Student Ecerpts from the 1991

Hurry Sinqer Foundution NutionuI Essuy Contest

Whut, If Any, ShouId
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ChiId Cure In The United Stutes?
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Wellington Publications
WP Carmel. California
WP





What, If Any, Should
Government's Role Be
Regarding Child Care In
The United States?














Student Excerpts From The
Harry Singer Foundation National
High School Essay Contests Concerning







The Role Our Government Plays
Regarding Child Care
In The United States






Margaret Bohannon-Kaplan, Editor


Wellington Publications
W-P Carmel, California















The non-partisan Harry Singer Foundation was established in 1988 to
promote greater individual participation in government and involvement in
social issues. The views expressed here are those of the various students
who chose to enter our essay contest and do not necessarily represent the
views of the board members and staff of the Foundation.

















Second Printing
Copyright 2008 by Wellington Publications
Printed in USA

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without permission from the publisher. Inquiries should be
addressed to Wellington Publications P.O. Box 223159 Carmel, California
93922

LCCN: 2008934924
ISBN: 978-0-915915-51-4








Editor's Note:

In most cases, students gave the Foundation citations for the material that
was quoted in their papers. Because of space constraints, we generally did
not include those citations here. Also, in rare instances, material was quoted
by students and incorporated in their papers without giving proper credit.
We apologize, but must disclaim responsibility as we cannot always tell
when a student is quoting from another writer unless quotation marks are
used. This is purely an educational exercise.

This copy is distributed by the Harry Singer Foundation without charge as
part of its commitment to inform and encourage participation in public
policy.







Who is Harry Singer?
Most people have never heard of Harry Singer. He wasn't a famous
politician, a philanthropic industrialist, a creative artist, a martyred
preacher or a great inventor-humanitarian. Harry Singer was a common
man.
Harry was an immigrant. He came to this country in 1912 from a small
village in Russia. He settled in Chelsea, Massachusetts where with his wife
and five children he ran a tiny neighborhood grocery store.
Harry could have been your uncle, your brother-in-law, your next door
neighbor. He had no lust for power, no great ambitions. He was just a
good, kind, quiet man with a keen sense of justice who would jump in
when he felt something was wrong. Harry was an egalitarian who showed
respect for all men and who was respected in return.
It is fitting that a foundation dedicated to encouraging the common man's
participation in public policy decisions should be named after Harry. For it
is to the Harry Singers of a new generation that we must look if we are to
keep America competitive and strong in the world of the twenty-first
century.
The Harry Singer Foundation came into being because the descendants of
the humble egalitarian believe today what President Woodrow Wilson said
back in 1912:
"Every country is renewed out of the unknown ranks and not out of
the ranks of those already famous and powerful and in control."
i
ii
About The Harry Singer Foundation (HSF)

The Harry Singer Foundation is a non-profit 501(c) 3 private operating
foundation (IRC: 4942 j 3) located in Carmel, California whose purpose is
to promote responsibility and involve people more fully in public policy
and their communities. It was founded in 1987. It actively conducts
programs, and is not a grant-making foundation.

The founders believe many people base their decisions on erroneous or too
little factual information about public policy, private and public programs,
and the effort and goodwill of their fellow citizens. The Harry Singer
Foundation has developed programs to help correct this situation, and
would like to join with you in helping to make this nation a stronger and
better place to live and grow for this generation and generations of
Americans to come.

The Foundation's focus is on the too often forgotten average citizen. We
are not consciously looking to attract future leaders; we feel that job is
being handled adequately by a variety of existing foundations. Our goal is
to minimize the polarization we see developing in this country between the
doers and those done to the rulers and the ruled. We strive to make
everyone feel that their thoughts and ideas count; to let them know that
they are listened to and that they matter. We want our fellow citizens to
understand that a person doesn't have to be brilliant or a great
communicator in order to make a difference in America. A person does
have to care and does have to participate.

Action

It is not enough to think, write and talk about the problemswe must show
by active example what people are capable of achieving. The goal is to
find out what works within a desired framework. When participants learn
how to choose what to do without sacrificing the best American ideals to
expediency, the Foundation will provide the opportunity to put some of
their ideal choices to the test.

The Foundation first concentrated on young people because they are open
and eager to learn, are not saddled with a myriad of other social
responsibilities (like raising a family and making their own living) and they
will be around the longest and therefore have the best opportunity to make
iii
their projects work. They are ideal experimenters because time is on their
side.
Pilot Projects
We bring people together to network at our headquarters in Carmel,
California. When participants come up with ideas, HSF provides the
opportunity to put to the test, those ideas that garner the most enthusiastic
response. We do this via pilot projects and interacting with grant-making
entities as well as far-sighted businesses. Most businesses rightly have
more than altruistic motives. Their main concerns are about maintaining a
stable and growth-oriented economy and finding responsible employees.
As a side benefit, many of our projects foster these, as well as purely
altruistic goals.
We know a pilot project has been successfully launched when it attracts
enthusiastic volunteers that we call Champions. Champions are drawn to a
specific pilot project because they share its objectives. Therefore they are
eager to jump at the opportunity to bring aspirations to fruition by adding
their own unique approach to managing and expanding the project without
having to worry about funding. Of course HSF continues to provide
guidance in addition to monetary support. Singer Kids 4 Kids was once a
pilot project and Transition to Teaching was a pilot project renamed and
adopted by the state of California in 2008 to attract more science and math
mentors for Californias classrooms.
The HSF Mission
The Harry Singer Foundation mission is to prepare participants for a future
where there may be less government and a weaker safety net. Such a future
would require greater individual character, responsibility and knowledge.
There may be a need for responsible people able to care for themselves and
their less fortunate neighbors.
The Foundation offers materials online, free of charge, which can be
printed and used in the classroom or for individual education or research.
The Workbook section of the HSF web site features data to encourage
logical thinking and attention to the unintended consequences that often
accompany government or personal solutions to perceived problems. HSF
believes that society has encouraged technology and management while
neglecting principles. We need to consider not only can we do, but should
we do. To that end you will find an introduction to the seldom taught
iv
subject of logic in this section along with frequently updated ethical
dilemmas.
Before one can either reflect or help others, one must survive. HSF has
archived the thoughts of teens over a twenty year period in the Teens Speak
Out and the Archived by State forums as well as in the published books
that resulted from 41 of the 46 essay contests the Foundation conducted
between 1988 and 2007. Although many of these teen authors now are
adults with children of their own, their reflections are relevant to today's
youth who must learn to make successful personal and social choices
regarding their own ideology and careers. They too must withstand the peer
pressure of gangs, violence, irresponsible sex and addictive substances.
People change but the social issues remain.
The HSF Mission 1988-2008
The following article was written in 1995 by Amy Davidson, a free lance
writer and linguistics student at the University of California at Berkeley at
the time. This is the result of her observation of the Harry Singer
Foundation during winter break her sophomore year.
Thought, Words and Action
One wouldn't think of Carmel, California, a small coastal town south of
Monterey, as a hotbed for community action. However, nestled between
the Cypress trees and the crashing surf, the small group of dedicated people
at the Harry Singer Foundation are providing opportunities for Americans
to make positive changes in their own communities, across the nation.
Programs, designed for the general public but currently focusing on
teachers and high school students -- including essay contests, community
service project-development, online services, research materials, and
curricula development-- all are ways that members of the non-profit Harry
Singer Foundation are making a tangible difference in our nation.
Founded to preserve both the ideal and the practice of freedom, "HSF aims
to help people develop the skills and knowledge essential to the task,"
according to co-Founder Margaret Bohannon-Kaplan. "Our focus is on the
average citizen, and our goal is to motivate him or her to make positive
differences in America."
v
Martha Collings, a teacher at Plainview High School in Ardmore,
Oklahoma, whose high school students participate in annual HSF essay
contests, praised them as "a refreshing change from the usual boring ones
we are asked to enter."
Her sentiment probably arose from the complex and educationally
stimulating components of the contest. Students must incorporate first and
second-hand research, classroom discussion, individual analysis, and come
up with their own conclusions to timely topics like health care, the media's
role in national elections, the government's role in child care, and the
importance of responsibility to the proper functioning of the nation..
"This was one of the most challenging and thought-provoking contests my
students have entered," said Janet Newton, a teacher from Freeman High
School, Rockford, Washington.
Another teacher, Jerry McGinley of DeForest High School in DeForest,
Wisconsin agreed, saying, "My students put in a great deal of time and
effort reading and discussing the various articles, writing out discussion the
questions, and writing the essays."
It is likely that these teachers also put in a great deal of time. The HSF
contest includes materials and support (through online services, texts, and
personnel from the foundation) for an entire lesson plan based around
issues raised by the essay topic for a given year. HSF aims to have teachers
discuss the topic with their students extensively before the actual writing
begins.
Teacher Mary Ellen Schoonover of Strasburg High school in Strasburg,
Colorado spent a considerable amount of time on assignments and
discussions related to the 1994 topic "Responsibility: Who has It and Who
Doesn't and What This Means to the Nation."
"I felt the Singer essay was a valuable instructional tool," she said. "I
incorporated the materials into class by distributing the required reading
essays and questions to use as homework assignments with class discussion
following each week for four weeks. After discussing the essays, students
chose a topic, and classes did library research."
The result of this kind of preparation is thousands of well-researched
analyses of a topic. The essays are judged by a variety of ordinary citizens
vi
and, depending on the topic, a large sampling of attorneys, academics,
politicians, financial wizards, other teens and senior citizens. This works
because schools are not judged against each other, but only internally, so
each school ends up with awards. "That's the big attraction of our contest,"
explains board member, Donna Glacken. "Every school is a winner. That
and the fact that we publish excerpts from the contest and distribute the
hard copy book to all 535 members of congress and their state and
community politicians and home town media."
Community Involvement Occurred Gradually

In the 1992-93 school year, the Harry Singer Foundation extended the
reach of its programs. More than five thousand official candidates for
national office (most of them unknown) were polled, along with schools
and members of the media. Participants were able to see a comparison of
poll results among the three categories.

