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DEFINITION

Child care is the number of licensed child care slots for children ages 12 and under, including full-time licensed child care center slots, certified family child care home slots, and school-age child care slots.

SIGNIFICANCE

The increasing proportion of women in the labor force has resulted in significant numbers of children who need child care in their earliest years. In Rhode Island, 59% of mothers with a youngest child under age 6 are in the labor force.¹ Many two-parent families need two incomes to make ends meet; one quarter of all working women are sole wage-earners for their children.² Recent changes in welfare law requiring women to work or participate in work programs will mean additional children in need of quality child care.

Young children need safe, nurturing, developmentally appropriate child care. A 1995 study concluded that states with less stringent standards had a greater number of low-quality centers. Quality is directly associated with higher staff-to-child ratios, and higher staff wages. Regardless of family background, good quality child care enhances child development and poor care impairs it.³ Two recent national studies of both center care and family child care found that significant numbers of children in child care programs are receiving mediocre or poor quality care.⁴

Research points to a relatively low supply of quality child care for infants, school-age children, children with disabilities and special health care needs, and parents with unconventional or shifting work hours.⁵ In Rhode Island, a shortage of child care options leaves many families unable to find safe, affordable, good quality child care for their children.

Proportion of Income spent on Child Care,
By family Income Levels, U.S. 1990

Source: D. Phillips and A. Bridgman (eds.), New Findings on Children, Families, and Economic Self-Sufficiency (1995), Washington DC; Institute of Medicine.

The cost of full-time child care often represents the largest expense, after housing, for working parents who need full-time care for their children. The less families earn, the higher the proportion of income spent on child care.⁶

Rhode Island Works to Make Child Care Affordable

Rhode Island's welfare reform law expands access to subsidized child care for working families that meet the eligibility requirement (185% of the poverty level).

As of December 1996, there were over 16,000 children under age 6 receiving AFDC, and an additional 15,000 children between the ages 6 and 12.⁷ The Number of current child care subsidies - 6,077 - is far below the number of low-income working families who will need them. Even as child care subsidies become available, there is a structural shortage of quality licensed child care centers and certified family child care homes necessary to meet the increased demand for child care.

Table 20: Licensed Child Care Slots for Children Ages 12 and Under, Rhode Island, 1996.

Children Enrolled in Head Start

DEFINITION

Children enrolled in Head Start is the percentage of 3 and 4 year old children in the Head Start preschool program as of October 1, 1996.

SIGNIFICANCE

Head Start is a comprehensive early childhood development program doe low-income preschool children, primarily ages three to five, and their families. Most children in the program attend for one year and are four years old.¹ Children living in families with incomes below 100% of the federal poverty line or in families that receive AFDC were eligible for Head Start in 1996. Up to 10% of the children can have a family income above the poverty line, especially if the child has a special need.

Head Start program components include education, parent involvement, social services, health and nutrition, and mental health. The program is designed to provide low-income children with the socialization and school-readiness skills they need to enter public schools on an equal footing with more economically advantaged children.²

According to a 1993 report issued by the General Accounting Office about 35% of all poor three and four year olds participate in a preschool program compared to 60% of the highest income three and four year olds.³ Children most at risk of school failure are those most likely to benefit from quality pre-school programs. The Committee on Economic Development reported in 1991 that for every dollar spent on a comprehensive and intensive pre-school program for the disadvantaged, society saves up to $6 in the long-term costs of welfare, remedial education, teen pregnancy and crime.⁴

In Rhode Island, 2,365 children are enrolled in Head Start, 40% of eligible 3 and 4 year olds. Of the core cities, only Newport and Woonsocket have at least 40% of eligible children enrolled. Pawtucket and Central Falls have less 16% of eligible children enrolled.

Early Care and Education Promotes Child Development

In Rhode Island six of the eight Head Start programs offer full-day programs and three offer full-year programs. Recent changes in welfare law requiring parents to work in order to receive cash assistance will increase the demand for full-day, full-year programs.

Many factors contribute to a child's success in school. School readiness is based on children's physical health, self-confidence and social competence. Readiness is not determined solely by the innate abilities and capacities of young children. Readiness is shaped and developed by people and environments in early childhood years.⁵

In the U.S., 53% of three to five year olds are enrolled in some type of preschool program. These programs include Head Start, center-based non-profit and for-profit child care, family day care, school based prekindergarten programs, and part-day nursery schools.⁶

Early childhood programs generally fall into two types: services that are educational and attend to child development, and services that provide primarily custodial care while parents are at work. Yet, all programs for young children should include both quality education and care.⁷

Table 21: Percent of Eligible Children Ages 3 and 4 Enrolled in Head Start, Rhode Island, 1996.

Fourth-Grade Reading Skills

DEFINITION

Fourth-grade reading skills is the percentage of fourth-grade students who score at the 40th percentile or higher on the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT) in 1995, considered a "basic" standard in terms of national norms. Scores are from the Reading Comprehension subtest and are based on the 1992 national norms.

