Currently, nearly 6 million children under 3 spend some or all of their day being cared for by someone other than their parents.
Research suggests that even small improvements in staff ratios and training and modest caregiver compensation initiatives can produce considerable improvements in the observed quality of care for young children.
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Higher numbers of changes in center or family child care providers in the earliest years has been linked to less outgoing and more aggressive behaviors among children at ages four and five.
The quality and stability of a young child's relationships with caregivers are the basis for self-confidence and sound mental health, motivation to learn, achievement in school, self control, and more.
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30% of children age 0-5 have parents who had to make emergency childcare arrangements or change jobs for child care reasons.
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Washington ranks 2nd in the nation in program requirements and oversight of family home child care providers.
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More than 60,000 WA children (over 27,000 families) rely on Working Connections Child Care and other state child care subsidy programs. Eligibility for Working Connections is 175% of the Federal Poverty Level, or $40,338 for a family of 4.
The average cost of full-time licensed family home care in Washington is $7,189; a family of 4 with 2 kids under five would pay an average of 36% of their monthly income for child care alone without this support. If they chose center-based care, this goes up to 42% of their monthly income.
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Impulse control, part of what researchers call 'executive function' skills, is a better indicator of future academic success than IQ.
Parents and quality child care providers help children develop these skills that are so critical to success in school and life - planning, problem solving, attention, delayed gratification, mental flexibility, multi-tasking, and more.
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Coaching and incentives as part of a Quality Rating and Improvement System significantly improve the quality in a short amount of time.
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