1998 Community Assessment

Early Education and Care

A. Issue Summary

B. Background & Influencing Factors

C. Outcomes & Key Indicators

OUTCOME: Increased number and percentage of child care programs and child care spaces in accredited programs as compared to the total number of programs and spaces in Travis County

OUTCOME: Decreased turnover rates of teachers and directors in child care programs

OUTCOME: Increased child care teachers' and directors' wages

OUTCOME: Improved child-to-teacher ratios in child care programs

OUTCOME: Increased numbers of affordable child care slots

OUTCOME: Increased school completion and employment preparedness of teen and other young parents

OUTCOME: Decreased school dropout rate

D. Other Key Outcomes & Status

E. Terms, Concepts & Definitions

A. ISSUE SUMMARY

Vision Statement: "Travis County will be a community where all children and families have access to a comprehensive system of high-quality early education and child care and family support in order to assure that all children have opportunities for successful and productive lives."

Strategies for Building a Stronger Community: A Community Guide

The community's goals of universal access, high-quality care, and family support expressed in this vision are far from the reality of current conditions. The key findings regarding the gap between need and capacity are:

• Accredited child care. In terms of accredited child care, defined as full child development programs, there is only one available slot for every four children that need child care at the level implied in the vision statement.
• Child care capacity. There has been a continuous increase in estimates for the number of needed child care slots in Travis County. There appears to be an unmet need for specific types of care, including infant care and care for children with special needs.

Public policies and resource allocations for closing the above gaps revolve around key outcomes identified in this assessment. The key findings regarding early education and care outcomes from the CAN Community Guide are:

• Wages are dangerously low and place service providers in the difficult position of competing with other low-wage industries such as fast food restaurants -- this is a particularly severe problem during worker shortage periods such as those experienced in Travis County in the late 1990s.
• Retention for child care staff is low, and annual attrition/turnover has become more severe in recent years (35% in 1997) -- this is a major impediment to attaining and sustaining higher quality child care.
• Affordability is a serious problem -- the cost of child care has increased 50% in the last four years. The burden for low-wage earner parents has not only increased but is disproportionately greater than for middle- and upper-income families (37% for low- income families, 6% for high-income families).
• Staff-to-child ratios are mandated at certain levels for each age group of children by the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. However, those ratios are considerably larger than the recommended ratios set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. There is no data detailing the actual staff-to-child ratios in Travis County.

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B. BACKGROUND AND INFLUENCING FACTORS

Giving meaningful, high-quality experiences to children in the context of caring for them in their early life is believed to have a significant impact on their lives. This belief is present in the conventional wisdom of parents in all social classes, in the arguments of issue advocates, and in many conclusions from social researchers.

As depicted in Figure 4.1.1, the association between participation in enriching preschool care and subsequent life outcomes and experiences has been well documented. While preschool itself does not insure positive outcomes and prevent negative ones, the absence of preschool certainly seems to increase negative outcomes and decrease positive ones. Children who experience quality early childhood care were found to have more positive achievements and fewer negative outcomes. The cause-and-effect relationship cannot be demonstrated from that research, but the correlation between quality early childhood care and the achievement of young adults is clearly shown.

The disparity between low-income and middle- and upper-income families in terms of the types of care that each can afford is a cause for concern. The notion that all children and families should have access to high quality care reflects both important assumptions and very difficult challenges. Achieving equity in the provision of care and the quality of care provided is difficult to achieve and even more difficult to measure.

Figure 4.1.1

Relationship of Preschool Programs on Children in Later Life

Age-19 Findings

Source: Changed Lives: The Effect of the Perry PreSchool Program on Youths Through Age 19, 1984.

The Early Education and Care issue area includes a complex array of sub-issues and concerns that are viewed in very different and sometimes conflicting ways by different sectors of the community. Adding to this complexity is that child care has different purposes for different groups. These purposes are a variable mix of:

• custodial services that allow parents to work or to pursue education and other activities; and
• child development and socialization that prepare children intellectually and emotionally for subsequent schooling.

Early education and care services are available in a complex marketplace with many service types and entities differing by quality, affordability, and professionalism. Service types range from informal care provided by extended family and neighborhood helpers in unregulated settings, to quasi-public providers that deliver subsidized services, and large child care corporations with many facilities. Child care is at some time a major need for virtually all families and they have many choices in this marketplace.

