    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [April 17, 1997]
    [Pages 448-449]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Memorandum on Improving the Quality of Child Care in the United States
    April 17, 1997

    Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense

    Subject: Using Lessons Learned from the Military Child Development
    Programs to Improve the Quality of Child Care in the United States

        We now know that children's earliest experiences, including those in
    child care, have significant effects on learning and development. I
    believe we all have a role to play in making sure that all of our
    children have a strong and healthy start in life.
        The Military Child Development Programs have attained a reputation
    for an abiding commitment to quality in the delivery of child care. The
    Department of Defense's dedication to adequate funding, strict
    oversight, improved training and wage packages, strong family child care
    networks, and commitment to meeting national accreditation standards is
    laudatory. I believe that the military has important lessons to share
    with the rest of the Nation on how to improve the quality of child care
    for all of our Nation's children.
        I therefore direct you, consistent with existing statutory
    authority, to share the expertise and lessons learned from the Military
    Child Development Programs with Federal, State, tribal, and local
    agencies, as well as with private and nonprofit entities, that are
    responsible for providing child care for our Nation's children. I
    further direct you, in doing so, to consult with the Secretary of Health
    and Human Services, the Administrator of General Services, and the heads
    of other Federal departments or agencies with statutory authority over
    child care programs. I ask that you provide me with a preliminary report
    within 6 months, and with a final report within 1 year on actions taken
    and further recommendations, including recommendations on any needed or
    appropriate legislation. I urge you to consider the following:
            I.  In consultation with States, encourage military installation
                child development facilities in the United States to partner
                with civilian child care programs in their local communities
                to improve the quality of service offered. The Department of
                Defense staff could provide assistance with local
                accreditation efforts, offer training as available, assist
                with State and local child development credentialing
                processes, and provide models of effective child development
                practices.
           II.  Establish military Child Care Programs of Excellence, to the
                greatest extent feasible, to offer training courses to
                civilian child care providers. These training courses could
                demonstrate model practices for child care centers, family
                child care homes, and school-age facilities.
          III.  Make widely available to the civilian child care community
                information on the model approaches and designs that the
                military uses for training and compensation, accreditation
                and evaluation, playground and facility design, support
                systems linking individual family child care providers, as
                well as overall financing strategies.
           IV.  Establish partnerships with State or county employment and
                job training programs to enable Military Child Development
                Centers and Family Child Care Homes to serve as training
                locations for welfare recipients moving from welfare to
                work. The

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                Department of Defense programs could provide on-the-job
                training, work experience, and an understanding of best
                practices for the delivery of child development services.

                                                          William J. Clinton