Amador County – Fifty-eight percent of the children of working parents in Amador County cannot find the licensed child care services that they need, according to the 2009 Child Care Needs Assessment recently released by the Amador Child Care Council. There are an estimated 1,723 children aged birth to 13 years with all parents in the workforce who need child care, yet there are only 718 licensed child care spaces in the County. That means that 1,005 children must go without child care their parents need in order to be able to work. The demand for child care was determined by taking 2000 census figures, applying growth percentages, and then calculating demand for each age group of children, based on industry standards. Community profiles were created for each area in the County by looking at the numbers of children needing care, and the supply in the area. The gaps in services range from a low of 38 percent in Jackson, to a high of 71 percent in the Sutter Creek area. The need for infant and toddler care remains the highest, with only about 1 percent of spaces specifically designated for that age group. The Needs Assessment looks at the needs of low income families, as well as families of all incomes. Not only is there a gap in services overall, but there is a shortage of funding to assist low income families in paying for their child care. At the end of 2009 there were 187 children waiting to receive subsidies for which their families were eligible. The cost of care in Amador County averages $22 to $27 per day per child, with the cost of care for an infant topping $1000 per month. Other information for the report was gathered from surveys of parents, child care providers and local employers. The surveys showed that about 25 percent of the families responding had to go without needed child care at some point, and often were forced to stay home without pay if they could not find needed care. In addition, about 40 percent of the local employers surveyed had experienced attendance problems due to the child care needs of their employees. The Amador Child Care Council (ACCC) is working to increase the number of child care facilities in Amador County through ABCD Constructing Connections, a project of the Low Income Investment Fund, with major funding from First 5 California. In addition, the Council is working to increase the early care and education workforce, and to increase funding for early education services through education and outreach. The ACCC is one of fifty-eight local child care planning councils in the state of California, which are mandated by legislation to assess the need for child care in their counties every five years. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tuesday, 15 June 2010 05:58
Child Care Needs Assessment Shows Lack of Licensed Services
Written by Tom-
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Amador County – Fifty-eight percent of the children of working parents in Amador County cannot find the licensed child care services that they need, according to the 2009 Child Care Needs Assessment recently released by the Amador Child Care Council. There are an estimated 1,723 children aged birth to 13 years with all parents in the workforce who need child care, yet there are only 718 licensed child care spaces in the County. That means that 1,005 children must go without child care their parents need in order to be able to work. The demand for child care was determined by taking 2000 census figures, applying growth percentages, and then calculating demand for each age group of children, based on industry standards. Community profiles were created for each area in the County by looking at the numbers of children needing care, and the supply in the area. The gaps in services range from a low of 38 percent in Jackson, to a high of 71 percent in the Sutter Creek area. The need for infant and toddler care remains the highest, with only about 1 percent of spaces specifically designated for that age group. The Needs Assessment looks at the needs of low income families, as well as families of all incomes. Not only is there a gap in services overall, but there is a shortage of funding to assist low income families in paying for their child care. At the end of 2009 there were 187 children waiting to receive subsidies for which their families were eligible. The cost of care in Amador County averages $22 to $27 per day per child, with the cost of care for an infant topping $1000 per month. Other information for the report was gathered from surveys of parents, child care providers and local employers. The surveys showed that about 25 percent of the families responding had to go without needed child care at some point, and often were forced to stay home without pay if they could not find needed care. In addition, about 40 percent of the local employers surveyed had experienced attendance problems due to the child care needs of their employees. The Amador Child Care Council (ACCC) is working to increase the number of child care facilities in Amador County through ABCD Constructing Connections, a project of the Low Income Investment Fund, with major funding from First 5 California. In addition, the Council is working to increase the early care and education workforce, and to increase funding for early education services through education and outreach. The ACCC is one of fifty-eight local child care planning councils in the state of California, which are mandated by legislation to assess the need for child care in their counties every five years. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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