The 1993-94 subject of our essay contest: Responsibility: Who Has It and
Who Doesn't and What That Means To The Nation, generated such an
enthusiastic response that we decided to offer this contest as an annual
option. According to contest rules, students were to include in their papers
examples of five responsible acts and three irresponsible acts we were
trying to accentuate the positive. That first contest resulted in three
feedback-books.

The first book, The White Hats, featured the responsible acts. Numerous
students offered more than their quota of irresponsible acts, many in the
form of outrageous lawsuits which are the primary subject of the second
book: Responsibility: Who Has It and Who Doesn't and What That Means
To The Nation. Concealed among all the required examples was the subject
of the third book titled, Doesn't Any One Care About The Children?. It is
our plea to you in response to the cry we heard from over a thousand
teenagers. Our readers were at times overwhelmed by the anguish, despair,
rage and hopelessness found in many of the opinions and stories embedded
in those essays.

In 1995 the Foundation had students poll their communities and question
politicians, members of the local media, attorneys and others for their
opinions regarding social needs as determined by the results of those polls.
Solutions for "local governments struggling with limited resources" were
judged by a dozen governors, and a small group consisting of U.S.
senators, congressmen and big city mayors.
vii
The National High School Essay Contests Comes To An End

For twenty years the Harry Singer Foundation (HSF) offered recognition
and incentives to every high school submitting at least ten essays covering
a specified topic involving public policy and the role of government.
Students have studied and written about social security, term limits for the
United States Congress, government's role in child-care, government's role
in health care, the media's role in choosing our candidates for national
office, responsibility and even encouraged young people to work with local
government to find alternatives to old ways of servicing citizen needs.

Many students, and especially teachers, put an enormous amount of work
into our programs. Students were given reading assignments and asked to
answer twenty questions before they began their essays. Submittals were
judged on how well the topic was covered and evidence of serious
thinking, rather than on writing skill. In the spring excerpts were published
in a book and distributed back to the schools as well as to members of
Congress and to others interested in public policy. This allowed students to
see how their peers across the country handled the subject matter.
We launched www.singerfoundation.org in the fall of 1994. As more and
more schools gained Internet access they were able to receive and transfer
materials which we could put directly on our web site. Essays sent in
digital form via email freed us from having to recruit volunteers who used
the keyboard to input the work of students that used to arrive by mail as
hard copy. In 2001 we began putting entire essays online, delaying
publication of books like the one you are reading. At the end of 2006 we
decided to resume publishing the students work in hard copy and to phase
out the Foundations essay contest era. On our web site
www.singerfoudation.org you will find the complete text of every HSF
book published since 1990, often including the rules and required reading
for the particular contest. You may browse, print the entire book or request
a hard copy from the Foundation by using the contact information
provided.
We certainly have not lost interest in the goals of the HSF national essay
contests. We are particularly proud of our attempt to encourage students to
gather facts and think logically. The Harry Singer Foundation continues to
share the goal of those who teach students how to think, not what to think.
To that end we have posted links to some of, what we consider to be, the
best online essay contests offered by other organizations.
viii
2008 Begins a New Era

Current Foundation programs continue to seek and encourage the exchange
of ideas. We took two years to renovate our web site which hosts the
Foundations history. Twenty years worth of students research and
opinions may now be accessed by topic (Teens Speak Out) or by clicking
on a state in the Archive forum and finding student ideas by school, teacher
or participant. We have presented this information in a way that we believe
visitors to our web site will find useful.

You will also find on our web site new projects such as Kids 4 Kids that
was mentioned earlier. Kids 4 Kids is expanding under the expert guidance
of our Champion, Steve Platt and is now a full fledged program. While the
science and math portion of T2T is in the state of California's hands, HSF
is working to place volunteer mentors in subjects that are not on the States
agenda. With the help of future Champions we expect the program to be
picked up by states other than California. We are looking for Champions to
contact engineering companies and societies, local artists, athletes and
alumni associations to find members who are willing to donate time and
energy to teach what they love including music, art and athletics, subjects
that dont necessarily have to be taught in a classroom. The Foundation
wants to join with the numerous other groups and individuals who are
trying to bring this uncovered talent into the school system as mentors,
teacher-aids and accredited teachers. We already have a program of
accreditation that can be completed with only one day a month class
attendance for 12 months. We are also working to help teachers obtain
housing at a reasonable cost in a state where it is more expensive to live
than in other areas in the nation.
The Philanthropy Project is collaboration between the Harry Singer
Foundation and the Templeton Foundation. It is a national, multimedia
public service campaign aimed at the general public, legislators, opinion
leaders and the media. By using film and television to tell compelling
stories about the good works, conducted by mostly small and unrecognized
charitable foundations, the Philanthropy Project seeks to introduce
philanthropy to young people and to promote the spirit of philanthropy in
communities across the country.
Media Watch is a revision of an inspirational program for students initiated
by the Harry Singer Foundation in 1994. The goal is to uncover good news
in communities, feed it to local media outlets and monitor publication.
ix
x
Over the life of the project, the good news should increase in relation to the
bad news, with both kinds being carefully documented.
Another Way is the culmination of over twenty years of Foundation
experience. We know most adults underestimate the capabilities of young
people and their idealism, energy and eagerness to be productive members
of their communities. Another Way gives young people an opportunity to
prove their competence.
Problem Solvers is a pilot project geared towards college and high school
campuses. Students debate local and national issues using media (radio,
TV, newspapers). Not only do the students learn, but their nonpartisan
information would be a boon to the many in our society that find that
regulations and even laws have been passed without their knowledge and
opportunity to contribute to the discussion or dissent.
The goal of the goal of the Human Nature project is not modest. The goal
is to improve the chances that man will discover how to live with his kind
in peace and tolerance, creating a free, stable environment. Once he figures
out the necessary rules of conduct, the next step would be to figure out how
to enforce these rules while preserving maximum individual and group
freedom of thought and action.
We invite you to take advantage of opportunities to participate in, or better
yet, to Champion pilot programs by visiting our newly renovated web site
at www.singerfoundation.org.

1

Contents


About the Harry Singer Foundation

Contents

Foreword

Section One-The Nuclear Family Has Changed
Child Care
Legislators
Taxes

Section Two-Who Provides the Child-Care and Where?
A Stay-At-Home Parent
The Pros and Cons of Child-Care
Where Should Child-Care Take Place?

Section Three-Government's Role in Child-Care
Government's Role Should Be Small to Nonexistent
Government's Role Should Be Large
Both Sides Cite the U.S. Constitution as Justification

Section Four-Solutions!
Solutions
The Role of Employers
There Ought To Be A Law
What About State and Local Authorities?

Section Five- In Conclusion:
Whimsical and Serious Thoughts About Children
A Little Humor
i

1

3

5
8
14
17

23
25
30
36

43
45
52
60

75
77
83
85
93

101
104
111


2

3

Foreword


One thousand two hundred and eighty five high school juniors and
seniors from one hundred and fifty schools in thirty-eight states
participated in the 1991 Harry Singer Foundation Essay Contest.

In an attempt to economically and efficiently share the product of
students' thought and research, the Foundation decided to reproduce
only one essay in its entirety. This decision allows us to present
excerpts from a greater variety of papers than would be possible if
only top papers were published. We believe legislators, educators,
parents, other students and the general public may find many of the
participants' comments informative, interesting and even amusing.

Our purpose in holding an annual contest focusing on a controversial
public policy issues, is to let young people know that we are
listening to what they have to say and we care what they think. We
hope to arouse their interest in public policy before they get into the
habit of not caring and not voting.

