Some don't have the resources to pay for lessons, after school sports, academic programs, summer camps. Some kids don't get the same exposure to ideas, skills, positive relationships with adults and their peers. Many families simply can't pay. While there is widespread agreement on standards of quality and a new national accreditation system, quality is uneven at best. It is more and more difficult to recruit qualified school-age child care staff.
Salaries are low and turnover is high, and people move on quickly to better paying work.
Programs often pass along to parents the cost of having to lease school facilities and pay for custodial services. First, following up on this conference, keep the spotlight on this issue both inside and outside government. Finance more school-age care for low and moderate income parents, regardless of their relationship to welfare. Fund community level strategies to enable groups to work across institutions to collaborate on discovering and meeting local needs and expanding services to meet those needs. An official incentive encourages people to cross institutional lines, and funding is an additional incentive.