Seven out of 10 centers provide mediocre care that may compromise children's ability to enter school ready to learn. For infants and toddlers, only one center in 12 provides developmentally appropriate care. Effects on language ability, academic and social skills, and relationships with teachers persist into the early elementary grades. High quality care can have an important mitigating effect. Similar training effects were demonstrated in both center and family-day care settings.
Most centers offer no or limited health insurance.
The childcare system is currently over capacity, and cannot place significant numbers of additional children in settings of acceptable quality without a major infusion of resources. Young children need care that is both nurturant and stimulating, and that involves and supports their parents. Caring for young children in groups requires professional skill. The effects of quality care are evident in children's intellectual, social, and emotional development, and carry through beyond early childhood. Now we must generate the will to make this training available to and required of our caregivers, to provide fair compensation, and to make quality early experiences available to ALL of our children.