Child care a real concern for parents
With 62 percent of women in Utah juggling work and children under the age of 6, and with 30 percent of students attending Utah State University being non-traditional (over 25 years of age) students, child care is a very real concern for many families in Cache Valley.
Many resources are available to parents for child care, said Connie Schultz, director of Child Care Resource & Referral at USU.
Funded by the Department of Workforce Services, the CCR&R is perhaps the first step to finding quality care for America’s children, she said.
“The Beauty of [the CCR&R] is they can hook you up with licensed child care providers that you can afford,” said Director of Child Development Lab Shelley Lindauer. “If you can’t afford it, they can help hook you up with financial aid.”
CCR&R offers anyone in need of child care services a free list of several possible providers that match the parents’ and child’s needs based on information the parent gives the center.
But although CCR&R provides parents with numerous referrals, it is up to the parent to ensure their child is receiving the best care available.
“Training is probably the biggest assurance we have of quality, but it’s not a guarantee,” Schultz said.
Statistics show parents, given 12 possible daycare providers, will only call three, Schultz said.
She said it’s a shame, because “the last person on that list may have been the best provider for [that parent’s] child.”
It’s important for parents to “shop well to begin with,” Schultz said. “You need to have chosen someone you have some confidence in.”
The ideal situation is the provider will act as a surrogate family for your child, Schultz said.
She stresses the importance of long-term placement.
Studies have shown that young children moved frequently from one day care provider to another will likely walk and talk at a later age.
“There’s a lot more going on than custodial care,” Schultz said. “By the time a child is 3 years old, the most important developments of the brain have already occurred.”
Lindauer said it’s a shame, because “parents spend more time deciding what toys to buy for their children than what child care to use.”
Lindauer understands in many situations parents are forced to find child care without much notice, and they simply don’t have the time to search for the best provider for their child.
But she stresses the importance of meeting with various child care providers to ensure quality care.
Melanie Reader, child care licensing specialist with the State Department of Health Bureau of Licensing, said the number one thing a parent should do is perform drop-in surveys.
“Parents need to monitor,” she said. “We only go in once a year. I know parents are busy, but it’s important to go in. They need to have an open communication with their provider.”
Another important factor in determining who provides a child’s care, Lindauer said, is to get references of potential day care providers.
“Be leery of places that don’t want to give you references and don’t want you to drop in,” she said.
Schultz warned against newspaper advertisements – unlicenced people can advertise lawfully.
The problem with this, she said, is the advertiser may have previously been licensed and then had the license revoked.
Schultz recommends calling the Department of Health Bureau of Licensing to inquire whether or not a license was revoked or if any complaints were issued, no matter who or where parents get their references from.
Reader said the Bureau of Licensing keeps track of complaints against day care providers as well as if any deficiencies were cited.
She encourages parents to call for the provider’s history.
Financial aid is available to parents who can’t afford quality day care, Schultz said.
Parents’ household incomes and numbers of children may qualify them for funding through the Child Care Subsidy Program.
Utah Department of Workforce Services Supervisor Nolan Warby said students can also apply to the state to subsidize their child care payments.
To qualify, two-parent households’ primary provider should be working more than 35 hour per week and the secondary provider must work at least 15 hours per week.
Single parents must be working at least 15 hours per week, and a parent in school must be working at least 15 hours a week and be within two years of obtaining a degree, Warby said.
CCR&R can be reached at 797-1552, or on the Web at: www.usuchild.usu.edu.
To check on a child care provider’s history, contact the State Department of Health Bureau of Licensing at 787-3525.