Day Care Essay

A STUDY OF CURRENT PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH INADEQUATE CHILDCARE FOR PARENTS WHO WORK NONTRADITIONAL HOURS PROPOSAL FOR MSA 685 PROJECT Submitted by Larone R. Daniels December 06, 2004 Instructor Dr. Diana Otto ABSTRACT The number of parents entering the workforce continues to grow. However, the amount of available, affordable, and quality childcare facilities in the United States remains inadequate. Employees using inadequate childcare are more likely to be late for work, absent, or distracted on the job. High rates of turnover, absenteeism, and low productivity cost employers money.

This researcher proposes to formulate a study designed to analyze the problems associated with inadequate childcare and parents who work nonstandard hours. This researcher proposes to analyze current childcare practices and document successful and alternative childcare strategies. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………. …………….. ii I. DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM/ISSUE………………………………………………………1 A. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….. 1 B. The Statement of the Problem…………………………………………………………….. 2 C. The Statement of the Subproblem………………………………………………………. D. The Hypotheses……………………………………………………………………………. 3 E. TheDelimitations…………………………………………………………………………. 3 F. Assumptions……………………………………………………………………………….. 4 G. The Definition of Terms…………………………………………………………………. 4 H. The Importance of this Study………………………………………………………………5 I. Summary…………………………………………………………………………………6 II. THE LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………………………. 7 A. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………… 7 B. Identification of Data Relevant to Research……………………………………… 8 C. Correlation of Data Relevant to Research………………………………………… 10 D.

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Summary……………………………………………………………………………. 10 III. METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………………………….. 11 A. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….. 11 B. Method………………………………………………………………………………….. 11 C. Design……………………………………………………………………………………. 11 D. Assumptions…………………………………………………………………………….. 12 E. Data Collection……………………………………………………. ……………………12 F. Criteria of Admissibility………………………………………………………………. 12 G. Limitations……………………………………………………………………………….. 13 H. Summary………………………………………………………………………………. 13 IV. QUALIFICATIONS OF THE RESEARCHER……………………………………….. 14 V.

ORGANIZATION OF THE RESEARCH……………………………………………. 15 A. Definition of the Problem/Issue…………………………………………………………. 15 B. Literature Review……………………………………………………………………….. 15 C. Methodology…………………………………………………………………………….. 15 D. Data Analysis……………………………………………………………………………. 15 E. Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations…………………………………. 15 END PAGES……………………………………………………………………………………16 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………17 APPENDIX A…………………………………………………………………………………. 18 APPENDIX B…………………………………………………………………………………. 19 CHAPTER I Introduction Today’s workforce is vast.

It is also highly competitive and incredibly diverse. Over the past 3 decades, millions of parents with children entered the American labor force, changing family life in fundamental ways (Cattan, 1991), Childcare is more important than ever to today’s economy and today’s workers. With more families relying on two incomes and more single-parent families, an increasing number of families rely on childcare for some part of their children’s day. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 1997, 29. 1 million U. S. families, or 41 percent, had children under the age of 14.

In more than half of these families, either both parents worked (14. 6 million) or the family was headed by a single working woman (4. 7 million). More than 60 percent of mothers of children under age 6 are in the workforce (U. S. Department of Labor, 1998). As First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton said at the October 23, 1997 White House Conference on Child Care, and as millions of Americans know from personal experience, the difficulties parents have with child care arrangements can have a direct effect on their performance at work. Businesses need to recognize that this is among the major concerns on their employees’ minds, and that if people are going to be good workers, they shouldn’t be distracted, worrying about who’s taking care of their kids. ” More than half of employed parents with children under the age of six say that childcare is a serious problem (NSCW, 1997). When childcare problems are chronic, parents don’t just miss work; they may leave their jobs altogether. Finding childcare is especially difficult for employees who work evening or weekend hours or for those who have rotating shifts. More and more U. S. orkers find themselves working nontraditional hours as the trend toward a global, service-based economy intensifies. Most child care providers offer day care during the traditional working hours of nine to five. Now, only 1 out of 3 mothers stays at home and provides full-time care for her children. About half of all preschoolers spend at least part of the day in some type of facility outside of the home (DOL, 1998). Dual career families are now the most predominant types of family in the American workforce. Because so many parents face the same problems, childcare is no longer a strictly private matter; it is an urgent public concern.