By design, the Community Assessment has focused on that portion of the child care and early childhood education industry that most affects the population with limited or no resources to pay for the service. The differential availability of quality child care is at the core of this issue area.

Importance to the Community

Researchers have identified specific characteristics of center-based settings associated with high-quality early care and education and better results for children:

• A sufficient number of adults for each child, or high staff-to-child ratios
• Smaller group sizes
• Higher levels of staff education and specialized training
• Low staff turnover and administrative stability
• Higher levels of compensation

Shortages of child care, as well as problems of reliability, affordability, and proximity create considerable immediate problems not only for parents but also for their employers. Employee tardiness and absenteeism related to child care problems hurts the local economy. Employers, especially those with low-wage workers, incur costs from turnover and low productivity from workers/parents dealing with child care difficulties. Thus, not only the parents, but the entire community suffers from an inadequate child care system.

At a more long-term level, the community and the local economy also incur costs associated with remedial services and interventions required by youth and young adults with poor life prospects attributable in part to their not having had access to enriching early life experiences. Quality child care is not just one of the components of such experiences; it is also related to a well-functioning community that supports the household or family unit.

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C. OUTCOMES AND KEY INDICATORS

The first question is whether there are sufficient spaces that provide child care for meeting the demand, as measured by the total number of children who need care. This is hard to measure because state guidelines for capacity are determined by square footage in a facility, not actual numbers of child care slots.

According to the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department's 1998 Community Overview, estimated part-time and full-time child care slots needed in 1996 were 22,310 and 22,336, respectively. According to state licensing standards, day care facilities have the capacity to care for some 38,000 children in Austin/Travis County. It has been emphasized by those knowledgable in the field that no facility operates at licensed capacity. This means that despite the official "capacity," other indicators dictate how many children are actually in care.

What types of providers constitute capacity? According to the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, in Travis County during 1997 approximately 34,300 day care slots were found in child care centers, another 2,700 in registered family care homes, and fewer than 1,000 in other types of registered facilities. It is likely that at any given time, there are over 3,000 children being cared for in informal, unregistered settings, either as a parent's preferred option or as a last recourse due to affordability, convenience, or personal circumstances. Day care centers provide a growing and overwhelmingly dominant share of the capacity. In 1997, they accounted for just over 90% of documented capacity.

Many child care providers within the county maintain waiting lists. The pilot study of the Texas Child Care Portfolio Project revealed many providers with waiting lists based on age groups. For example:

• Infants/toddlers (0-36 months)* 12% of providers
• Preschool (3-5 years) 76% of providers
• Schoolage (6 years+) 34% of providers

*Not all providers have infant programs.

While 93% of providers in Travis County offer full-time child care, only 47% offer part-time care. Population estimates show a growing need (up 18.8% from 1992 to 1996).

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OUTCOME: Increased number and percentage of child care programs and child care spaces in accredited programs as compared to the total number of programs and spaces in Travis County

The single most important variable in the examination of capacity is quality of care. If we impose the standard of accreditation for available child care slots and adopt the ideal of universal access to quality care, the capacity gap is much more severe than if we impose the standard of licensure for available child care slots.

Figure 4.1.2

Licensed Day Care Facilities in Travis County

Estimated Capacity by Classification

1990-1994

Source: Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services; Centex Child Care Management System.

Figure 4.1.3

Licensed Day Care Facilities in Travis County

Estimated Capacity by Classification

Source: Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services.

Source: Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services.

The patterns of change in child care services have been primarily determined by demographic and economic demand. Since the industry is largely driven by demand and by the economics of that demand, we have seen substantial increases in the numbers of available slots in the years after 1992, after about four or five years of small declines or level conditions.

The distribution of child care spaces in the quality continuum out of an estimated 450 child care centers is only 65 accredited and 45 designated vendors. The most dramatic measure is that only about one in four child care slots are in accredited facilities or with state-designated vendors that offer the equivalent of accredited facility care; the overwhelming majority are in non-accredited, state-licensed centers. These provide child care that meets the more relaxed standards of custodial care in the state licensing criteria. Under this stricter scenario of accredited early education experiences, the gap between the available capacity and the community objective is much greater. Thus, a critical policy question is whether providing fully accredited care to all children is feasible when only about 25% of children are currently in such accredited centers.