It has been said that liberty is the hardest test that one can inflict on a
people. Our form of government can prosper only so long as citizens
remain informed and involved. Only an educated populace will be
able to maintain and perpetuate the ideals which made this nation
great. Only through education will the people be able to govern
themselves and compete in the new world of the twenty-first century.

John F. Kennedy once said, "The efforts of governments alone will
never be enough. In the end the people must choose and the people
must help themselves."

Margaret Bohannon-Kaplan
Co-Founder, The Harry Singer Foundation
Carmel, California
May 10, 1991
4
5
Section One








The Nuclear Family Has Changed
But Stereotypes Remain

6
7
Change Is Inevitable


"Our country is free and women have equal rights. Our government
needs to realize this and understand that women need support too. I
feel some child care services would be better if sponsored by the
government." NE

"A woman is a human and deserves the right to work." MO

"During the 80s, women felt the pressure to have a career to help the
family financially, but in essence, they are helping to raise money
instead of raising their children. A child should be raised by his or
her parents, even if the family has to take a loss financially.
Although working mothers ease the economic dilemma of family
finances, the mother and child relationship suffers." PA

"In today's shifting society, with taxes and goods getting higher
while incomes seem to be motionless, the woman has put down her
apron and iron, and traded them in for a computer terminal and a
welder's torch." NY

"Some of these women are single parents that have to work to stay
alive and some of the others are women that have to work because
their family needs the double income to live. Others are just women
that want to be independent and want their own identity." OR

"Women are increasingly moving into the workplace as high-level
executives, chairman, and even presidents. This places a burden on
our society as to who stays home and takes care of the children.
Women holding these positions are paying our government money
so the government should try and help them in terms of child care.
That is only fair." TX

"The more parents that are in the work force, the more income tax
dollars will be paid to our government. Consequently fewer parents
will be staying at home collecting unemployment. Therefore earning
more revenue for the government and saving it at the same time. So,
8
shouldn't these be the parents who benefit the most from the
government subsidized child-care programs?" PA

"America still believes that the woman should be at home. Until this
bias is resolved, working women and their children will not get the
support they need." NY

Child Care

"Society has grown not only to accept child care but, to a major
extent, depend upon it." CA

"The pro side to government day care is very minimal, but it do es
exist. Society is very different from what it used to be. We, as a
country, cannot be so narrow-minded as to not see the needs of
others. The fact is that many Americans are in need of a service like
a government day care program." MI

"The presence of mothers of young children in today's workforce is a
very real and rapidly increasing condition. Rather than opposition to
such an inevitable course of events and battling against change in the
world, there should be support and attempts to provide aid to the less
fortunate." TX

"I say that women should have the same opportunities equal to those
of men, and not have to be concerned with the type of treatment their
child is getting." LA

"Our government's job is not to replace parents or parents' rights but
rather to encourage and assist where possible. Children need their
parents to be their advocates in a very hostile world. Joseph Joubert
once said, 'Children have more need of role models than of critics.'
When one or more parent cannot be there, someone has to care.
Someone has to continue to ask the question, 'What is best for the
children?'" OH

Many students felt that parents are essential to instilling
character and morality in tomorrow's leaders:
9
"Loss of the family unit could be to blame for the decline of the
moral climate in society." OR

"A child is like a tree. A child is a seed that grows with proper
nourishment. Like a tree the child will bend with the wind if it has
been taught to. If we do not teach our children the values of life and
how to cooperate with other people, they will break. How can a
parent teach a child when he or she is out working to feed the child
and put a roof over the child's head?" OK

"When you have a child growing up, that child needs love and care
from his or her mother. Once the child has grown up, then the
mother can certainly pursue a career of her own. In the decades
before the 1970s most mothers stayed home with their children. Also
in those generations things such as suicides, rape, murder, high
school dropouts, etc. were not prevalent problems. But as the mother
goes out the house and into the workforce, as happened in the past
few decades, all the issues just listed have risen dramatically." PA

"Many of today's children are growing up not knowing the difference
between good and evil, simply because they have never had a parent
that taught them the difference. Some parents also confuse the child
by doing things that the child knows are wrong." OR

"One possible opposing view on this in-school day care is that it
may, in a sense condone promiscuity among teenagers, sending the
message that society will take care of one's mistakes." VA

"While the parent-child relationship diminishes so does the child's
morals and ethics." KY

"The children of today are tomorrow's leaders. Wouldn't it be nice if
they are honest, upright citizens with high religious values? Then
why does the government want to deprive and weaken its future by
prohibiting religious values and morals to be taught or practiced in
daycare programs? Why would the federal legislature open with a
prayer yet prohibit preschoolers from praying over lunch?" AL

10
"Who teaches the children morals and ethical standards? In the past
twenty years, ever since mothers have beenexpanding the work
force, the crime rate in the United States has jumped to an alarming
rate. This includes child and spouse abuse which can be attributed to
the stress of work and financial problems. The lifestyle with the
mother working has reaped some awful repercussions. We have seen
our divorce rate jump to an alarming rate. We've seen our jails
become overcrowded." MI

"The world is like a chain reaction. If it is introduced to negative
material, then soon our whole society will turn into a chaotic
mess. The adults of today must forget about themselves and start
thinking about what is best for the children." TX

"I think that everyone will admit that the deterioration of the family
unit is a large contributor to the many problems in society, including
crime, alcoholism and drug abuse." OK

Family life bore many fruits:
"But throughout the past decade, the number of our nation's mothers
in the work force has increased dramatically. Although many of
them are working only out of economic necessity, their absence from
the home is leading to the deterioration of family life. Family life is
becoming a car ride in the morning to day care, another one home
and then dinner." PA

"In a federally controlled day care it would not have been possible to
learn the lessons that taught me my values in life." AL

"I found out that in my younger years that when your parents buy
you things you tend to treat them with less respect than if you had
bought them yourself. So if you buy things don't make a habit of it.
Make them work for what they get; there are always chores to do
around the house. Just make them realize that somebody has worked
hard for what they have, and if they do pay for some of their own
things they will get a taste of what the adult world is like. Then they
will respect what they have because they know whoever worked for
what they have worked hard and they should respect that." NE
11
"Parents should always understand that they too need to spend plenty
of time with their children. They can not always have government
programs or any other programs take care of their children. Family
love and affection is very important to children." KS

"It will always be extremely difficult to find persons who feel such
affinity for an unrelated child that they will repeatedly go out of their
way to do the tiny, precious things that make children thrive rather
than merely survive." NJ

"Many parents are faced with a triple dilemma: day care is hard to
find, difficult to afford and often of distressingly poor quality." IL

"If the [children] who are placed in day care turn to violence as a
result, then what will this country do?" TX

"I am afraid that any resolution which would encourage a less active
interaction between parents and their children would be a definite
mistake. I think that congress should look into the past. In the past,
marriage and children came about only after financial stability was
attained. Maybe we should come up with some plan to encourage
this kind of responsibility and should definitely shy away from any
plan which would reward couples for irresponsible decisions." OK

Most students realized the ramifications of day-care
"At the age of three, children ask many questions. Many day-care
centers do not have enough personnel to answer these questions."
AR

"The principal problem with little people is that they soon grow to
become medium people and big people. Any abnormalities in their
early development are likely to grow in proportion to their bodies,
making their mature adult counterparts less likely to enjoy success
and happiness and more likely to rob convenience stores." VA

Latchkey children often wonder what they can do after school to
keep themselves occupied. Many of them decide to get into trouble
with their friends." NY
12
"Some single mothers lock their children in the house with padlocks.
This is known as 'latchkey' Latchkey is a serious crime. A person
can be sent to prison for latchkey." FL

The above is an unique definition of latchkey.

