family life through the lens of multiculturalism.

Child Care for Low-Income Families

Child Care for Low-Income Families PDF Author: Deborah A. Phillips
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 0788148702
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 75

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Book Description
Child care has become a fact of life for many American families. At the core of current debates about welfare reform and school readiness, child care has moved to the center of discussion about federal policy for children and families. This workshop report addresses the factors affecting patterns of child care use among low-income families; the quality, safety, and continuity of child care and its effects on children's development; the role of child care in families' efforts to prepare for and maintain paid employment; and the structure and consequences of federal child care subsidies. Tables, graphs, and references.

Putting Children First

Putting Children First PDF Author: Ajay Chaudry
Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation
ISBN: 1610441192
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
In the five years following the passage of federal welfare reform law, the labor force participation of low-income, single mothers with young children climbed by more than 25 percent. With significantly more hours spent outside the home, single working mothers face a serious childcare crunch—how can they provide quality care for their children? In Putting Children First, Ajay Chaudry follows 42 low-income families in New York City over three years to illuminate the plight of these mothers and the ways in which they respond to the difficult challenge of providing for their children’s material and developmental needs with limited resources. Using the words of the women themselves, Chaudry tells a startling story. Scarce subsidies, complicated bureaucracies, inflexible work schedules, and limited choices force families to piece together care arrangements that are often unstable, unreliable, inconvenient, and of limited quality. Because their wages are so low, these women are forced to rely on inexpensive caregivers who are often under-qualified to serve the developmental needs of their children. Even when these mothers find good, affordable care, it rarely lasts long because their volatile employment situations throw their needs into constant flux. The average woman in Chaudry’s sample had to find five different primary caregivers in her child’s first four years, while over a quarter of them needed seven or more in that time. This book lets single, low-income mothers describe the childcare arrangements they desire and the ways that options available to them fail to meet even their most basic needs. As Chaudry tracks these women through erratic childcare spells, he reveals the strategies they employ, the tremendous costs they incur and the anxiety they face when trying to ensure that their children are given proper care. Honest, powerful, and alarming, Putting Children First gives a fresh perspective on work and family for the disadvantaged. It infuses a human voice into the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of welfare reform, showing the flaws of a social policy based solely on personal responsibility without concurrent societal responsibility, and suggesting a better path for the future.

Families and Child Care

Families and Child Care PDF Author: United States. Congress. House. Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Day care centers
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Book Description


Child Care

Child Care PDF Author: Alfred Kahn
Publisher: Praeger
ISBN:
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
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.

Who Cares for our Children?

Who Cares for our Children? PDF Author: Valerie Polakow
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 0807775924
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
Valerie Polakow spent a year traveling around the country listening to low-income women from diverse backgrounds tell their stories of struggle, resilience, distress, and occasional success as they encountered ongoing child care crises. The resulting work is both a compelling account of the lived realities of the child care crisis, and an incisive critique of public policy that points to the United States as an outlier in the international community. Drawing on historical and international perspectives, Polakow creates a groundbreaking analysis of child care as a human right, persuasively arguing for a universal child care system. “Who Cares for Our Children? is one of the most disturbing books I have read in a long time. It should have a major impact on debates over poverty and social policy.” —From the Foreword by Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed “In this beautifully written and provocative volume, Polakow deftly steps aside and lets real mothers, struggling against the odds to keep their families safe and sound, speak for themselves about what they need. This book delivers a timely message: Child care should be viewed as a human right.” —Martha F. Davis, Northeastern University School of Law “A collection of moving and often chilling personal narratives. . . . Who Cares for Our Children? is a powerful and well-documented analysis of the worlds of low-income families.” —Beth Blue Swadener, Arizona State University “Thoroughly researched and grounded in a heartfelt sympathy for the struggles of families . . . that face such painful choices and dilemmas in meeting the needs of their children.” —James Garbarino, Loyola University Chicago

Child Care Bulletin

Child Care Bulletin PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Child care
Languages : en
Pages : 114

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Book Description


Rural Caregiving in the United States

Rural Caregiving in the United States PDF Author: Ronda C. Talley
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461403022
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
Caregivers living in rural areas face daunting obstacles. In addition to the isolation and anxiety that many caregivers across the country experience, rural caregivers must also cope with limited access to uncoordinated resources and severe shortages of trained professionals. Although many research, policy, and practice upgrades have been made in response to caregivers’ general concerns, the specific problems facing the rural caregiver have been less frequently addressed. Focusing on what is known as well as what is needed – and zeroing in on major subgroups within this diverse population – Rural Caregiving in the United States replaces misconceptions of the nonurban experience with real-life issues, findings, and solutions. For example, this pioneering volume: Covers a broad range of issues unique to rural caregiving, including research, education/training, policy, and practice. Identifies specific needs related to education, training, and support for rural caregivers. Examines both the positive and negative effects of rural living on caregivers as well as patients. Discusses the importance of in-home care in lieu of scarcer forms of for-profit care (e.g., hospitals). Addresses not only discrepancies between rural and urban health care systems but racial and ethnic disparities within rural health care. Explores the advantages of using information technology to address rural health care limitations. Rural Caregiving in the United States offers uniquely knowledgeable perspectives to researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in the caregiving fields, including psychology, social work, nursing, gerontology and geriatrics, medicine, public health, public policy, and educational policy.