Parents, therefore, have a special role to play in ensuring that early care and education become a high priority on the national agenda. The Statement of the Problem This researcher proposes to examine and evaluate current problems associated with inadequate childcare for parents who work non-traditional hours. The purpose of this study is to determine the praticalability of establishing a 24/extended-hour childcare facility in Brevard County, Florida to assist parents with child-care conflicts. The third subproblem is to determine the reason childcare is inadequate and suggest alternative solutions.

The Delimitations This researcher will not attempt to alleviate the child care conflict. This researcher will consider data consistent with parents who work nontraditional hours and offer suggestions and alternatives to positive solutions. This researcher will review academic literature that is available on inadequate child-care for parents who work nontraditional hours and consider the experiences of these parents. The researcher will not analyze informal/home child care. This researcher will limit his study to parents who work non-traditional hours and live in Brevard, County.

He will specifically consider parents who are NASA employees, police officers, and firefighters, parents who work on weekends, and parents who work shifts. He will not consider data consistent with all parents who live and work in Brevard County, Florida parents with spouses who do not work, or parents who work standard hours and have no child-care issues. The researcher will consider the practices of an existing 24-hour child care center and will make recommendations on solutions and alternatives to employed parents who are interested in the results of this study.

Assumptions The first assumption is that standard hours of operations for Childcare centers in Brevard County, Florida are inadequate for parents who work nonstandard hours. The second assumption is that the need for childcare for parents who work nontraditional hours will continue. The third assumption is that this research will identify some alternative solutions that will decrease the childcare conflict for parents who work nontraditional hours. The fourth assumption is that all parents who are employed do not have a problem with adequate child-care.

The fifth assumption is that all parents who work nontraditional hours do not have a problem with adequate child-care. The Importance of the Study Introduction There have been various studies, which focus on parents who have problems with, child-care. Most child-care research conducted in the recent years has concentrated on the child-care needs of parents who are employed and work standard hours. There is insufficient research on the issues of parents who work nontraditional hours, and weekends.

When employees’ personal and family well being is compromised by work, they experience more negative spill over from the home to work, which diminishes their job performance. In many cases, when childcare problems are chronic, parents don’t just miss work; they may leave their jobs altogether. In today’s fast paced world, job satisfaction, family values and retention continue to be a challenge for parents and employers. Definition of Terms. Throughout this study, the researcher will use and refer to many specialized terms. The definition of these terms are: Childcare. – The term child-care refers to all arrangements for the care of children either in or outside their own homes by someone other than the child’s parents. Childcare Center. –-This term is defined as the out of home program and facility serving a group of children who need care for a greater portion of the day. Childcare problems –Problems that families encounter with childcare that is inadequate, too expensive or unavailable. Nontraditional hours. -– Hours of employment that are outside of the traditional 9-5 workday. It includes holidays, weekends and shift work.

Dual Earner families –- families consisting of couples who are married or live together that are both employed. Extended hour –- refers to additional minutes/hours resulting from parents working late. Time that is exceeded the traditional 10-hour day for children in day care centers. 24 hour –- refers to around the clock childcare coverage to accompany parents who work evening shifts and do not have access to traditional childcare center hours. National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW) – A study conducted in 1997 by the Family and Work Institute, (FWI) about the correlation of family life and work.

Business Work-Life Study (BWLS) – A study conducted in 1998 by FWI about the realities of family and work. Summary. Parenting is no easy task. In order for employers to remain competitive, they have to be family friendly. Maximizing job satisfaction, performance and productivity requires improving the quality of life on the job and in the home. Many of the problems identified suggests that further research is needed in an effort to address the problems associated with parents and child-care, to find a delicate, harmonious balance between work and the family.

Employers are recognizing the importance of aligning their organizations’ business strategies with their people strategies. In the process, they are beginning to take an ecological view of their work places and workforces, looking more closely at how the various contexts and circumstances in which employees function day-to-day affect their motivation, productivity, and loyalty. CHAPTER II Review of the Literature Today, millions of our nation’s working parents struggle to meet their obligations to their jobs and their more important obligations to their families.

Families across America are pressed to find childcare that they can afford, trust and rely on. This researcher intends to identify, correlate and summarize various articles, publications, case studies and academic literature to assist him in this study of childcare conflicts and working parents. Identification. Growth in the number of day care centers and other forms of non-parental care for children has accompanied this increase in working mothers. But for many families, finding affordable, quality childcare can be a problem.

Good care with persons other than relatives is often difficult to find or is too expensive, especially for families with low incomes. For poor mothers, lack of childcare can be a particularly serious obstacle in obtaining and holding a job (Cattan, P. 1991). The study of work and family life is relatively new. Most studies have investigated either how life on the job affects life at home, or conversely, how life at home affects life on the job. There have been a few attempts to connect it all.

