MARYLAND FAMILY NETWORK

Public Policy

Child Care for Infantsand Toddlers

There is a significant shortage of child care for children under two years old. According to 2009 data collected by LOCATE: Child Care, there are 750 group infant/toddler programs serving approximately 9,786 infants and toddlers. Although there has been a substantial increase in infant/toddler center slots, there is still a tremendous need for them.

It is expensive to care for infants and toddlers in groups. The average cost of this care in Maryland’s group centers is $228.80 a week. To ensure that infants cared for in groups are protected from risk, regulations governing the care of infants are stringent. The two major expenses associated with infant care are renovation costs associated with installing needed equipment and staff costs to meet the 1:3 staff/child ratio required by regulations.

Currently, more than 65% of infants and toddlers in regulated care are attended to in family child care homes, and family providers will probably continue to provide the bulk of infant care in the near future. However, state child care and fire regulations prohibit more than two children under the age of two years in a family child care home with one care giver. In 1991, the General Assembly passed legislation allowing a family child care provider to care for four children under age two if there is a second adult care giver in the home. Budgets developed by FOF/MFN's TECHNIC Department found that the cost of the required assistant far exceeded the additional revenue provided by the two additional children under two.

Infants and toddlers are vulnerable to infection and require continuous attention from care givers to care for their needs and foster their healthy growth and development, including healthy development of the brain. Parents and experts have long known that babies raised by caring adults in safe, stimulating environments are better learners than those raised in less stimulating settings, and that these effects can be long-lasting. Recent scientific findings related to studies of the nervous system and the use of sophisticated brain scans have allowed researchers to measure the impact of the environment on brain function. According to Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of our Youngest Children, the 1994 Report of the Carnegie Corporation, five key findings should inform early childhood policy-making activities, particularly as it relates to infants and very young children: (1) brain development that takes place before age one is more rapid and extensive than previously realized; (2) brain development is much more vulnerable to environmental influence than previously believed; (3) the influence of the early environment on brain development is long lasting; (4) the environment affects not only the number of brain cells and number of connections among them, but also the way these connections are “wired;” and (5) there is new scientific evidence for the negative impact of early stress on brain function.

While recognizing the need to increase the supply of infant care, FOF/MCC has vigorously opposed legislative proposals to weaken current law regarding group size and the number of children under age two in family child care. Solutions to the shortage of infant/toddler care must not come at the expense of safety or quality.

Position

FOF/MCC should explore options that can increase the supply of infant/toddler care and maximize quality. This includes expanding efforts to recruit more family providers, encouraging employers to subsidize infant/toddler care in a variety of ways (including the establishment of centers that care for their employees' children), and supporting leave policies that give parents the time to choose and monitor safe and appropriate child care for their babies and young children. Advocating for additional state investments in comprehensive early childhood education and support is a priority.