Who's minding the baby? : quality and availability problems in child care for America's children : hearing before the Subcommittee on Regulation, Business Opportunities, and Technology of the Committee on Small Business, House of Representatives, One Hundred Third Congress, second session, Washington, DC, February 11, 1994

United States. Congress. House. Committee On Small Business. Subcommittee On Regulation Business Opportunities And Technology

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• United States

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• Publié par: les_archives_du_savoir
• Nombre de lectures: 10
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 10 Mo

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09
WHO'S MINDING THE BABY? QUALIH ANDV
AVAIUBIUTY PROBLEMS IN CHILD CARE FOR
AMERICA'S CHILDREN
1:103-66Y4.SM
ninding the Baby? Quality and...Ubo's
HhJAKlNG
BEFOKE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON REGUIATION, BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITIES, AND TECHNOLOGY
OF TIIE
COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
OF REPRESENTATIVESHOUSE
ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS
SECOND SP]SSION
1994WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 11,
use of the Committee on Small BusinessPrinted for the
Serial No. 103^«fi)ftlJfc(te&j)0ht;y/;,,-.p,,
OCT 26m
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OFFICEU.S. GOVKKNMENT PRINTING
WASHINGTON 1994
:
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
20402of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington,DCSuperintendent
0-16-044875-1ISBN
yWHO'S MINDING THE BABY? QUALIH AND\
AVAILABIUTY PROBLEMS IN CHILD CARE FOR
CHILDRENAMERICA'S
1:103-66Y 4. SM
Quality and...Uho's ninding the Baby?
HEAKING
BEFOKE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON REGUMTION, BUSINESS
AND TECHNOLOGYOPPORTUNITIES,
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
REPRESENTATIVESHOUSE OF
THIRD CONGRESSONE HUNDRED
SECOND SP]SSION
WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 11, 1994
Printed for the use of the Committee on Small Business
Serial No. 103^m)HimB4)Oti)m> ^
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 1994
Government Printing OfficeFor sale by the U.S.
Congressional Sales Office, Washington,DC 20402Superintendent of Documents,
0-16-044875-1ISBNCOMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
New York, ChairmanJOHN J. LaFALCP:,
Iowa JAN MEYF:RS, KansasNEAL SMITH,
IKE SKELTON, Missouri LARRY COMBEST, Texas
ROMANO L. MAZZOLI, Kentucky RICHARD H. BAKER, Louisiana
RON WYDEN, Oregon JOEL HEFLEY, Colorado
NORMAN SISISKY, Virginia RONALD K. MACHTLEY, Rhode Island
JIM RAMSTAD, MinnesotaJOHN CONYERS, Jr., Michigan
Nevada SAM JOHNSON, TexasJAMES H. BILBRAY,
KWEISI Maryland WILLIAM H. ZELIFF, Jr., New HampshireMFUME,
New York MICHAEL A. "MAC" COLLINS, GeorgiaFLOYD H. FLAKE,
BILL SARPALIUS, Texas SCOTT McINNIS, Colorado
GLENN POSHARD, Illinois HUFFINGTON, California
EVA M. CLAYTON, North Carolina JAMES M. TALENT. Missouri
MARTIN T. MEEHAN, Massachusetts JOE KNOLLENBERG, Michigan
PAT DANNER, Missouri JAY DICKEY, Arkansas
TED STRICKLAND, Ohio JAY KIM, California
IllinoisNYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ, New York DONALD A. MANZULLO,
CLEO FIELDS, Louisiana PETER G. TORKILDSEN, Massachusetts
OhioMARJORIE MARGOLIES-MEZVINSKY. ROB PORTMAN,
Pennsylvania
WALTER R. TUCKER III, California
RON KLINK. Pennsylvania
LUCILLE ROYBAI^ALLARD, California
EARL F. HILLIARD, Alabama
H. MARTIN LANCASTER, North Carolina
THOMAS H. ANDREWS, Maine
MAXINE WATERS, California
BENNIE G. THOMPSON. Mississippi
DirectorJeanne M. Roslanowick. Staff"
Lynch, MinorityStephen P. Sta/f
Business Opportunities, and TechnologySubcommittee on Regulation,
RON WYDEN, Oregon. Chairman
LARRY COMBEST. TexasIKE SKELTON, Missouri
STRICKLAND. Ohio SAM JOHNSON. TexasTED
NORMAN SISISKY, Virginia JAY DICKEY, Arkansas
JAMES H. BILBRAY. Nevada JAY KIM. California
MARTIN T. MEEHAN, Massachusetts PETER G. TORKILDSEN, Massachusetts
WALTER R. TUCKER III. California MICHAEL HUFFINGTON, California
THOMAS H. ANDREWS. Maine
DirectorSteve Jenning, Subcommittee Staff
MemberRobert LlEHMAN. Minority Professional Staff"
(II)CONTENTS
Page
Hearing held on February 11, 1994 1
WITNESSES
February ii, 1994
Bates, Carolyn, Baltimore, Maryland 5
Health and HumanBrown, June, Inspector General, U.S. Department of
Services, Washington, DC accompanied by Jack Ferris, Assistant Inspector
Audits 19General for Administrations of Children, Family and Aging
North CarolinaClifTord, Richard, director. Division of Child Development,
52Department ofHuman Resources
General Account-Delfico, Joseph, Director, Income Security Issues, The U.S.
17ing Office, Washington, DC
Children's Defense Fund, Washington, DC .. 6Ebb, Nancy, senior staff attorney
Child Care Division, Oregon Employment De-Elliot, Janice, administrator,
47partment
Commissioner, Administration for Children, Youth, and Fami-Golden, Olivia,
