More Formal Care Is Needed Formal child care consists of child care centers and regulated home-based care. Formal care contributes to a child's cognitive and social development because it is provided by professional early childhood educators. In both regulated homes and centers, children benefit from low staff-child ratios, educational training, and nutritious meals.
Formal care requires health and safety regulations.
As Tompkins County grows, demand for care grows. Child Care Centers offer age specific curriculum, standard hours, and in some cases, sliding fee scales. Family care homes are preferred by many families because of the home setting, mixed age groups and flexibility. High Turnover is a Problem Centers need large staffs and have difficulty retaining workers due to their inabiity to pay competitive wages. Most children are in family care homes, but hours are long and returns are low.