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The National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies' News Room is an online resource for journalists to learn about child care issues affecting the nation.

• Parents and the High Price of Child Care: 2009 Update
  
  Parents and the High Price of Child Care: 2009 Update presents 2008 data on child care costs collected through a January 2009 survey of Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) State Networks, which asked for the average prices charged for child care for infants, 4-year-olds, and school-age children in centers and family child care homes in every state. This year's report reveals that child care costs continue to rise with costs often times exceeding monthly food and other household expenses.

• We CAN Do Better: 2009 Update. NACCRRA's Ranking of State Child Care Center Regulation and Oversight

  In We Can Do Bettter: 2009 Update, NACCRRA scored and ranked the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense (DoD) on 10 regulations and five oversight benchmarks. The 2007 report revealed that states fell short in promoting school readiness and protecting the health and safety of children in child care. The scores in this year's update show modest improvements, but more needs to be done. DoD continues to be the model for a coherent system for child care, having received the highest ranking for both regulation and oversight in 2007 and 2009. No other state ranked on the top 10 list for both categories.

  In the update, NACCRRA found that current state child care center regulations and oversight fail to protect the safety of children or promote school success. The average score for states was 83 out of 150 points - the equivalent of an F. Thirty-three states earned a failing grade, DoD earned a B and the District earned a C. While some states have changed licensing requirements since NACCRRA's initial report, there is still disparity among state standards. Only 11 states now require comprehensive background checks, and half the states conduct inspections once per year or less frequently, with some states conducting inspections once every five or 10 years. In addition, only 17 states require that regular inspection reports and complaint reports be posted online to help parents make informed decisions, and training requirements for child care staff is weak and varies by state.

• Unequal Opportunities for Preschoolers: Differing Standards for Licensed Child Care Centers and State-Funded Prekindergarten Programs

  This 2009 report compares state licensing regulations for center-based child care and early learning programs with standards for state-funded prekindergarten initiatives. As a basis for comparison, it uses the quality standards checklist developed by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). The comparison also includes information about Head Start program standards and Department of Defense (DoD) regulations for military child care.

• Parents' Perceptions of Child Care in the United States: NACCRRA's National Parent Poll

  In November 2008, NACCRRA conducted a nationwide poll of over 1,000 parents with young children to better understand what they consider when they are looking for child care, what they expect and want from child care, and what barriers they face in obtaining high-quality child care.
  
  Our new report, Parents' Perceptions of Child Care in the United States, reveals that, more than any other aspect of child care, parents are concerned about its quality. Parents want their children to be safe. They want their children to be learning. Affordability or cost was the next biggest concern.
  
  Moreover, the majority of parents logically assume that standards are in place in child care programs to ensure that children are safe. Parents overwhelmingly think that caregivers are trained in child development and safety and undergo a background check, and that child care programs are inspected. This is simply not true in too many states.

• Making Quality Child Care Possible: Lessons Learned from NACCRRA's Military Partnerships
  Today, NACCRRA released its latest report, Making Quality Child Care Possible: Lessons Learned from NACCRRA's Military Partnerships. This report, which examined the lessons learned from NACCRRA’s military partnerships, reveals that the initiatives used to transform the military's child care system from what was once called the "ghetto of American child care" to a "model for the nation" can be implemented throughout the states to ensure that all children have access to high-quality care.
• Grandparents: A Critical Child Care Safety Net
  NACCRRA's most recent report, Grandparents: A Critical Child Care Safety Net compiles the results of a nationwide survey of grandparents about child care. Through the survey, NACCRRA sought to gain a better understanding of grandparents' involvement in the care of their grandchildren and their individual perceptions and beliefs regarding child care and found that nearly 60 percent of grandparents are either providing care for their grandchildren or have in the past. Not only are they providing regular child care, but they are providing, back up care, sick care, before and after school care, as well as summer care.
• Leaving Children to Chance: NACCRRA's Ranking of State Standards and Oversight of Small Family Child Care Homes
  States do not have regulations in place that protect children in small family child care homes, as indicated by this report. According to the report, only one state is meeting 75 percent of the basic requirements needed to ensure that children are in care that safeguards their health and safety and promotes development and learning.
• Parents and the High Price of Child Care - 2008 Update
  Child care is a major household expense for parents of young children. The average price of full-time care for an infant in a licensed center can be as high as $14,650 a year. For a four-year-old in a licensed center, parents could pay up to $10,920. Family child care homes may be less expensive, but the costs still add up, with average prices for full-time care as high as $9,500 for an infant and $9,000 for a four-year-old.
• We Can Do Better: NACCRRA's Ranking of State Child Care Center Standards and Oversight
  States fall far short of meeting basic requirements needed to protect the health and safety of children in child care, and to promote their school readiness, as indicated by this report.
• Is Child Care Ready?: First-Ever National Disaster Planning Initiative
  Until now, there has been no plan in place to protect our nation's millions of children in child care when disaster strikes. Prompted by the shocking reality of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, NACCRRA is leading the first-ever nationwide initiative to prepare child care programs for disasters.