Maybe it's time to be responsible and look ahead:
"What should we do with the fourteen or fifteen year old little girls
who are having babies when they are still just babies themselves?
Do we tell them to just quit? You think you can get them to quit?
More power to you, but you will never get them to quit and I think it
would be mostly just because of spite, just to have a baby after the
government said no. That would be a reward in itself." NY

"Try to imagine yourself as a pregnant working wife.... What kinds
of changes and effects on your life is having a child and trying to
hold a job going to have? Your husband works too, but his paycheck
is spent before it is received. Together both you and your husbands'
paychecks combined barely account for enough money to pay the
bills you normally receive. So, what are you and your husband going
to do to pay the new bills that will appear because of the child that is
on the way? When should you take off of work due to your
pregnancy? ... What are you going to do about the money you loose
by not being able to work and how will you and your husband be
able to pay all the bills without your paycheck? When you do decide
to return to work or are forced to because of the costly bills, will
your old job still be there for you? If your job is still there, where
are you going to put the newborn child?" OK

Is it as hopeless as some students believe it is?
"America's legacy to its young people includes bad schools, poor
health care, deadly addictions, crushing debts and utter indifference."
KS

"It is a hopeless battle between having your child cared for properly
and getting your necessities taken care of. It is a no win situation, a
double edged sword. The problem is major, yet the government does
not take it seriously." CT
13
"No parents would feel right about leaving their child unattended,
but what other choices do they have? Either they can stay at home
with the child, living-off welfare, or go to work and leave the child
to take care of himself." CA

"Single parents have little choice between working and staying
home. Either they work and put their child in day care or they go on
welfare. Their options are limited, and so is their money." KY

"It would be very difficult to determine the fair amount that each
family should receive or which cases should even be considered for
assistance." OR

Is business the culprit?
"The role of business has enveloped today's society and caused the
role of the family to slip down the ladder, while causing professional
child care to race up the ladder." TX

"Many people try to be a parent and a business-person, and, in most
cases, it doesn't work. People tend to wear down, and find out that
it's harder than they thought." NY

Young people saw problems invisible to most adults:
"Do we want the rulers of our country to be brought up thinking that
making rocket ships and broadcasting news which interrupts prime
time is more important than their well being?" MO

"No one wants to have his children watched by a maniac who knows
nothing about children or how to take care of them[On the other
hand] it takes time and effort to sit and watch a child all day and
listen to them scream and yell." TX

"Without the government leading the way to better and more
affordable child care, society will strangle. If the ABC bill does
not pass, then the government's job is to find another plan to keep the
rope that today's day-care is dangling by, from fraying." TX

14
"Although the United States may not be a leader of the industrialized
nations in child care, it is handling its problems of child care much
better than any of the third world nations." TN [A compliment?]

"Just because a parent wants to send his or her child to a church-run
day care, it does not mean that they do not need the money just as
bad as another. America is a country based on freedom. If this is the
government's idea of freedom, they should all go out and get a
dictionary." AL

Legislators

Some were angry at legislators . . .
"The problem is, most of the people who make our laws and create
new government programs just do not think this issue is truly
important. Why? I'll tell you why. These men and women can afford
to have their children taken care of properly. They never have to live
paycheck by paycheck or wonder if the place their children are being
taken care of is efficient. Therefore, they just don't understand how
difficult it can be." OK

"It seems strange that congress doesn't do anything about the
problem but yet both the Senate and House of Representatives
provide on-site day-care for its members and employees." OR

"The Senate and House of Representatives, which have been so
reluctant to help families nationally, provide on-site day-care centers
for the members and their employees." MI

"It has been shown that when it comes to their own children, child
care is always in reach. For $6,600, Senate employees can send their
kids to a federally operated day care center less than a block from the
capitol." OK

"We should not be satisfied by the false promises made by
politicians but we should look for and demand action." NY

"The House makes the bill unreasonable. It makes Congress look
like a dog chasing after its own tail. Instead of sending the child to
15
school when he is five, they will start sending him before he can
crawl!" MI

"The government should be responsible to aid in the education but
we cannot turn our government into a babysitting board of
directors." SD

"I feel if the government is going to help with the schools by giving
them money for unnecessary things, they should also give to the
child care centers for things that could be of good use." TX

"How can government help with child abuse? As we know, stress is
a major factor in child abuse. Parents become frustrated at their low-
paying job. They come home in grumpy moods. The child sets off
the parents' anger, and then the parents take it out on their child."
NY

"I think the government does not understand what being poor means
and how it feels. If I was given a wish, I would ask that the whole
congress read a short essay I read in English class titled "What Is
Poverty?" by Jo Ann Parker. I'd wish the government read this essay
so that they could have some of Parker's statements stick in their
heads like they did in mine:
Poverty is cooking without
food and cleaning without
soap.
Poverty is living in a smell
that never leaves.
Poverty is dirt.
Poverty is an acid that drips
on pride until all pride is
worn away.
Poverty is looking into a
black future." CT

"Congress has failed the children and their parents. Congress has
failed society by not solving the child care crisis. Ironically,
Congress cannot agree on the government's role in helping parents
find proper care for their children. It's time for Congress to
16
remedy its immediate problems. At this present time, expansion of
the government's role would cost the government money that it does
not have, and cost the Americans money that they cannot afford."
CA

"Congress should pass a bill saying that there has to be at least five
nurseries in a town of over 5,000 people. That means a nursery for
every 1,000 people. I think that would be fair, maybe costly, but at
least our children would be safe." KS

"The people count on the government to do what's best for society
and if they can't count on the government, then who can they count
on? Look, I know that I myself am not going to run the government,
so I have to rely on the people who surround me. And the way I look
at it now, if these are the people who are supposed to better my
society, then I haven't got much to look forward to." NY

"If the politicians cared a little more about our future, they might
work or push a little harder on these bills." VA

"[Congress] is not able to pass the bills that many people need,
because congressmen are too afraid of hurting their re-election
chances next year." IA

"I know that we elect people to make our decisions for us, but maybe
something like this should be put to a popular vote." NY

Some students wanted to see legislation enacted . . .
"Some corporations have had day-care facilities for their workers.
What happens is families who could afford child care outside of the
workplace, enroll their children in the less expensive, employer-
provided day-care programs. Because of these families, who filled
the facilities to capacity with their children, the poor families, for
whom these programs were originally intended, cannot get in and are
no better off than before the programs were started. The new ABC
bill will finally force the rich to start paying what they can afford
rather than trying to find a way to spend less than others for child
care." MI

17
"So far we have shown that most people would support child care.
We have elected our legislators to carry our voices to the
government, now it is up to them to turn our ideas into a working
plan. Most people support federal subsidies, but not federal control."
PA

"Politicians have certainly taken their time when it comes to making
decisions about child care. Even the few acts that have become laws
have not escaped heavy scrutiny. The issue of child care is vital to
our nation's future. It will determine what kind of doctrine the United
States will follow. Perhaps, our politicians will never come to an
agreement, and this problem will never be solved, but I definitely
feel better knowing that when and if a solution is reached, it will
certainly be after much thought and premeditation." TX

Taxes

Most young people think Americans already pay enough taxes:
"If the child care bill is passed a revolt in the middle class will
emerge for two reasons. The first reason is the 20 percent tax credit
for child care expenses which they now have will be restricted. The
second reason is the families that are well off will have to pay taxes
on companies that provide day care centers." TX

"I think that they should not have special taxes to take care of the
kids because the people that do not have any kids will be paying for
other kids to be supported, and why should other people be forced to
do this if they do not even have children. Instead, local groups can
help out in other ways. I know where I am from they have special
drives for people who need financial help. When they have collected
all the donations they divide it among all the families who need
help." NE

"I oppose child care legislation that involves increasing taxes and
decreasing benefits to United States taxpayers. The families that
depend on these benefits will be hurt severely. The increased taxes
will cause unnecessary hardship on these hardworking people. I feel
it is unfair to single out one group and hurt others in the process."
OR
18

"If you came up to a stranger on the street and asked him if he liked
his tax dollars to support working parents' children what do you
think he would say? 'I work very hard for my money and I do not
think my money should go to other parents' child care.' My mother
quit her job so she could take care of my siblings and me. I don't
think my parents received a bit of money from the government for it
either." OK

"In this great country of ours it always seems that it's the average
taxpayer that is always picking up the tab for people who are looking
to take advantage of any government program that comes along.
This may or may not be true, but let's face facts here; are you willing
to pay for the upbringing of a child you will never meet, [and never]
see? I'm not." NY

"The majority of America's society is not willing to pay higher taxes.
If the government did interfere on this issue, many problems would
arise." AL

"The government is trying to get money for the families that need it;
but by raising taxes it would all cancel out because the taxes of the
families that need money will be raised too." NE

"Parents choosing to have their children attend daycare provided by
a church to help instill Christian morals and values would be
deprived of tax credit in addition to paying the full costs of daycare
and also higher taxes." AL

"Right now federal, state and local taxes have American citizens so
bent over, most could not afford to pay for things which they need
let alone something that is not any of their concern." TX
"I would not like my taxes raised because a single parent is unable to
afford day care. The responsibility for that child is on the parents. I
don't want to be accused of being narrow-minded, but to put it
bluntly; I'm not my brother's keeper. I feel that the taxpayers that
don't have children or even the taxpayers who do have children, have
enough taxes of their own, and shouldn't have to carry the burden of
other's." NY
19

"Whenever the government comes in, it always means more money
for the taxpayers, even if the government is not wanted." AL

"Again the purpose of government is to do for us those few things
that we delegate to it which we do not effectively do ourselves.
The government by definition is nonproductive. It merely collects
taxes from the people. Therefore how can the government do
something for you without taking it away from someone else." OK

Others suggest offering a carrot instead of applying the stick
"Sure, government can pass laws to force all companies to provide
facilities or make arrangements with local day care centers, but this
may seem unreasonable. A better way would be to offer tax breaks
for companies which houses a day care facility and let them deduct
the cost of running it." WI