The 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce provides a model for understanding how work, family and personal life fit together, a model that incorporates outcomes important to all, productivity and well being (NSCW, 1998). For parents who hours are irregular or extend beyond the standard work day, locating and paying for quality child care can be a particurlary trying experience. In many communities, there are few child care options for non-standard hour workers. Some employers are developing programs to fill this critical gap in care (Dillman, 1998).

The lack of affordable, quality childcare was the reason an estimated 1. 1 million young mothers did not seek or hold a job in 1986, according to data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (Cattan, 1991). More parents are not only going to work, but also spend more time working. In short, time pressures are severe for most parents with young children, especially those with infants and toddlers (BWLS, 1998). Research shows that today’s jobs consume not only more time, but also more physical and emotional energy. Many new parents have to cope with a lack of security and predictability.

Unpredictable or erratic work schedules make it difficult for parents to arrange stable childcare (BWLS 1998). Correlation. The Families and Work Institute’s 1998 Business Work-Life Study (BWLS), is one of the first and most comprehensive studies of how U. S. Companies are responding to the work-life needs of the nation’s changing workforce. This study surveyed employers with 100 or more employees and documented the new realities faced by employed mothers and fathers and how the business community has responded. In 1997, The Families and Work Institute conducted a study entitled The National Study of the Changing Workforce, (NSCW).

This study surveyed a representative sample of employee in the U. S. labor force and found that employee with more supportive workplaces were more likely than others to have a higher level of job satisfaction. The 1997 NSWC also found that when employee’s personal and family well being is compromised by work, they experience more negative spill over from home to work, which diminishes their job performance. Employees today want and need supportive workplaces. This is especially true of dual-career couples, who are more likely to leave their company if they don’t get the support they want (Kropf, M. 998). The quality of worker’s jobs and the supportiveness of their workplaces are the most powerful predictors of productivity, job satisfaction, commitment to their employers, and retention. In 1998 The U. S. Department of Labor conducted a study, Meeting the Needs of Today’s Workforce:Childcare Best Practices. The purpose of this study was to highlight innovative childcare practices initiated by employers across the country to address the needs of working parents. Most of the business and organizations included in the report are members of the Women’s Bureau’s Working Women Count Honor Roll.

The correlation of this report to this study is, this report showcases the wide range of programs that have been developed from on-site childcare to back up childcare and sick child care. Details of this report reflect how some employers are partnering with employees to provide alternatives for quality childcare (U. S. Department of Labor, 1998). Many families believe that quality childcare is out of their reach. Employers are responding to this concern with assistance ranging from discounts at centers to reimbursement for childcare (Cooper, 1998).

The significance of this article is the reality of the high cost of childcare and how employers are responding to the financial needs of parents. Summary In the highly diversified American workforce, there are many families where both mother and father are not just working, but working hard, often long nontraditional hours and in dire need of quality, affordable child-care. The trends that drive today’s business world are likely to intensify in the next century. More and more businesses keep their doors and their phone lines open during early mornings, evenings, nights, and weekends.

As a result, more and more jobs will required nontraditional work schedules. In any case, the amount of childcare available, even for the more affluent sector of the population, is by any standard adequate. For many parents, childcare is also unaffordable. The crisis of inadequate childcare is on a national level. There are several reasons for these inadequacies, partly because pay for a childcare employee is in most instances extremely low (compared to other jobs that don’t require a high skill level) and the work itself is very demanding.

In addition, there are not enough trained childcare providers or supervisors, and not enough actual facilities in any form. (ie. , private home, church, community center or on-site corporate). Of the existing facilities, most do not offer services to parents who work nonstandard hours. In an effort to reduce stress associated with parenting, this researcher suggests that additional programs are needed to assist parents with childcare and stabilize the work environment. CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY Introduction. This researcher intends to study data that is consistent with parents who work nontraditional hours and have a problem with childcare.

He proposes to employ a descriptive and qualitative research methodology that has some quantitative aspects. Method The descriptive survey is also called the normative method. The researcher will employ the descriptive method to examine data collected from observations of childcare centers located in Suntree, Florida , Demps child care center located in Cocoa, Florida, and the La Petite Child care Center located in , Rockledge, Florida. The qualitative study will include sampling a specific population of parents who live and work in the Brevard County, Florida area.

