[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 139 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 139

 To designate April 24, 1998, as ``National Child Care Professional's 
                     Day'', and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 23, 1997

  Mr. Jeffords (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Dodd, Mr. 
 Johnson, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Wellstone, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Reed, Mr. Levin, 
and Mr. Inouye) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                   to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 To designate April 24, 1998, as ``National Child Care Professional's 
                     Day'', and for other purposes.

Whereas more than 12,000,000 children under age 5, including half of all infants 
        under age 1, in the United States, spend at least part of their day in 
        the care of someone other than their parents;
Whereas there are millions of additional children under the age of 12 in the 
        United States who are in some form of child care at the beginning and 
        end of the school day as well as during school holidays and vacations;
Whereas for parents who must work, child care services that are dependable and 
        of high quality make it easier to find and keep a job;
Whereas good child care helps parents reach and maintain economic self-
        sufficiency;
Whereas a solid partnership between parents and loving, trained child care 
        professionals is essential to ensure the quality of child care, whether 
        that care is provided in the home of the child, in a family child care 
        setting, with relatives, or in a child care center;
Whereas the availability of child care that is reliable, convenient, and 
        affordable is essential to maintaining and expanding the workforce of 
        the United States and is vital for a parent making a successful 
        transition from welfare to work;
Whereas for the millions of children in the care of someone other than their 
        parents, child care provides the foundation upon which their future 
        education will be built, and such care provides the basis on which the 
        future workforce of the United States will be formed;
Whereas poor compensation and limited opportunities for professional training 
        and education contribute to high staff turnover among child care 
        providers, which disrupts the creation of the strong provider-child 
        relationships that are critical to the healthy development of children;
Whereas the quality of child care has decisive and long-lasting effects on how 
        children develop socially, emotionally, and academically, and how the 
        children cope with stress;
Whereas studies indicate that children who require child care services do better 
        in child care settings with trained, licensed, and accredited child care 
        professionals; and
Whereas a national day of recognition for child care professionals will help 
        people in the United States understand and appreciate the role of child 
        care for working families, will highlight the importance of the parent-
        provider partnership, will provide opportunities to showcase skilled, 
        nurturing providers and quality child care settings, and will energize 
        more capable people to become child care professionals: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the Senate designates April 24, 1998, as ``National 
Child Care Professional's Day''. The Senate requests that the President 
issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to 
observe the day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
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