"I feel that government should not try to compel businesses to
provide child care opportunities. Instead of punishing the bad, they
should reward the good by giving tax incentives to companies who
have child care programs. It seems that this method would probably
be more receptive to both small and large companies. This approach
would encourage these types of programs and be a step in the right
direction." TN

"Also, offering child care services may promote childbearing which
may not be exactly what the employer wants." AZ

Some find self-reliance commendable:
"The United States is alone among all other industrialized countries
in that working mothers and fathers rely on their own resources, and
on the good will of their employers, rather than the government
regulations and programs, to obtain health insurance coverage for
their families, take time away from work for maternity leave, arrange
child care and meet the many other responsibilities they have as
parents." TX

"I also feel that the responsibility does not all land in the hands of
the government. Parents need to get actively involved. I feel this is a
20
problem in today's society. The parents are so busy with work and
other things that they do not take the time to get involved. Most
parents drop their child off, pick them up, and that is it. As a parent,
it is your job, not only the governments, to make sure the center is
fit." TN

"The paternalistic and patronizing Congress also meddles and
interferes in the lives of citizens, citing the apparent lack of problem
solving on the part of the people, thereby preventing the evolution of
solutions at the lowest level. Necessity is the mother of invention.
The people will come up with their own solution if they have to."
OK

"The United States government should be concerned with the
welfare of its citizens but I don't believe that it should grant any
more money to child-care programs or force businesses to provide
day care. Why squander money on programs that private citizens
should pay for themselves?" OR

"I have no objections to helping people, but I am against helping
people that can obviously help themselves. Many parents won't have
children because they can't afford their expenses. Maybe if people
would think ahead a little bit, this problem would not even exist.
Their children are their expense and responsibility; it's not mine,
yours or the governments'." OK

"Granted, the federal government should take an active interest in
the lives of the citizens of the United States, but it should not
subsidize the lifestyle of each and every citizen. The government
should not waste valuable resources to create and enforce policies.
Individual citizens should [care for themselves and] be caring on
their own volition. Our great nation was founded on individualism
and the right to conduct business and personal affairs as each citizen
sees fit. We must realize these truths and allow our citizens to
provide for themselves and their families." OR

"Even though my sister's school is private, my mom didn't have to
pay a lot of money for the extra benefits that my sister has. The
school stays afloat by fund raising. This way the town is involved
21
and the parents are as well. This gives the child care a warm and
caring feeling to it. Basically our town's motto is, 'He who doesn't
have shall receive from someone who does.'" CT
22

23
Section Two









Who Provides the Care and Where
24
25
A Stay-At-Home Parent

Everyone agrees in the best of all possible worlds . . .

"The ideal proposition would be to have a parent at home with the
child while the other parent works." OH

"A loving, caring parent staying at home with a child during the
formative years sounds like the ideal situation." IL

"It would be wonderful if one parent could stay at home with the
children." OR

"Most parents believe that the safest and best child care is provided
by a parent or a close relative." CA

"The best thing for a child is to have a stay-at-home mom." OK

"The obvious first choice of who should care for the children is a
mother or father." MI

"A mother's caring for their children at home would probably be best
for the children." VA

"In most cases it would be best if the moms stayed home with their
children." NE

"Mothers taking care of their own children at home is almost always
what's best for the children." CT

"It would be ideal if today's world would allow one parent to stay
home and raise the children." CA

"A recent survey indicates that 88 percent of mothers would prefer to
stay at home with their children, instead of being out working." AL

"Parental care is definitely the ideal route. . ."OH
26
"What is best for the children is the parent staying home with the
children in the first place." MI

"[Mothers] should stay at home and care for their children even if it
means quitting their job." NE

"The best thing for a child is to have a stay at home mom." OK

"Almost all the parents agreed that care by one or both parents is the
best of all possible worlds." SD

"If mothers had the choice, most of them would probably decide to
stay home to take care of their children." CA

"Usually, in most cases, the best care for children is their own
parents." MO

"An ideal solution to the entire child care controversy would be for
the mothers to stay home." TN

"Most of us feel that parents are the best caretakers of their
children." OK

"Through a survey which I have conducted, a general consensus has
been established that parental care is the best kind of care a child can
receive." PA

"The ideal situation would be for one parent to stay home with the
kids." OR

"Experts in the field of child care agree that an infant is the best off
when in the care of his/her mother, if she can afford to stay home."
MI
"No one can argue the fact that a good mother constantly at home
will provide a child with the very best care he or she can obtain." ID

"Of one spouse stayed home, there would be fewer people in the
work force. This would raise wages and make it easier to live on one
27
income. There would be no need for a child care law because the
parent who was not working could care for the children." OK

"I feel we have lost our perspective on how much work it takes to
make a household work efficiently and for all the people inside to
feel loved." NE

"I think it's clear that the best way to care for children is to stay at
home." IL

"Two caring parents who can supervise their own child is the best
situation for a child, but this is not always possible." CA

"In time, the mothers' search for child care teaches them a critical
lesson: no matter how many licenses are issued, how many guide-
lines are established or how much money is paid, it is impossible to
have quality control over the capacity of one human being to love
and care for another. Slowly, painfully, mothers come to stunning
realizations--the persons they are looking for are right under their
noses. Mothers are trying to hire themselves. And that's why smart
women are staying home." OK

"There are many reasons why I feel that being a stay-at-home mom
is so important. First, a baby cannot tell a mother what type of care
he or she got through the day. Also, memories can never be changed
and values are much easier taught to a young child. IL

"The goals I have for my own life include being the best wife I can
be to the man I marry. Secondly, I hope to be a mother who is a role
model to my children. Personally, I wish to stay at home so that I
and my husband are the ones who raise our children." OK

"When I have children someday, either I or my wife are going to stay
home and watch them, not send them to day care centers or to
some stranger's home because family is best." NE

28
It was hard to disagree that stay-at-home mothers are
better for children and society as a whole . . .
"If only we could get the mothers or fathers to stay home and raise
their kids, instead of strangers, our society of tomorrow might be a
better place to live." MT

"No matter how good the child care is, it is not possible for it to be
as good as parents taking personal care of the children." TX

"A parent at home would also give the child a reason to take pride in
his or her work at school or home by taking an interest in the youth's
life." AZ

"A parent who chooses to stay home and not pursue a career outside
of the home is spending valuable time with the child. The parent
keeps a family atmosphere in the home and hopefully will bring the
value of a family back to society." MI

"Mothers who do not go out to work, provide better and more
fulfilling lives for their children. There are always disadvantages
to every situation, but the advantages of mothers who stay at home to
raise her children, are much greater and more important." OH

"No matter how devoted a babysitter is to a child, it isn't the same to
the child as having his own parents to provide consistent, loving
discipline. Children need their mothers at home." MI

"Many tests run on children from child cares and stay home
situations lean firmly toward staying home. Studies show that by five
or six months old, most of a baby's physical and mental abilities are
acquired and the infants who bond solely with a mother or father
have more well adjusted children." WA

"Recent studies have indicated that even children in quality child
care situations may not do as well academically or socially as
generations before who spent their younger years home with mom."
MN
29

Is there a crisis in this area? Some students didn't think so:
"It is true that many single parents and second parents are becoming
employed but the nuclear family is not becoming obsolete. Many
single parents and usual stay-at-home mothers are taking jobs that
are not full time and are still in charge of their children during most
hours of the day" AL

"If mothers desire a career, they could continue working when their
children became older. I do not think it would be too hard a trial for
a mother to wait until the children become school-aged before
continuing her career in light of the blessings children would bring
into her life." OK

"In the 90s, it seems that more and more women are leaving the
work force and staying home to raise their children. Women with
degrees, or that already have had a job, are deciding to give it up and
become a homemaker Since more women are deciding to stay
home, stay-home mothers have more support." CA

"A mother should take time out from her full-time job and consider
doing it part-time, at least for the first few years of the baby's life."
MI

"Even though they do not feel cheated out of a career, they do feel
that the job of raising children is greatly undervalued. People who
take care of other people's children are considered to have a
respected career, but stay-at-home mothers, who raise their own
children, are considered to be unemployed." OK

"When the question is asked, What is really best for the children?,
one has to say that there is just no substitute for a child's parents. No
day-care center or run-of-the-mill social worker can teach a child
about life with the love and devotion of a mother and father. Though
it may seem unfair to the woman who wishes to remain in the
working force, a strong argument is given that states that the
mother's round-the-clock presence is crucial to normal development
of a child." NY

30
The Pros and Cons of Child Care

But even on this point there were many, often thoughtful
opinions expressed to the contrary:

"Sometimes however, mothers do not deserve to have their children
at home with them. Some because they drink or take drugs, or
because they abuse their children. Others however, are just mean and
rotten; they make their children cry and give their children
complexes." PA

