Increasing Efficiency and Effectiveness of United States Child Care at State Level through Examining Historical Federal Policy and 3 Model States' Approach in the 90's

Abstract

The increasing number of women entering the workforce and single parent households has increased the need for the United States government in conjunction with its state and local counterparts to take legislative steps to address the complex issues of providing and enhancing the quality of child care for all children in need of child care. Child care may have several different definitions, but in terms of the federal government, legislation has taken the form of: provisions for employee leave to care for family members including children, programs providing a direct subsidy to low income parents for quality child care, grants made available to states and organizations, or dependent care tax credits and deductions to parents with children. The inconsistencies arise at the state level when examining the state approach to delivering quality child care through the development and implementation of child care policies using federal or state funding. To understand how the child care issue has become a major national concern one must understand: the history of child care and parental leave policies, the social and political context in which the changes have occurred, (although not in concert with each other), and the effects of those social and political changes, as they do or do not address some of the issues surrounding quality child care in the United States, as well as examine a sample of states that have used available funding and initiatives to be more comprehensive in their approaches to providing child care for all children needing child care.