The other outcomes adopted for this assessment reflect the more detailed questions that must be asked in order to adopt solutions and interventions to fulfill the CAN vision statement's goals. The themes of these outcomes are affordability, wage levels of child care staff, child/teacher ratios, training and retention of staff, parental involvement and parental skills, and others. Six such outcomes from the 1997 Community Guide met the criteria of issue area experts' input and relationship to measurable indicators. These outcomes are discussed below.

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OUTCOME: Decreased turnover rates of teachers and directors in child care programs

There have been periodic studies of child care centers that have focused on issues of staffing and related factors. Although the statistics from these studies have not been published in a comparable manner, there appeared to be a slight increase in annual staff turnover between 1993 and 1997. Average turnover is currently at just over 30%. Turnover for the more typical non-accredited center is even higher -- 35% in 1997. As shown in the following figure, the long-term retention of child care staff is extremely low. The consequences of this for quality of service are considerable, given children's need for continuity and stability. Skill learning and experience make a facility's staff more valuable and beneficial to children; the turnover makes this more difficult to achieve and more costly.

Figure 4.1.4

Child Care Teacher Turnover in Travis County

1993

Source: City of Austin Child Care Supply and Demand Survey

What causes high turnover of staff in child care facilities? There are multiple factors that explain the situation -- some are a function of the child care industry; others are related to labor market conditions in Travis County. Low-wage conditions are the most significant factor affecting high turnover. In the overwhelming majority of state-licensed centers without accreditation (they provide over 80% of the capacity), the basic entry-level requirements are being 18 years of age and a high school graduate. As has been noted by various observers, child care centers compete with employers in the fast-food industry for workers. Thus, it is not surprising that turnover is so substantial.

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OUTCOME: Increased child care teachers' and directors' wages

Child care workers have traditionally earned low wages. In the Austin/Travis County Child Care Salary, Benefit and Tuition Survey (1997), the average starting hourly wage for assistant teachers and lead teachers in full-day programs was $5.89 and $7.01 per hour, respectively. Average ending salaries for assistant teachers and lead teachers in full-day programs were $7.11 and $9.29 per hour, respectively. In part-day programs, teachers' wages were slightly higher. The average starting wage for assistant teachers and lead teachers was $6.29 and $9.48, respectively.

Even directors, who are typically college educated, garnered full-time annual salaries that are barely competitive with other jobs. Starting salaries ranged from a low of $12,000 to a high of $30,000 annually. The average annual starting salary for a child care center director in a full- day program in Travis County was $21,488 (1997).

Teaching position salaries tended to be higher in part-time programs, but full-time programs tended to provide more benefits. Benefits for entry-level staff were relatively low, with such basics as health insurance available to barely half of the workers in this sector.

According to the survey, only 60% offered medical insurance to the staff. Much smaller percentages offered additional coverage (life, retirement, dental, or disability). Only 31% of part-time programs offered medical insurance plans and even fewer offered additional benefits. Benefits tended to be slightly higher for National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accredited centers versus non-accredited centers.

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OUTCOME: Improved child-to-teacher ratios in child care programs

According to the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, the number of children per staff member and the group size in a day care center must not exceed the limits shown in Figure 4.1.5.

The child/staff ratio is based on the age of more than half of the children in the group. The larger number indicating the child/staff ratio for ages 2 through 5 years are the ratios for groups where more than half of the children are a year or more older than the specified age group.

The maximum group size described in Figure 4.1.5 is also the child/staff ratio when two staff are present. Figure 4.1.6 shows the recommended staff to child ratios that have been set by NAEYC.

According to NAEYC, smaller group sizes and lower staff-child ratios have been found to be strong predictors of indicators of quality such as positive interactions among staff and children and developmentally appropriate curriculum.

While it is possible to present what the guidelines for staff/child ratios are, and what the ideal staff/child ratios are, there is no data on what currently exists in Travis County. This is a huge gap in the data, as it hinders the planning necessary to reach the ideal.

Figure 4.1.5

Child-to-Staff Ratios

*Effective until September 1, 1999. ** Effective after September 1, 1999.