"The government cannot see the craving of the youngsters in this
country for protection from physical and mental abuse and
demoralizing parents. By forming a committee and organizing a
program in which people are investigated, to compose reports on
how children are cared for by protecting the children of today,
society can insure the future." VA

"Author, Betty Friedan, insists that children blossom in child care.
.Day cares will ultimately become beneficial to society by better
preparing children for real life situations." MI

"I am very much in favor of taking your child to a day-care center
and allowing the mother to go back to work." NE

"Taking care of a child all day every day is definitely physically
demanding and many women feel they are not rewarded for their
hard efforts. However, if a mother has a good job, she receives such
rewarding things as high pay, promotions, and maybe even social
status." IL

"Early reports on children who spent time in day care were
optimistic that those children were more independent and made
friends easier, but more recent studies shed a large degree of concern
on the affects of day care." CA

"Mothers who are forced to stay at home with their children, as
opposed to getting a job, sometimes don't feel very good about
themselves. They develop a low sense of self-worth. They feel that
31
their life is pointless and that they are not accomplishing anything
for themselves. When the mother has a poor attitude, the child is
bound to develop a poor attitude." KS

"A working mother also shows the child that mom is trying to do her
part in the well being of the family by working. She is helping out
greatly with the financial status of the family. It also shows the child
you have to work for what you get. The child may also realize that
some sacrifices have to be made to achieve the goal. Finally the
children may realize the parents are doing it for them." IA

"Clearly a child who has a working mother, who cares for them, will
develop into a better person in the long run. The child will learn
more, discover more, be more independent and be able to do things
on their own. In a sense the child will be more prepared for what
society has in store for them." MA

"Is mom patient enough to deal with junior for upwards of fourteen
hours a day? In many cases the answer is no. And when mom
becomes impatient, bad things can begin to happen. What began as a
wholesome desire to be with her child could quite possibly turn into
a horrible story of child abuse." MI

"Many children questioned by Parent's magazine said that if their
mothers did not work, it would not be as much fun because they
would not have as much money to get new clothes or take vacations.
A few children said that even if their mother did stay at home, they
would not see them that much anyway. Because of their activities
such as soccer, little league, piano practice, church activities, and
basketball practice, they would get home about the same time their
mothers would from work. Others children said having a working
mother gave them more space, time to be alone. When asked if they
felt they would work outside the home when they grew up, most of
the children said they would. They stated they 'would not feel useful
simply sitting around the house'." SD

"The quality of time sacrificed by a working parent overwhelms the
quantity of unrewarding time often given by stay-at-home mothers.
And besides, employed mothers are found to spend only about five
32
hours less per week on tending to their children than unemployed
mothers." IL

"[A recent study showed] children reared by their mothers tended to
be more whiny, cranky and irritable." NY

"We have lost sight of our responsibility as parents and have simply
established ourselves as a selfish generation who will not even put
forth the time and effort to raise our own children." CA

"What do you think about a woman who is a homemaker who can't
cook and doesn't enjoy sewing but fills her time with menial tasks?
She is more depressed more often than anybody I've ever met
[she] sleeps in until the minute kids leave for school[she] spends
the day washing clothes and watching 'the soaps'. About supper
time [she] is so tired of staying home that she 'has to get out of the
house and away from the kids!' We have just defeated mom's sole
purpose in wanting to live without a job. 'I don't want a stranger
bringing up my kids!' Right, mominstead your children have
learned to live on their own when you are too depressed to spend
time with them. People can't have a positive feeling towards their
home and family if they are confined to an area where they are never
challenged to exert themselves. If our government encouraged
women to work through secure child care provisions, [this woman]
could learn to feel good about herself, thus enjoying the time she
spends with her children." IL

"Failing to provide child care will not encourage women to stay
home." NY

"Stay-at-home mothers spend their time doing household chores,
leaving very little responsibility for the children." IL

"Current study by the Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut
showed that children with mothers who work after that child's first
year of life have normal, well-adjusted children." OH

"When the parent isn't working, a child is forced into being with an
emotionally unstable mother or father every second of the daykids
33
seem to benefit more from parents who both work simply because
those parents are usually happier. When mother or father is satisfied
with his/her own life, their positive attitude is channeled to the
children." IL

"My mother stayed home with me till I was seven years old. Then
she got a part time job but she was still home when I got home from
school. I guess when I look back at this I'm glad she was there and I
didn't have to go to a babysitters. But I don't think I personally could
be happy without a career. I'm a nineties woman; I want it all!" MI

"Personally, I believe that a mother should still work when her child
is young. I feel that one day when I am out in the real world and
have a good steady career I'm not going to want a child to stand in
my way." NJ

Is this selfish?
"Men and women want to have children, but they don't want to take
responsibility and sacrifice anything for them." CO

"Some women may want to stay at work. But do they have good
reasons to work? Is the reason because they want the money or they
need the money?" NE

"Working for sheer pleasure is not a responsible act toward the
children and the tax payers. Too many parents are neglecting the
obligation they have to take care of their children." PA

"Maybe with the economy these days you can't live on one income.
However, if you plan to have children you should decide whether the
new clothes and nice career are more important than your children."
NE
"Raising a family as work is undervalued. The responsibilities are
overwhelming. A stay-at-home mother's work is not like any other
job. Her job is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." OK

"Caring for children seems to be an annoying restriction to parents
rather than the precious joy it should be." KY

34
"I can imagine that women have higher self confidence and self
esteem knowing that they are earning their own living to help
support the family. But, I believe, there are a few circumstances that
must happen before a mother should work.
First, as in the case of my mother, the wife should go back to work
when the kids are old enough and responsible enough to take care of
themselves, or at least take care of each other.
Secondlythe mother will teach her children the values of respect,
courtesy and cooperation, on a more personal note than a baby-sitter
or a day care.
Thirdly, the children will be growing up without knowing who
their mother is." NE

"The reason for having children is to see a child grow up under a
parent's guidance and love. If a child is born for these reasons, why
do parents place their child in day care?" PA

It has been suggested that maybe some people shouldn't have
children:
"I feel that if a family needs both parents working to raise a child,
then they shouldn't have had the child in the first place." VA

"If the parents are that poor that both parents should work or if one
of the parents can't stand to stay at home all day long with their
children they should know better than to have children." KS

And that some parents put too much emphasis on material
things:
"The mother must ask herself if having more things is better for a
child than having the love security, and attention that are present
when the mother is home with her children." AR
"I believe that most parents do try to keep their children's interests
first, but in this day and age parents feel that having all the finer
luxuries will bring their children an abundance of happiness.
Sometimes the children would rather have more quality time and a
real old-fashioned family life, than an expensive possession that will
not last." CA

35
I definitely think the love and care my sister and I got was much
more important than the extra material goods that my parents could
have bought us if my mom had worked. Possessions come and go;
but love, memories and good values of responsibility will remain
with (us) forever." IL

"A child will benefit more from having parents that really care for
them than any material possession that money can provide." MI

"My mother once said she would never work while we were young.
She said we didn't have much, but she considered us more important
than work. One does not hear this saying much anymore." WI

"Parents need to start considering their children's well-being over
income." MI

"In the nineties people wanted to be successful first, and then
possibly have a familyif they had time. Don't get me wrong, there
is absolutely nothing the matter with being a success. What's wrong
is achieving that goal at the expense children." OK

"If a parent has to give up a career (identification: to pursue an
ultimate goal) or other comforts, then so be it. A successful parent
must place the well being of the child above all else. Anything less
would be neglect." IL

"Some working mothers say that the reason they work is to make
more money so their child can have a better life. Is making money
and giving your child material things more important than watching
your child grow up?" PA

"In today's world of rising costs, staying home with the children is a
luxury few women can afford. However, economics should not be a
reason to lose our children to others." NJ

"People should also decide if being a full time parent is more
important than a few extra luxuries. Most children would appreciate
their mother being at home when they get home from school more
than a new pair of British Knights." PA
36
"The families, in which the mother works, can be described as higher
income and better educated families. Fifteen percent of the children
left on their own are left by mothers who completed college, as
compared to eight percent of the children being left by high school
graduates. Apparently the educated mothers are trying to use their
education to earn money, while they fail to see the importance of
being with their children." MI

"The mother must ask herself if having more things is better for a
child than having the love security, and attention that are present
when the mother is home with her children." AR

The two excerpts below provide answers influenced, perhaps by
commercial advertising targeted at young children:
"Kids don't really appreciate a family dinner as compared to a new
Barbie doll." TX

"There are plenty of jobs out there, and there is no excuse for both
parents not working." CT

Where should child-care take place?