This researcher intends use randomization as method of sampling. Finally, this researcher will incorporate a quantitative methodology to interpret all statistical data relative to his research. Design This researcher intends to design a descriptive survey, conduct in depth interviews, and examine historical data contained in professional publications. The first step in the research approach will be to analyze two case studies completed by the Families and Work Institute: The National Study of the Changing Workforce, and The Business Work-Life Study. Additionally, data obtained from the U.

S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, and Statistics, Meeting the Needs of today’s Workforce: Childcare Best Practices, will also be considered. This researcher further intends to analyze data obtained through statistical analysis of arithmetic range and standard deviation of responses. Assumptions This researcher will assume the following. Parents who work nontraditional hours and have a problem with childcare, will participate in the survey. Parents who participate will submit unbiased data to be interpreted by the researcher. Parents will agree to be interviewed.

The researcher will assume that he will get at least a 80 percent participation rate. Data source This researcher proposes to examine data relative to the purpose of this study. Data collection is directed toward determining the need for childcare, for parents who work nontraditional hours. Data collection: This researcher proposes to examine data consistent with families and childcare problems in the following areas: Childcare needs, childcare availability, childcare costs, childcare quality, childcare hours of operation, the interest level in a 24 hour childcare facility, and childcare benefits from employers.

Criteria of admissibility. This researcher intends to use triangulation as a decision criteria method to validate all data. Triangulation is used in all types of qualitative studies. This method refers to the process of using multiple data collection methods, data sources, analysts or theories to check the validity of findings. (Leedy, 1997) Limitations. Specific research on the study of parents who work non-traditional hours and child-care problems is limited. This research will be limited to parents who live and work in the Brevard County, Florida area to include NASA personnel working at Kennedy Space Center.

This research is further limited to single parents, dual-earning income parents and parents who work extended hours, non-traditional hours, weekends and shifts. Summary. The intent of this methodology is to assist the researcher in his study. Data obtained in the study will be analyzed, and interpreted to further assist the researcher in concluding his study and determining alternative solutions to problems of parents who work nontraditional hours and inadequate childcare. CHAPTER IV Qualifications of the Researcher:

The researcher is a native of Cocoa, Florida. In August 1996, he graduated from Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida with an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice. This researcher was a Distinguished Police Academy Graduate of the Melbourne, Brevard County Community College. He currently works for Alltel Wireless Communication as a Retail Sales Manager. He has experience in both financial and business planning in the fields of Business Logistics Management and Supply Chain Manaement.

His educational training includes graduation from Sears University National Executive Management Trainee Program and received the star performer Certificate of Completion Merchandise Analyst Sears, Roebuck Planning Office. CHAPTER V Organization of the Proposed Project This researcher intends to use the following organization of the proposed project: Chapter I: Definition of the Problem/Issue Chapter II: Literature Review Chapter III: Methodology Chapter IV: Data Analysis Chapter V: Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations APPENDIX A Workforce Trends Fueling the Need for Child Care

Growing numbers of working mothers, and dual-earner families have increased the need for high quality, affordable childcare. In addition, the welfare reform bill of 1996 requires most low-income mothers to work and seek care for their children. In March 1999, 62 percent of married mothers (spouse present) with a child under age six were in the labor force, compared to 45 percent in 1980. In March 1990, 35. 9 percent of all families fit the traditional model of husband as wage-earner and wife as homemaker. By March of 1999, the proportion was 12. 8 percent. In 59. percent of all married couple families, both husband and wife were earners, up from 45. 7 percent in March 1990. (1) Between 1990 and 1999, the labor force participation rate of mothers with children under age 3 increased from 53. 6 percent to 60. 7 percent. In March 1999, six out of every ten mothers of children under age 3 were in the labor force (i. e. , working or looking for work). Seven out of every ten mothers of children age 3 to 5 were in the labor force. (2) For women, the rate of growth in the labor force is expected to slow, but it will still increase at a faster rate than that of men.

As a result, the share of women in the labor force is projected to increase from 46 percent in 1998 to 48 percent in 2008. (3) Childcare occupations include family childcare providers, early childhood teaching assistants, childcare workers (private household), pre-kindergarten teachers, and teachers aides. There were 2. 6 million persons employed in these occupations in 1999, up from 2. 3 million in 1995. (4) Who Requires Child Care? Of the 71. 5 million families in the United States, 29. 0 million (or 41 percent), have children under the age of 14 in March of 1999.

