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105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. RES. 139

To designate April 24, 1998, as ‘‘National Child Care Professional’s Day’’,

and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

OCTOBER 23, 1997

Mr. JEFFORDS (for himself, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. DODD, Mr.

JOHNSON, Mr. DEWINE, Mr. WELLSTONE, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. REED,

Mr. LEVIN, and Mr. INOUYE) submitted the following resolution; which

was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

RESOLUTION

To designate April 24, 1998, as ‘‘National Child Care

Professional’s Day’’, and for other purposes.

Whereas more than 12,000,000 children under age 5, including half of all infants under age 1, in the United States,

spend at least part of their day in the care of someone

other than their parents;

Whereas there are millions of additional children under the

age of 12 in the United States who are in some form of

child care at the beginning and end of the school day as

well as during school holidays and vacations;

Whereas for parents who must work, child care services that

are dependable and of high quality make it easier to find

and keep a job;
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•SRES 139 IS

Whereas good child care helps parents reach and maintain

economic self-sufficiency;

Whereas a solid partnership between parents and loving,

trained child care professionals is essential to ensure the

quality of child care, whether that care is provided in the

home of the child, in a family child care setting, with relatives, or in a child care center;

Whereas the availability of child care that is reliable, convenient, and affordable is essential to maintaining and expanding the workforce of the United States and is vital

for a parent making a successful transition from welfare

to work;

Whereas for the millions of children in the care of someone

other than their parents, child care provides the foundation upon which their future education will be built, and

such care provides the basis on which the future

workforce of the United States will be formed;

Whereas poor compensation and limited opportunities for

professional training and education contribute to high

staff turnover among child care providers, which disrupts

the creation of the strong provider-child relationships

that are critical to the healthy development of children;

Whereas the quality of child care has decisive and long-lasting effects on how children develop socially, emotionally,

and academically, and how the children cope with stress;

Whereas studies indicate that children who require child care

services do better in child care settings with trained, licensed, and accredited child care professionals; and

Whereas a national day of recognition for child care professionals will help people in the United States understand

and appreciate the role of child care for working families,
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•SRES 139 IS

will highlight the importance of the parent-provider partnership, will provide opportunities to showcase skilled,

nurturing providers and quality child care settings, and

will energize more capable people to become child care

professionals: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the Senate designates April 24, 1998,

2 as ‘‘National Child Care Professional’s Day’’. The Senate

3 requests that the President issue a proclamation calling

4 on the people of the United States to observe the day with

5 appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

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