Figure 4.1.6

Recommended Child-to-Staff Ratios

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OUTCOME: Increased numbers of affordable child care slots

The current average monthly cost of full-time child care in Travis County is $506 for infants and $431 for toddlers. For low- or moderate-income families, the proportional burden of child care is extremely high, as shown in the following figure.

Figure 4.1.7

Cost of Child Care in Travis County as a Percent of Family Income, 1990

Graphic Misssing

Sources: Austin Families Incorporated; 1990 U.S. Census.

The average cost of child care has increased almost 50% in the past five years in Travis County. Thus, affordability has become a more severe problem for large numbers of families. Child care is considered affordable when it requires no more than 10% of annual income.

According to the Community Action Network and CENTEX Child Care Management Services, the percentage of subsidized child care slots compared to number of children at 150% of poverty reflects another substantial gap. Approximately 16% of those eligible for subsidized child care are receiving such care.

The Child Care Management Services (CCMS) program operates as a clearinghouse to process child care vouchers for a ten-county region in central Texas. The purpose of these vouchers is to help cover the cost of child care of low-income families. It is estimated that 2,000 to 3,000 people are on the CCMS waiting list. This number represents an unduplicated count of low-income clients that are eligible for subsidized child care. CCMS provides services to 35% of their clients. This indicates that there is a gap of 65% between identified families who apply for and those who receive child care vouchers.

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OUTCOME: Increased school completion and employment preparedness of teen and other young parents

The PEPS program (Pregnancy Education and Parenting Skills) is one of the major intervention services that has been identified to measure teen parents that remain in school until they graduate. In Travis County, four of the seven school districts offer this program to their students: Del Valle ISD, Austin ISD, Manor ISD, and Round Rock ISD. Figure 4.1.8 addresses the number served by the PEPS program within the Austin ISD.

Figure 4.1.8

Number of Students Served Through Austin I.S.D.'s

Pregnancy-Related Services Home Instruction Program

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OUTCOME: Decreased school dropout rate

This outcome has been identified in three different issue areas and is more fully documented under education. The relevance to the early education and care issue area is twofold. Many teens who drop out of school become parents at an early age (or drop out because they become parents) and thus generate a potential added demand for subsidized child care services since their wage-earning ability is low. Secondly, the school dropout pattern reduces the labor pool of potentially qualified entry-level staffing in the child care industry. This is more severely felt during periods of very low unemployment, as Travis County currently enjoys.

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D. OTHER KEY OUTCOMES AND STATUS

The Community Guide identified other outcomes, and subsequent consultations with key groups added several additional important outcomes. They are listed below with annotations that include clarification, availability of data, and recommendations for further treatment.

The following outcomes have been fully incorporated into other issue areas:

• Fewer children who have experienced abuse or neglect (Public Safety)
• Fewer children who are involved in gangs and/or delinquent behavior (Public Safety)
• More children who have finished high school and enrolled in college (Education)
• Fewer children who are vulnerable to drug or alcohol addiction (Substance Abuse)
• More parents who have pursued higher education and career advancement (Education)

The following outcomes are overly complex or ambiguous and require the identification of measurable indicators and data which measure those indicators:

• More parents and other members of the community who understand the benefits and impact of high-quality child care (this could be monitored through an annual community social survey)
• More parents and members of the community who are informed and vocal proponents of quality early education and care (same as above)
• More child development sites that demonstrate high-quality criteria in their programs (needs more specification and incorporation into the state's licensing process)
• More children who are well-employed as adults and grow up to be active members of their communities (needs a 20- to 30-year longitudinal study to measure)
• Increased number of children who reach school ready to learn (needs more specificity and can only be addressed with difficult assumptions about causality)
• Increased parental involvement in children's early education

The following outcomes are measurable and should have data available; however, no reliable data have been identified:

• Increased number of children who reach their optimal levels of development
• Increased number of children with developmental delays who demonstrate age-appropriate social, emotional, language, intellectual and physical competencies
• More parents who remain involved in their children's education
• Increased number of child development staff who demonstrate improved teaching skills

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E. TERMS, CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS

Accredited Centers: Meet quality standards of the National Association for Education of Young Children

Desginated Vendors: Meet the quality standards of Centex Child Care Management Serivces

State-licensed centers: Meet the minimum standards of the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services

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