OCCRRA Releases a New Report Detailing Who’s Caring for Oklahoma’s Youngest Children. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – According to a survey report released today by the Oklahoma Child Care Resource & Referral Association (OCCRRA), Oklahoma’s leading voice for child care, found a little more than half of Oklahoma children under six spend their days in some form of child care while parents work. OCCRRA and Smart Start Oklahoma, sought out the expertise of the OSU Bureau for Social Research to find out the extent parents are utilizing some form of child care. The study focused on the following:
- The types of child care used
- When and where child care takes place
- How many hours a week child care is used
- Reasons for using or not using child care
- Factors affecting the choice of child care provider
- How parents find child care
- Parent’s perception of what is being offer during child care
- Parent satisfaction with their child care arrangements
Almost half (47.5%) of the two parent households surveyed have one parent employed while the other is not. Another forty-seven percent have both parents working outside of the home on a full or part-time basis. This means that half of all families will need to utilize some type of care for their young children while they are at work or school.
For the other half of parents who stay home with their child noted the primary reason is they believe children should be cared for by a parent at home. However, the second most frequent reason is because child care is too expensive. Parents from the study who utilize some type of child care report paying on average $93.08 per week for care. The National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), released a report showing the cost of child care is rising faster than inflation and for many families it is just not affordable.
Of the families who use care on a regular basis, relative care and Kindergarten were the types of child care used most frequently. But child care centers (30%) and family child care homes (21%) were also noted as a type of care frequently used by parents. With half of parents choosing licensed child care, the state Department of Human Services, Oklahoma Child Care Services, works to ensure that basic health and safety standards are being met by visiting the providers at least three times a year. Oklahoma requires all child care providers to be licensed who are caring for non-relatives 16 or more hours a week on a regular basis.
Furthermore, parents who choose to use child care on a regular basis report that the child is spending 39.5 hours per week on average with the caregiver. As research tells us, the first few years of life are the most critical for brain development and later life success. Almost all parents’ perceptions (90%) on what is being offered during child care indicate that their provider offers opportunities for active play, planned activities, and regularly (or daily) reads to the child. But is this really the case?
“There are many good people out there caring for children who might not know the risk of putting an infant or toddler in front of a TV for hours at a time. Infant / caregiver interactions are so important for the child’s healthy brain development. We want parents to have as much information as possible when selecting quality child care, which is why we are here to serve parents free of charge,” says Linda Whaley, Provider Services Manager for OCCRRA.
Those using some type of child care said the most important thing in selecting the care is using someone they know (57.2%). But for parents who need help choosing quality care, they can call their local child care resource and referral agency to get a list of referrals for licensed and licensed exempt child care providers as well as materials on consumer information on what to look for when selecting child care.
Some questions that parents should ask their caregivers to assess quality is: What training, education and experience they have in Early Childhood Education, child discipline and guidance, setting up learning activities, certification in CPR, and first aid? How long have they been caring for children? Are there just a few children being cared for by just one person? Is the environment clean and safe and is hand washing by staff and children observed often? Is there a daily schedule of planned activities with plenty of time for the children to play indoors and out, and how often does the caregiver read to the children individually and as a group if age appropriate?
No matter the type of child care arrangement; staying with parent, relative, friend, or licensed child care provider, almost all parents (98%) are satisfied with their current child care arrangement.
The Oklahoma Child Care Resource & Referral Association, Inc., (OCCRRA) is a private, non-profit organization established in 1999 to promote child care quality, affordability and availability for all Oklahoma families. Its services are provided throughout the state by eight regional resource and referral agencies which help families find and choose child care and learn about what to look for when selecting quality care. To contact your local agency call 888-962-2772 or visit the website at www.oklahomachildcare.org.
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