Some favor using schools:
"Why not include day care into our public school system? Some
experts believe that our nation's educational level would increase if
the government would involve itself in the education process at its
rootschild care." IL

"Children could also be left at schools under the supervision of
teachers and faculty. Besides being safe, children could receive help
on studies and improve their fitness." KS

"The policy I prefer the most is the one proposed by Dr. Zigler
where schools would take care of most of the day care. Schools in
America are $1 trillion dollar investment and the people could use
them much more efficiently. With the children at a school, they
would receive better regulated care in an educational environment.
Parents would also be more involved in their child's education. The
program would be paid for first by the parents on a sliding scale and
37
then the cost would be absorbed through property taxes. I believe
this proposal is the best because it does not put a financial strain on
the federal government." VA

"Another step taken was by the school system in Independence,
Missouri. Since September, the elementary schools stay open 12
hours a day, year-round to take care of latch-key children." NY

"Los Angeles' BEST program (Better Educated Students for
Tomorrow) is an after-school educational program to keep kids off
the streets. Free supervised care is currently offered after each
school day in every L.A. elementary school. Other leading child care
cities offering similar programs include: Irvine, Minneapolis, Seattle,
Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Fort Worth, Honolulu, Houston,
Independence, Miami, Sacramento and Washington, DC." OH

"Parents could leave their children at school when they leave for
work and pick them up on their way home. Most schools would only
require teachers and other faculty to remain for two to three extra
hours. While still at school these children can receive help on their
studies to further advance their education. The students would be
able to not only increase their knowledge, but they could become
physically in shape as well. Students could also use the physical
education equipment to entertain themselves as well as increasing
their physical strength and endurance." KS

"Some schools provide activities for children after school. This
should be spread! I know when I was a child, I loved being a part of
a group or an organization. Programs in the communities need to be
encouraged. In the larger towns, classes could be offered. We need
to be pulled together." TX

"Other options are available other than government funded day care
services. Other community organizations could be able to provide
child care for families within the community. Schools are well
equipped to begin and manage child care at little or no cost to
families needing the care. Within the Garnet Valley School district,
the Latch Key Program was created. Children with parents who work
during the day are offered day care. Toys and supplies are donated to
38
the program and volunteers are sought to help take care of the
children. Programs like this within every community help ease the
pressure on working and single parents. Other community
organizations such as churches provide similar services." PA

"To help its working families, the city of San Diego hired a child
care coordinator so 63,000 latch key kids won't be neglected. Los
Angeles approved $4.5 million for after school care." OK

"Schools nationwide should consider the opportunity to have a child
day-care center in their high school. It would be a good learning
experience not only for the students helping the kids, but also the
kids who are attending the day care." OR

One student even considered using hospital sites leading the
harry singer foundation to consider asking students to discuss
the cost of health care next year.
"Another possibility is to place a child care center in a hospital
where the children can get food, laundry and housekeeping services.
Also they are provided with medical care, and they are opened
twenty-four hours a day. With the government's help each
community can receive a child care center in a hospital which will be
more convenient and trustworthy. Hospital day-care should set a rate
which is in line with local income and be offered to anyone." PA

Many students suggested the nation consider having children
and the elderly help one another:
"One valid solution is to allow grandparents or elders to care for
younger children. Not only do many baby-boomers have to care for
their young children, but the responsibility of their elderly parent has
also fallen on their shoulders. And they must accomplish both of
these tasks while holding down full-time jobs. The modern paradox
exists: grandparents are living longer but grandchildren are less
likely to really know their elders. There are numerous advantages to
letting elders take care of children who are not yet old enough to
attend school." CA

"In Santa Cruz, California, senior citizens have been volunteering
their time in the afternoons to look after the young people of the
39
community. If the government provided some kind of tax break or
payment for their service, more people may take advantage of this
kind of program. Both the young and old alike benefit immensely
from this arrangement. The children learn about life in the past and
gain some of the wisdom that the elderly people possess. In turn, the
older people receive the enlightenment of a young life. I have
personally seen how much senior citizens appreciate the company of
youngsters from my visitations to a local retirement home. This
blend of youth and age allows both parties to thrive in an
environment of need and love." OR

"Many children need good role models and family type atmospheres
that may not be available at home. I recently read an article about the
elderly helping in daycare centers. This is a good way to promote
respect and also a family type setting. Children who may not have
grandparents, or live too far away to see them, are able to experience
what it is like to have a grandma and grandpa around." OH

"The elderly and children get along very well. They not only keep
each other company, but also produce love and affection that will fill
both of their lives." VA

"A fairly recent idea for day care is for senior citizens to watch a few
children in their homes, usually in a room converted for that purpose.
Adults who find themselves bored after retirement and have the
interest often find it an enjoyable way to earn some extra income."
IL

"Yet another optionis combining child care with care for elderly
parents. More than one third of the American work force participates
in this system of care. This program is aimed at stimulating
contact between young and old at a time when social patterns tend to
separate them. The government is now funding for combined young
and old day care centers, but more and more these centers are
becoming privately owned and popular." IA

"Clearly our nation is well off enough to invest more in our young
children. In two decades we have eliminated the excessive poverty
rate among the nation's elderly. Now we must respond to the largest
40
demographic shift in our generation, which is the vast, worldwide
increase in maternal labor force participation. The way to this is by
the widespread provision of good early childhood programs." OR

"Between 1978 and 1987 spending on programs for the elderly rose
52 percent; spending on children dropped 4 percent. As a result, the
lives of the elderly improved and the lives of thousands of children
worsened. I'm glad senior citizens lives are getting better. Now, I
think this nation can do the same for its children." WI

"After all, the federal government spends $350 billion on senior
citizens compared to $6.9 billion on child care. While seniors are
deserving of quality care, we are relaying the message that children,
the future of the world, are not worthy of as much focus as their
elders." CA

"Another creative program involves mixing the young and old
together. Psychologists point out that old people and youngsters have
much to offer each other." OR

"To solve the problem where parents have to take care of both the
grandparents and the children, parents keep the children and
grandparents together to look after each other. This benefits both the
children and also the elderly people. The grandparents get a sense of
not being as lonely as they would be if they were in an old folks
home. The children learn from the older people and learn to relate
with them instead of being afraid of them and not understanding
them. Also by this method the children learn to accept a death in
knowing that it is a way of life." SD

"Getting young and old together is another solution. A growing
number of programs are now aimed at stimulating contact between
young and old. Adjoining centers allow easy mingling and
interaction." ND

"Senior citizens could be contacted and given an opportunity to be
an 'adopted' grandparent. The senior citizens could not only be there
to listen to their problems but to also give them a hug as only a
'grandparent' can give." OH
41
Other students were worried about the number and kind of
facilities available and about making them affordable:
"Although only 14.7 percent [of all] children attend a day-care
center, day-care centers get the most attention." KS

"The bill (HR3299) also neglects the fact that one-third of all child
care in the United States is provided by religious organizations.
These groups are doing a decent job now. It is foolish to spend funds
elsewhere when we already have these highly successful
organizations already in operation. There would be no more prayer,
Bible stories and songs, Christmas customs, and other traditional
activities most Americans grew up with. These activities contributed
greatly to our society as it is today." OH

"Those who contest subsidization of religious centers would appear
to be against the moral values of most churches. If this is the case,
they would be against teaching any value system at all, rather than to
impose their personal value system on others. If you attempted to
avoid teaching any value system at all, as you would have to do in
order to completely separate church and state, you would be teaching
another value system, one which supported no morals at all." OK

"The congress once proposed a bill to give families $1,000 dollars
per child per year to help with day care. This isn't a good solution
either. How many parents in the world are going to use the money to
provide day care?" TX

"It seems to me that when money is placed directly in the hands of
working parents for the benefit of their children those funds are often
used by the parents for their own personal use. Why not disperse that
money directly to day care institutions. This would not only help
reduce the cost for parents but it would also prevent them from using
funds for their personal use." WI

"By bypassing the parents and paying the centers directly, much red
tape is avoided and the threat that a parent might use the money
irresponsibly is avoided." GA

42
"It's not that people aren't trying to earn the money to pay for child
care, it's just that everything costs so much these days that the
average red blooded American like me can't afford to pay for my
children's future." FL

"Most of the attention is focused on day care center, because they are
the fastest-growing segment; but they account for only a small
percent of child care arrangements." KS

Many students realized that low wages of child care workers
were a problem:
"Along with providing financial assistance directly to the needy
families, the government should try to 'combat the scarcity' of child-
care services by establishing a fund guaranteeing loans of up to
$25,000 to those interested in 'developing or expanding' child-care
programs." CA

"Without the government providing money, there are no benefits in
becoming a child care provider. There are low wages, no liability
insurance coverage and prohibitive start up costs to look forward to
if one wants to become a child care provider right now." NY

"As a child-care aide I eventually left when I found I could earn
more doing dishes than working with children." MN

"Allowing the government to be involved should allow sitters and
care workers to require better pay." MO

"Workers need to be paid better wages and receive higher status in
order to attract more permanent help." CA

