Tutor Time is the third largest for-profit child care chain in the nation, and the fastest growing. Its growth, like its chief competitors, Kindercare and La Petite, has been fueled by billions of dollars in government funds earmarked for child care in the wake of the 1996 welfare reform act. Talese says with a greater capital base and economies of scale, her centers are able to offer care that parents are willing to pay a little extra for. We do have more funds coming in - the quality of our equipment, of the material that we use, the security systems, everything that we have. And, Talese says, the cost of child care is no longer uppermost in many parents' minds.
Parents do seem happy.
Sharon McCale's 16-month old daughter, Alexandra, has cared for her since she was just four months old. I wanted something a little more stimulating. Other parents say they were attracted by the new, clean equipment, the large rooms, and the extensive play areas. But William Gormley, a professor of public policy at Georgetown University who has written extensively on child care, says looks can be a public relations ploy. But Tutor Time's Tammi Talese says the teachers are paid from 8 to 12 dollars an hour, depending on experience, and they receive health benefits as well.