Staff must meet training requirements including annual continuing education. Some providers want to demonstrate achievement and quality with additional accreditation. This is a personal business decision. 4 Centers include Head Start programs, nursery schools, separately licensed after-school programs, and full and part day centers. Only Madison Accredited programs may enroll City of Madison tuition scholarship recipients.
Nonprofit centers compensate staff with higher wages than do for-profit centers.
Almost half of all staff have college degrees, and most have some college education. Family Child Care providers are self-employed, and their net incomes range widely. In March 1998, the care for 100 children in Madison Accredited care was subsidized by the city, up 19 from 1997. Dane County subsidized care for 1,926 children, up 479 from 1997. W-2 subsidies do not cover the full cost of child care.