| Due to the growing number of double-income | | | | relatives to look after their children, childcare |
| families in America, the need for childcare | | | | providers must be selected with great care. |
| providers is constantly on the rise. Just take a | | | | Quality childcare is important so that the child will |
| look at the statistics: According to the U.S. | | | | be positively influenced intellectually, morally, and |
| Department of Labor, in their May 2005 | | | | socially. A well-trained childcare workforce is |
| Databook, 11.6 million children under age 5 were in | | | | important so that the kids left in childcare would |
| some type of regular childcare arrangement | | | | eventually perform well in academics as well as |
| every week. | | | | have fewer behavioral problems as they grow up. |
| In the 2004 American Community Survey | | | | Childcare facilities must provide quality programs |
| conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, a whopping | | | | that are both safe and enjoyable for their wards. |
| 63% of children under age 5 are in some type of | | | | This means that the overall environment in a |
| regular childcare arrangement every week. | | | | childcare center must come as close as possible |
| How does this impact our society in general? | | | | to the environment that the child has in his own |
| These statistics show that more than half of | | | | home - surrounded by caring adults who are |
| preschool-age children spend a majority of their | | | | deeply concerned in his welfare. |
| waking hours in the care of non-family members. | | | | Many childcare agencies aggressively encourage |
| According to records, these children spend an | | | | childcare providers to obtain early childhood |
| average of 36 hours per week in a private or | | | | education courses, or at least enroll in continuing |
| public childcare facility. | | | | childcare education [ so that they come well |
| These figures become significant when we | | | | equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary |
| consider that the first few years in a child's life | | | | for their jobs. |
| are the so-called 'formative years.' These are | | | | Even as some teenagers and working students |
| when kids' brains imbibe a lot of inputs from his | | | | are found worthy to be excellent childcare |
| environment. Thus, the people with whom he | | | | providers, studies made by the Center for the |
| spends much of his waking hours impact his | | | | Childcare Workforce show that the amount of |
| development significantly. | | | | formal education possessed by a childcare |
| And because childcare is inevitable for | | | | provider is still the strongest predictor for his or |
| double-income families, single parents, and couples | | | | her ability to facilitate developmentally appropriate |
| who don't have the luxury of having other | | | | activities for children under his or her care. |