A study of family child-care homes in three states found that 35 percent did not meet health and safety standards. Each state establishes its own child-care standards. Professional organizations offer national accreditation, but it is voluntary and most centers and family child-care providers do not apply. Only 36 percent of teachers in 400 centers studied had college degrees. A separate study of 1,300 infants in 10 communities found that only 18 percent of their child-care providers had college degrees and only a third had any specialized training.
Child care is one of the lowest-paying jobs in the country.
Not surprisingly, an average of 27 percent of the teachers and 39 percent of the teaching assistants in these centers quit every year. This high number of child-care staff quitting their jobs is troublesome, because it makes it harder to maintain the close relationships with adults that children need for healthy social, emotional, and cognitive development. Children who had closer relationships with their teachers in 400 centers studied had better skills and fewer problems when they started school. Half of the 5.5 million kids under age 13 who live in high-poverty neighborhoods have working mothers. An estimated 13 million children under 13 are in non-parental care each day.