ERIC Number: ED423071
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1998-Jul-31
Pages: 17
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Child Care: Use of Standards To Ensure High Quality Care.
General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Health, Education, and Human Services Div.
Prepared to assist Congress in its deliberations of various child care proposals, this report identifies key child care center standards that are critical in helping to ensure high quality child care. The article also examines the extent to which states incorporate these standards into their own standards, and discusses other important issues that relate to child care standards and their effect on quality. The analysis clearly shows that the standards which appear to be good predictors of high quality child care are those which focus on caregiver education and training, child-to-staff ratios, group sizes, and safety and health. Except for group size, all states have standards in the key areas identified, although the extent to which state standards reflected those set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the National Health and Safety Performance Standards varied. The report also discusses other key issues that affect child care quality, including caregiver turnover and caregiver wages. (JPB)
Descriptors: Child Caregivers, Day Care, Day Care Centers, Early Childhood Education, Educational Policy, Educational Principles, Educational Quality, Public Policy, State Standards
U.S. General Accounting Office, P.O. Box 37050, Washington, DC 20013; phone: 202-512-6000; fax: 202-512-6061; e-mail: info@www.gao.gov; World Wide Web: http://www.gao.gov (First copy, free. Additional copies, $2 each).
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Health, Education, and Human Services Div.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A