Child care represents one of the most critical aspects of a child’s development. This multifaceted field encompasses the care, education and social-emotional development of children from infancy through the early school years.
Early learning means children begin kindergarten ready to learn and succeed. Increasing access helps more babies and toddlers, including those with delays and disabilities, get the developmental support they need.
Ensuring access to high-quality child care for families and facilitating state-of-the-art training and support for educators are some of the driving forces for our efforts at ZERO TO THREE.
The landscape of child care is facing numerous challenges, including affordability and accessibility as well as underpaid and overworked educators. At ZERO TO THREE, we are pressing for positive changes to be made in child care. We have several tools and resources to support our efforts, from robust child care training programs to our advocacy for affordable, quality care.
We work with governments and communities and constantly explore new models for funding, providing and enhancing child care solutions.
Child care is essential for supporting the developmental needs of babies and toddlers, providing peace of mind for parents and contributing to the economic stability of families and communities. However, the high cost of out-of-home child care in America is a burden for most families, resulting in a need for child care assistance. Despite the high costs, the majority of early childhood educators are significantly underpaid for the highly-skilled work they do.
For many families, grandparents and other friends or family members fill a critical need by providing regular child care that is trusted, affordable, and accessible. In fact, one in four children under age 5 are cared for by grandparents while their parents work or attend school. Getting child care right means supporting all caregivers, whether paid or unpaid.
When parents lack safe, high-quality child care, they either can’t work or risk leaving their children in unsafe or poor-quality settings. Neither is a good alternative. Parents exit the workforce and leave gaping holes in the economy, supply chains, and essential services. The system is fundamentally broken, and the healthy development of our children is at stake.
Sources: ZERO TO THREE (2017, September 6). Infant-toddler child care talking points. Long, H. (2021, September 19). ‘The pay is absolute crap’: Child-care workers are quitting rapidly, a red flag for the economy. The Washington Post. Novoa, C. (2020, June 29). How child care disruptions hurt parents of color most. Center for American Progress. U.S. Government Accountability Office (2021, February 18). Child care: subsidy eligibility and receipt, and wait lists.
The biggest struggle of parenthood has been finding affordable and trustworthy care for our children.
ZERO TO THREE takes a comprehensive approach to child care that's focused on nurturing early development through practical, evidence-based strategies and resources. We have a proven track record of improving the state of child care in our country.
Our Critical Competencies for Early Childhood Educators courses help staff, organizations and agencies create a knowledgeable workforce. In addition to our child care training programs, our Think Babies campaign is advocating for Congress to pass comprehensive child care legislation similar to the Child Care for Working Families Act. The policy would provide affordable, high-quality child care for families with low and moderate income, as well as provide training for early childhood educators to improve the quality of their care.
Unlike K-12 education, which is largely funded through public dollars, the United States places the majority of the burden for paying for child care on parents of young children, subsidized by the low wages of the early educators who provide care.
We have a wealth of resources and publications available to support parents, educators and the various professionals involved in child care management services.
Join us in securing a bright future for young children. Explore how you can advocate for better child care policies or contribute to our programs. If you want to learn more about our child care solutions, contact us and connect with our team.