Department of Health and Human Services 30Hes, U.S.
PolicyGormley, William, professor, Georgetown University Graduate Public
Program 57
44Topol, Dee, president. The Travelers Foundation
APPENDIX
Opening statement:
62Wyden, Hon. Ron
Prepared statements:
89Bates, Carolyn
66Brown, June
94Clifford, Richard
128Delfico, Joseph
98Ebb, Nancy
109Elliot, Janice
138Golden, Olivia
157Gormley, William
168Majoy-Young, Toni
173Topol, Dee
Additional Material
189Castillo, Peter
193Hackley, Sandra
from Beth Phillips 196Letter to Chairman
of Pediatrics 199American Academy
213Carolina Voice for Child Care, IncNorth
178Maryland Child Care Resources Network Backgrounder
(III)THE BABY? QUALITY ANDWHO'S MINDING
CHILD CARE FORAVAILABILITY PROBLEMS IN
CHILDRENAMERICA'S
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1994
House of Representatives,
BusinessSubcommittee on Regui>ation,
Opportunities, and Technology,
Committee on Small Business,
Washington, DC.
a.m., in roomThe subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10
Building, Hon. Ron Wyden (chair-2359-A, Rayburn House Office
ofthe subcommittee) presiding.man
order.Chairman Wyden. The subcommittee will come to
witnesses,that I am very glad that our guests, ourI want to say
are here andadministration, journalists and othersmembers of the
dire peril that is outside.here safely, given the
like take special note of our recorder, our stenog-I would also to
hearGovernment is closed today, and you arapher. The Federal
dedication of Federal employees, and I think it isgreat deal about
our stenographer is here when, as I understandworth noting that
here, because she is a Federal employee.it, she doesn't have to be
dedication.We very much appreciate your
Business Opportunities,Today the subcommittee on Regulation,
relating to the qual-Technology is going to examine problemsand
not only forand availability of child care. This is a concernity
the country, butthousands of working families aroundcountless
employers who are dependentalso for of small business
workers.on these
house-era marked by growing numbers of single-parentIn an
down jobsfamilies in which both parents must holdholds, and of
func-meet, child care is fundamental to the smoothto make ends
billion perof our economic system. Child care is now a $20tioning
sec-of the fastest growing in the small businessyear industry, one
heavily subsidized by the Federal taxpayers.tor, and it is
ofchild care will be a key to efforts in this sessionAdditionally,
welfare, andmove hundreds of millions of families offCongress to
nur-employment. Insuring a safe, clean, andinto self-supporting
for the children of families on welfare must beturing environment
welfare reform.an integral part of
part of the approximatelyA place must be found for kids who are
Federal Aid to Families with4.5 million American households on
may represent an additional 9Dependent Children. These families
(1)million children who will require part-time or full-time care when
welfare reform is enacted.
chair has fewNow, in beginning our hearing, the a observations
make our inquiry. Our investigation has foundto about that Amer-
ica's child care system not work for many workingdoes families.
It is overburdened and it is under financed. It is fragrnented, and
it is creaking toward breakdown. Approximately 12 million children
already are in part-time or full-time care, with only about 15 per-
cent of them in homes or centers licensed by any governmental
body.
Many kids are getting care well below quality standards rec-
ommended as bare minimum. Many parents have too few choices,
and Government has often failed to protect children in day care
against poor facilities, shoddy operators and even plainly criminal
conduct.
The chair would like to note, and we are going to hear more
about it, that June Brown, who is the Inspector General for the De-
partment of HHS and who, in my view, has done an outstanding
service for the taxpayers of this country has compiled an analysis
survey that she did of background checks of child careof a recent
providers. Now this was done at random. We will hear from Ms.
Brown that it is not intended to be statistically perfect, but what
Ms. Brown found in this survey ought to frighten and concern the
parents of this country.
She found that 1 of 10 people in licensed facilities randomly se-
convic-lected has a criminal background which relates to checks or
As Itions, and that ought to concern the families of our country.
this more. She and I both feel that itsay, Ms. Brown will detail
statistically perfect analysis, but it certainlyis not intended to be a
ought send powerful message to those in Government and reg-to a
ulators, that there is considerable work to be done in the area of
ensuring that these facilities have good oversight.
Now, any welfare program which is likelv to put all or most of
the adults heading AFDC families out of tne house and into jobs
could create a veritable tidal wave of kids seeking day care and re-
sult in the collapse of an already faltering system.
against reforming wel-Now, t