SIGNIFICANCE

Reading skills are critical to a student's success in school and in the workforce. Students who cannot read are more likely to be absent from school and to exhibit behavior problems and low self-esteem.¹ Demographic variables, such as parent education, language proficiency, family structure, and the community's socioeconomic status are strong predictors of student achievement in reading.²

Parents of all educational backgrounds and income levels can play a significant role in shaping student's reading abilities by the reading practices and attitudes that they convey at home.³ Children who regularly discuss their reading with family and friends score significantly higher in reading than students who report that they rarely or never do so.⁴

Achievement test scores are only one measure of a child's reading ability. The standardized tests need to be supplemented with a broader range of measures that are less subject to culture and gender bias.⁵ Even by the broader standard of the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 28% of fourth graders in the U.S. could meet the criteria for proficiency in reading, regardless of their socioeconomic status.⁶ In Rhode Island, 32% of fourth-grade students scored at the proficient level or above.⁷

Early Childhood and Reading Proficiency

The long-term success of a child's learning and development depends on what happens from ages birth to three. Before age one, brain development is rapid and vulnerable to environmental influences. Babies raised in safe and stimulating environments are better learners later in life than those raised in less stimulating environments.⁸

Young children who attend Head Start, pre-kindergarten, or other center-based preschool programs have higher emerging literacy scores than other 4-year-olds. The benefit of pre-school attendance accrues to children from both high-risk and low-risk family backgrounds.⁹

Children from low-income families are less likely to have access to high quality pre-school programs. According to a 1993 report issued by the Government Accounting Office, about 35% of all poor three and four year olds participate in a preschool program compared to 60% of the highest income three and four year olds.¹⁰

  Elementary schools that set high standards in learning and are committed to meeting those standards give children a better chance of leaving the fourth grade proficient in reading, writing, mathematics, and science.¹¹

A home environment that encourages learning and parents are involved in their children's education are important factors in school achievement.¹²

Student reading proficiency declines as television viewing increases. Nationally, one out of every five fourth graders watches six or more hours of television daily.¹³

Table 22: Fourth-Grade Readings Scores, Rhode Island, 1995.

High School Graduation Rate

DEFINITION

High school graduation rate is the percentage of the ninth-grade class that is expected to graduate, based on the existing drop-out incidence among 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students. The rate is computed using fall enrollment data and the number of students who drop out between October 2, 1994 and October 1, 1995. It is a four year cumulative rate, and represents the probability of an individual student graduating from high school.

SIGNIFICANCE

Children who receive a quality education are more likely to grow into capable, self-sufficient adults who contribute to their communities. With the decline in manufacturing and the increased reliance on an information-based economy, education has become critical to a young person's success in the labor market. In 1992, students in the U.S. who dropped out of school earned less than $13,000 - one-third less than high school graduates.¹

Children and teens in economically disadvantaged communities and whose parents have little formal education are more likely to drop out of school. Early warning signs for a student likely to drop out of school include inability to read at grade level, poor grades, frequent truancy, behavior problems, substance abuse, and teen pregnancy.² Students may not achieve well in school for a variety of reasons, not necessarily due to differences in students' inherent ability to learn. Low expectations by schools; ineffective and outdated curricula and teaching methods; poorly prepared or insufficiently supported teachers; week home/school linkages; the lack of adequate accountability systems; and effective allocation of resources by schools can negatively influence a student's school achievement.³

1995 High School Graduation Rates,
by Median Income of Rhode Island Communities*

* Rhode Island median household income in 1990 ranged from a high of $53,058 in Barrington to a low of $18,617 in Central Falls.

Source: Reading for High Standards: Student Performance in Rhode Island, 1995 (February, 1996). Providence; RI Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.; U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1990 Census of Population.

Achievement differences among school districts, and among schools within districts, are correlated with the socio-economic status of the community and the neighborhood. There are currently major contrasts in educational achievement and student outcomes depending on where a student lives and goes to school.⁴

Schools in low-income communities have more limited access to up-to-date instructional materials, adequate classroom space, well-equipped libraries, laboratories, computers, and after-school sports and cultural activities.⁵ Many children of color not only attend schools with fewer resources, but may also be confronted with low expectations. research shows minority students are disproportionately assigned to special education classes and steered toward vocational education.⁶

Table 23: High School Graduation Rate, Rhode Island, 1995.

Teens Not in School and Not Working

DEFINITION

Teens not in school and not working is the percentage of teens ages 16 to 19 who are not enrolled in school, not in the Armed Forces, and unemployed. This indicator includes recent high school graduates who are unemployed, and teens who have dropped out of high school who are jobless.

SIGNIFICANCE

Dropping out of school and not becoming part of the workforce places teens at a significant disadvantage as they transition from adolescence to adulthood. These adolescents have a difficult time getting connected to the job market as young adults and are at significant risk for criminal activity and non-marital parenting.¹ Teens are most likely to drop out when they do not succeed in school activities and see little connection between academic success and the challenges in their daily life.²

Work experiences connected with school can be an important mechanism for building on the interests of at-risk students and engaging them in school-related activities. School-linked part-time jobs can be an important resource to prevent dropping-out, reinforce learning in school, and develop positive work attitudes and habits.³

Rhode Island ranks well compared to the rest of the country in the number of teens not in school and not working. In 1990, eight percent of youths ages 16 to 19 were not in school and not working.⁴

The Connection Between School and Work:
A resource for Disadvantaged Youth

The most effective of the current generation of school-to-work programs have positive effects on student's attitudes toward work, school attendance, and drop-out rates. However, many school-to-work efforts do not adequately address the needs of students on the verge of dropping out of school and out-of-school youth.⁵

Opportunities that focus on job advancement and income gains, as well as on getting employment, are especially important to minority youth and to women. school-to-work programs can bridge race and gender barriers and provide an entry point into better paying occupations.⁶

Many teens work to help support the family household and meet their own basic expenses. School-to-work efforts, especially in low-income communities, need to include paid work opportunities for teens.⁷

Many adult professionals and middle-class teens get their jobs through a network of informal contacts. Low-income teens are less likely to have these kinds of connections to employers and places of employment. Effective school-to-work programs work to construct (or reconstruct) these networks.⁸

Table 24: % teens Not in School and Not Working, Ages 16-19, Rhode Island, 1990.