[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 144 (Thursday, October 23, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11043-S11044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 139--TO DESIGNATE NATIONAL CHILD CARE PROFESSIONAL'S 
                                  DAY

  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:

                              S. Res. 139

       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.

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I rise today to submit a Senate 
resolution to designate the fourth Friday in April, April 24, 1998, as 
National Child Care Professional's Day.
  For the more than 12 million children under the age of five--
including half of all infants under 1 year of age--who spend at least 
part of their day being cared for by someone other than their parents--
it is important that we recognize the skills and dedication of the 
child care providers who take care of them. Child care professionals 
take care of our Nation's children in homes and centers throughout the 
country. They assume this responsibility for little pay, long hours, 
and few, if any benefits beyond the hugs and smiles of the children for 
which they care.
  As the public dialog on child care moves to the forefront, we must 
keep in mind the people who are caring for our children, while their 
mothers and fathers work. If we want to move child care from 
babysitting to early childhood education we have to concentrate much of 
our efforts on professional development for child care providers. And 
we have to support efforts to make child care a valued profession--one 
that attracts the best and brightest and pays enough to keep them 
caring for our children.
  Since 1990, the costs of child care have risen about 6 percent 
annually. This is almost triple the annual increase in the cost of 
living. At the same time, there are strong indicators that the quality 
of child care has significantly decreased during the same period of 
time. Parents are paying more bet getting less.
  The quality of child care in America is very troubling. A recent 
nationwide study found that 40-percent of the child care provided to 
infants in child care centers was potentially injurious. Fifteen 
percent of center-based child care providers for all pre-schoolers are 
so bad that a child's health and safety are threatened; 70-percent are 
mediocre--not hurting or helping children; and 15-percent actively 
promote a child's development. Center-based child care, the object of 
this study, is the most heavily regulated and frequently monitored type 
of child care. There are strong indications that care for children in 
less regulated settings, such as family-based child care and in-home 
care, is far worse.
  Unless we are willing to provide the support and assistance that is 
needed to help child care providers improve the services they provide 
to our children, there is little real hope for enhancing the quality of 
child care.
  Since the 1970's there has been a decline in child care teacher 
salaries. In 1990, teachers in child care centers earned an average of 
$11,500 a year. Assistant teachers, the largest growing segment of 
child care professionals, were paid 10- to 20-percent less than child 
care teachers. The 1990 annual income of regulated family child care 
providers was $10,944 which translates to about $4 an hour. 
Nonregulated family child care, generally comprised of providers taking 
care of a smaller number of children, earned an average of $4,275 a 
year--substantially less than minimum wage.
  With these wages, it is easy to understand why more child care 
providers do not participate in professional training or attend college 
classes to improve their skills. The costs of applying for

[[Page S11044]]

and receiving certification as a qualified child care professional are 
minimal, but understandably out of reach for many child care providers.
  Think about it. At the most important time in the development of a 
child's brain, more than 12 million children are being cared for by 
people who are paid less than the person who picks up your garbage each 
week, are required to have less training than the person who cuts your 
hair, and less skill-based testing than the person delivering packages 
to your house. Child care providers play an important role in a child's 
development, for they help fine-tune the child's capacity to think and 
process information, social skills, emotional health, and acquisition 
of language.
  That is why this resolution is so important. Good child care enables 
parents to work and maintain economic self-sufficiency--the goal of 
last year's welfare reform legislation. This resolution is a small step 
to increase the public's awareness of the need to support and recognize 
the vital work provided by child care professionals.
  On April 24, 1998, I hope each of us will visit a child care center 
or family-based child care provider in our State. Lead efforts to 
celebrate the contributions that child care professionals make to our 
society, our economy, our families, and most of all--our children.
  Mr. KENNEDY. I'd like to join Senator Jeffords in submitting the 
Senate resolution declaring the last Friday in April National Child 
Care Professional's Day.
  Child care is a vital part of the fabric of the daily lives of 
millions of America families. The majority of children today have 
working parents who must find some way of ensuring that their children 
are safe and well-cared for during working hours.
  Millions of children of all income levels are cared for by someone 
other than their parents. Each day, approximately 13 million children 
spend some or all of their day in some type of child care.
  Research demonstrates that the quality of these settings makes a 
significant difference in children's health, safety and early learning. 
Yet far too many children are being cared for in poor quality settings 
that jeopardize their safety and development.
  We know how to do it better, and it is long past time to start doing 
it. A sensible action plan includes better staff training, requiring 
basic health and safety protections, monitoring programs, informing 
parents, and improving staff salaries.
  Today, Senator Jeffords, Senator Dodd, Senator Roberts, and I are 
submitting a bipartisan Senate resolution to designate the last Friday 
in April every year as National Child Care Professional's Day, starting 
next April--April 24, 1998.
  Child Care professionals are indispensable to the future of the 
Nation's children. Children deserve the best we can provide. Parents 
deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowledge that their children 
are in safe, healthy surroundings that encourage, not undermine their 
development.
  Quality child care is essential for healthy child growth and healthy 
child development. By honoring child care providers and the child care 
profession in this way, Congress will be taking a significant step 
toward giving them the stronger support and the greater encouragement 
and the higher priority they deserve.

                          ____________________