How Child Care Has Evolved Over The Past 10 Years

Unlike previous times, nowadays in most families both parents are working full-time jobs. This condition necessitates an alternative way to take care of the kids while you are away. Some prefer nannies, but quite a majority rely on child care programs.

​About 70% of young children spend their time in either house-based child care or a child care center. That parents can trust the care of their children to qualified professionals while they go to work has been seen as a godsend in many quarters. The business of child care has evolved to a great extent in the last ten years as more providers have flourished all over the country. The industry has become so important that lately the government has sought to intervene, legislating that tax payers contribute to the cost of child care. Here’s how the industry has changed.

One thing for sure is that there is an influx of children going into child care programs and there is a remarkable improvement in the child care industry in terms of qualified caregivers, licensing and state-of-the-art facilities. In other words, these types of programs have proven to become very important and extremely needed by families in the United States today. As families deal with dual-careers and busy schedules, child care programs have been forced to improve to meet the consistently-growing demand.
 
Child Care Options Have Widened

Today, the Albany area has seen a wider variety of care providers. Parents can chose the ones that best fit the age of their children or the stage of their development.

Daycare Centers – Career parents or ordinary working ones should not have any problem finding a daycare in their local community. Daycare centers provide care in small groups and very often is a miniature school setting where children’s growth and learning are stimulated at every stage. They are run by professionals who have trained in early childhood development as well as people who have undertaken food and nutritional courses. Professional caregivers sing, play and provide educational stimulation to pre-kindergarten children in preparation for entry in the larger education system.

Family and In-Home Care Providers – If you would rather that your child’s care remain in a home-like environment, then this option is available. Many in-home care providers have developed in the past decade to accommodate no more than four children under the supervision of an employee. Parents are more comfortable knowing that their children are given individual attention just like they would at home. The drawback is that this care goes unregulated and you bear the responsibility outside of this protection.
 
Employment of More Professionals
There have been more discussions on the subject of early childhood interventions prompting child care providers to inject more money into training for their staff, or demanding that whoever they employ come properly trained and are qualified. Staffers are expected to know how to administer first aid and carry out CPR. In many care centers you can find psychologists, special needs educators, social work, professionals who are qualified in speech and language therapies and other areas of child development.
 
The Emergence of Standards for Child Protection
One of the things that the American society will be proud of is that the care of children is governed by standards in some states. Child care centers are more regulated than before nowadays so that to maintain sanity in the industry and ensure whoever carries on child care business takes and recognizes the responsibilities associated with the task. More recently, the state of Texas has developed the basic standards by which caregiving should be carried out. These standards cover administration, recordkeeping, employees, child to caregiver ratio, care requirements for all stages, safety and health practices, facilities and transportation.

Parents now have more choice in terms of government laws, more quality caregivers and the number of child care centers that have sprung up. It can only mean good news to parents. There still are areas for concern. For instance, child care givers are not adequately remunerated like other careers, yet they are very important when it comes to shaping the lives of our kids.

There is a consistent need for ongoing reforms to ensure programs meet federal and local guidelines. Child care providers should be there to provide great care and service to children. They should be happy and qualified. The reason there are such a high staff turnout in most care facilities is because of the poor conditions caregivers are subjected to. This in turn affects the quality of care given to the kids.
 
Financing of Child Care
The government has also become involved to enhance child care programs. A 2014 legislation was passed that required changes in the quality of child care services in areas such as safety, training in handling emergencies such as Sudden Infant death (SID), and the inspection of child care providers and facilities. In 2016, the Child  care Access to Resources for Early Learning (C.A.R.E) Act was introduced to help working parents balance their family and work. Taxes would help parents fund the high cost of child care. The government noted how parents have been struggling to pay child care costs. Through the legislation, providers could set their rates at reasonable levels to ensure they can deliver quality service to young children. Providers would enhance the quality of their programs through staff upgrade and collaboration with community service providers.

The services have become more affordable due to competition unlike in the past when few institutions only did professional child care.

More not-for-profit organizations have also entered the sector to bridge the gap between the abled ones and those who have financial difficulties in bringing up their children.

They are fully recognized by authorities and even receive financial aids and support from government and nongovernmental organizations.
 
Child care will continue to evolve more and more in the future since nowadays there are:

• High divorce rates
• One single parent preference
• More women are entering the workforce

• There are some related professional advantages of a kid joining a child care program

Child care services have expanded in more ways than is realized in recent years. Because of this parents have been more trusting to leave their children in their care. It is critically important as a family to do your research and interview, if possible, the caregivers you are considering for your child. If you have any questions, please reach out to TSL Adventures, located in Albany. We would be happy to lend assistance.