Of these families, the following can be considered likely to have work-related child care requirements: 15. 0 million married couple families with both wife and husband as earners; and 4. 7 million families maintained by women, (with the householder as earner) and 1. 1 million families maintained by men (with the householder as earner). (5) Among married couple families with both husband and wife as earners, there were 25. 5 million children under age 14 in March of 1999; families maintained by women, (with the householder as earner) had 7. 5 million children and families maintained by men (with the householder as earner) had 1. million children. (6) Where Are Preschool Children Cared For? (7) According to the 1997 National Survey of America’s Families, nationwide, a large percentage (76 percent) of preschool children with employed mothers are regularly cared for by someone other than their parents. For more than half of preschool children with employed mothers, the primary childcare provider is not related to the child: 32 percent of children are in center-based childcare arrangements; 16 percent are in family childcare; and 6 percent are regularly cared for by a babysitter or nanny in the child’s home.

Less than half of preschool children with employed mothers are cared primarily by relatives or parents: 23 percent of preschool children have a relative as the primary child care provider, while 24 percent of children are in parent care. Earnings of Child Care Providers Child care workers in private household, who work full-time, had median weekly earnings of $211 in 1999; early childhood teaching assistants had median weekly earnings of $275 and prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers had median weekly earnings of $440.

The median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers for all occupations in 1999 was $549. (8) Workplace Benefits to Accommodate Child Care(9) Unpaid family leave covered 93 percent of full-time employees in 1997, compared with 84 percent in 1995, reflecting the continued implementation of the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. (10) Ten percent of all full-time employees in medium and large private establishments were eligible for childcare benefits in 1997. Eligibility for childcare benefits varied by broad occupational groups.

Among full-time employees, 14 percent of professional, technical and related workers were eligible for child care benefits compared to 10 percent and 7 percent for clerical and sales and blue collar and service workers, respectively. REFERENCES Cattan, P. (1991, October), Child-care problems: an obstacle to work. Monthly Labor Review, pp. 3-9 Hartman, C. R. (1998). The Child Care Dilemma. D&B Reports, 36 (5), 43-45 Leedy, P. D. (1997) Practical Research Planning and Design. P. 129 U. S. Department of Labor. (1998).

Meeting The Needs of Today’s Workforce: Childcare Best Practices, pp. 14-15 U. S. Department of Labor (1999). Work Related ChildCare Statistics [On-line]. Available: www. dol. gov/dol/wb/childcare/ccstats. htm Bond, J. T. , Galinsky, E. , Swanberg, J. , (1998) Family and Work Institute: The National Study of the Changing Workforce. (Publication No. W98-01) Shore, R. , (1998). Family and Work Institute: Ahead of the Curve: Why America’s Leading Employers Are Addressing the Needs of New and Expectant Parents. (Publication No. D98-04) APPENDIX B FOOT NOTES 1. U. S.

Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, unpublished data, Marital and Family Characteristics of the Labor Force, Table 16, March 1990 and March 1999 Current Population Survey. 2. U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics unpublished data, Marital and Family Characteristics of the Labor Force, March 1995 and March 1999, Current Population Survey 3. Fullerton, Howard N, Jr. , Labor force projections to 2008: steady growth and changing composition, Monthly Labor Review, November 1999. 4. U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Earnings, January, 2000. . U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, unpublished data, Marital and Family Characteristics of the Labor Force, Table 16, March 1999 Current Population Survey. 6. U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, unpublished data, Marital and Family Characteristics of the Labor Force, Table 18, March 1999 Current Population Survey. 7. Capizzano, Jeffery, Adams, Gina, and Sonenstein, Freya, ChildCare Arrangements for Children Under Five: Variation Across States, The Urban Institute, Series B, No. B-7, March 2000. Urban Institute’s Web site (http://www. urban. rg) 8. U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Earnings, January, 2000. 9. U. S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits in Medium and Large Private Establishments, 1997, September 1999, Bulletin 2517. 10. This act obligates employers with more than 50 employees to provide 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year to employees for the birth or adoption of a child or for care associated with employee or family member illness. APPENDIXES Table 1: Labor force participation rates of mothers by age of children, selected years, March 1990-99 (Percent) Year Age of Child |Under 18 |3 to 5 years |Under 3 years | |1990 |66. 7 |65. 3 |53. 6 | |1992 |67. 2 |63. 3 |54. 5 | |1994 |68. 4 |64. 9 |57. | |1996 |70. 2 |66. 9 |59. 0 | |1998 |72. 3 |69. 3 |62. 2 | |1999 |72. 1 |69. 5 |60. 7 | Source: U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, March Current Population Survey, unpublished data.

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