"People who want to be teachers should work in child care facilities
as part of training for minimum wage. As for janitorial duties, people
wanting to be janitors should have to work in child care facilities for
a year to see if they can work with young adults. For medical
purposes nurses and doctors should also have to work in child care
centers for a year." NY
43
Section Three







The Government's Role in Child-Care
44
45
Some Students Say Government's Role
Should Be Small to Nonexistent


"The government's proper role in child care is none at all." PA

"The government's role in child-care should be limited to a bare
minimum because the children belong to the parents, not the
government." MI

"Direct interaction in the child care industry by the government
would only infringe upon Americans' privacy, while driving overall
child care costs even higher." OR

"It is not the government's job to control our home and family life.
The government should not have a say in family matters unless
abuse is involved. It is the parents' job to take care of their child and
to decide what is best for them as a family. If they feel that
theirchildren are safe at a day care center or with a baby sitter,
then that is their choice, not the government's role. Child care does
need improvement, but it will be up to individuals and families to
make the problem better." OK

"In this day and age, how could anyone sit idle and let the future of
our children be run by our government? Therefore, the United States
government shouldn't play a vital role in the regulation of child care
nor should it create a national child care system." AL

"It is the responsibility of the parents to fund and provide the proper
child care for their own children. This should not be the
government's responsibility." CA

"As far as I'm concerned the government is doing enough and doesn't
need to get any more involved. The children are the responsibility of
the parents, not the government. If the parents can't handle children,
then they never should have had them." MT

46
"I do not believe the government should be responsible for raising
the children of the United States. The need for child care should be
taken into consideration before people decide to have a family." PA

"I'm worried that when I have my own children, the government will
say, 'if you can't afford child care, why did you have children in the
first place.'" NE

"The entire world, including the United States, can avoid the
misfortunes that the Soviets encountered by not attempting to
provide costly services such as child-care directly to its people. To
avoid misfortune, the U. S. must step away from being the provider
and become more of a facilitator." MI

"It is the parents' job to take care of their children, not the
governments. I don't think people that are taking care of their own
children, or don't have any children, should pay for people who can't
afford to pay for their own children. Besides, the parents, or anyone
who loves the children, will have a much greater influence on those
children's lives than the government will. If you have kids and you
can't provide for them you should have thought about that before you
had kids." NE

"Our government is faced with too many problems that it is unable to
handle, like economic recession or illiteracy or drug abuse. Taxes are
sky high, employment rates have hit rock bottom and needed shelter
is inaccessible. Now is not the time for government ideals on child
care. As Representative Clyde Holloway so eloquently put it, "The
only thing worse than a bad idea is an expensive bad idea.' Child
care legislation would be an expensive, bad idea." OR

"Government involvement in child care should consist of the
following: (1)defining and demonstrating the great need for positive,
responsible child care; (2) setting standards for an adequate and
efficient system and(3)improving the child care plans that have been
instituted to date, relative to welfare and enforcement of child
support laws. Responsibility for the physical implementation and
setting up of child care facilities, on the other hand, should rest in the
hands of communities and the private sector." OH
47
"I feel that the government should never have to provide one
hundred percent of the cost. This will lead to a system similar to
welfare for the unemployed, which leaves many jobless people with
no incentive to find a job. Likewise, why attempt to pay for my
child's care when the government will do it for me? This is a
problem to avoid." NE

"Many times government intervention is useless and costly.
Government programs are usually good in theory, but the end results
are an embarrassment to our system. We don't need poor day care
in this country." MI

"The government should have a role only when there is reason to
believe that something is wrong. Parents are the ones who decide
how they want their children to be brought up, not the government."
WI

"Hopefully these deductions will eliminate the need for federal
regulations on child care. By allowing the families to keep this
money to use for child care, the government is giving the power back
to the people, where it belongs. For these reasons, I believe that the
government should decline involvement in child care policies." FL

"If a husband and wife both have to work to make ends meet, they
should either be able to afford a good day care center on their own,
or not have any children until they can afford it. The government has
no place in child care." NE

"The largest effect of government subsidies is to lower the quality of
workmanship. This, though, is not the only reason government
should not pay for any portion of child care. Free child care will
reduce the financial burden of a child on the family. This, in turn,
will lead to an increased birth rate, aggravating an already grievous
problem of overpopulation in many U.S. cities." CA

"Some government involvement in the child care issue is necessary
to prevent mistreatment of women in the work force and to prevent
sexist hiring practices. Protective laws and regulations are needed for
child care providers as well. But child care and having children are
48
personal matters and the government should not make personal
decisions for parents regarding the care of their children." OR

"I believe it is the parent's duty to care for their child. If a couple
decides to have kids they should be planning for their child's future,
and they should know if they can or cannot support a baby. I believe
child care should come from the home and let the government deal
with problems such as war, the economy and taxes." NE

"Funding of child care would require close monitoring and watching.
Today's government just does not have the time or money to add on
that responsibility. Our government has many other things to fund
and worry about, therefore they do not need to take on another issue
like child care. Even though there are recent bills in favor of
government support, it is in the best interest of everyone if they are
not passed." OH

"They should not create a federal program because, as shown in the
past, government programs have gotten way out of hand both in
spending and in growth. As the system of capitalism displays, if
the demand is great enough, the supply will also increase to meet
that demand. The U.S. government should not get involved." AZ

"However, by regulating the day care market, the government would
discourage individualistic programs which offer an alternative to
normal child care services. Every child care center would be forced
to work under strict guidelines, thus creating a stagnant, non
competitive market." OR

"The reason most young teens do not have children is the financial
problem government paying for child-care [would make it] too
easy." MD

"The less the government gets involved with child care, the less
problems it will create." OH

"I have found through my research, that although our society needs
child care, the U.S. government should have no involvement
regarding child care. Government involvement would not only raise
49
the cost of child care, but it would also affect the quality of the care
provided The President's proposal also ensures child support to
divorced mothers. Unfortunately this may encourage some poor
families to split up." FL

"I really think that the government should have nothing to do with
day care mainly because it's the parents' responsibility. I don't
think the government should endorse these centers. I think the
government should encourage taking care of the kids at home." NE

A Pennsylvania student is already wondering what the
government would think about the immediately preceding
statement made by his peer from Nebraska:
"Non-working mothers are not included in child-care programs for
some reason. They receive no aid in raising their children The
government must feel that if a mother stays home to raise her
children then there must not be a need for a tax credit since day care
costs are not among their expenses." PA

The student from Oregon makes a good point and many others
agree:
"The government's role concerning child-care is a controversial
issue. There are so many people with different religious beliefs,
moral values, and opinions that it is difficult to agree. I believe that
the role of the government should be limited as much as possible in
every given situation." OR

"It is the responsibility of the family, not government! Therefore, the
government should not have a role nor take any actions in spending
our tax dollars on this issue. The parents have the responsibility to
take care of their children. If they relinquish this responsibility, or
the government allows them to, then our reputation for self
sufficiency is weakened and could prove detrimental to our future."
OH

"In seeking to regulate yet another facet of life, the American
government appears to be heading down the 'yellow brick road'
toward the 'emerald city' of socialism and socialization where every
50
person gets every need fulfilled at no direct cost to the individual."
SD

"If the child care bill is passed, a revolt in the middle class will
emerge for two reasons. The first reason is the 20 percent tax credit
for child care expenses which they now have will be restricted. The
second reason is the families that are well off will have to pay taxes
on companies that provide day care centers." TX

"But I can't see how anyone could like the idea that the government
wants to control how someone brings up their children. If the rest of
the world wants to be controlled, then that's fine, but not me! I'm
raising my kids the way I want to and not how the government says
to." AL

"As you can see, no matter if you are a working parent or not, your
children are you're responsibility. They are dependent upon you for
care, discipline, material goods, and education. No one else should
provide these things. It is up to you." NE

"If the government does establish a national child-care agency for
working parents, using it might be a tough decision for parents to
face. For if the government is still following its unsuccessful
tradition of doing things, parents will risk enrolling their children in
an understaffed and under budgeted program. Maybe parents will
decide that the health and welfare of their child is too important to
leave to another and will manage somehow to live off just one
income." OR

"Government is already too involved in the citizens' daily lives and
should not become further involved through child care." OH
"If government takes any action at all, it should be to preserve the
family setting, not promote deterioration." AZ

"Even though people look to the federal government in times of
hardship, our government should not be held accountable for
inadequate family planning, economic shortcomings, and failing
family life." OR

51
"It won't be long before the government may try to reach inside the
home and control the children there. I think today's parents should
care for their own children, instead of leaving them with trusted
strangers and under governmental regulations that they wouldn't
have to follow at home." NE

"America is a nation of free-enterprise, wanting as little government
interference as possible. The scales of the government not interfering
outweigh the scale of government interference." AL

"The intervention by government through funds and support is
actually encouraging mothers to work. Especially in the larger cities,
the children are being deprived [rather than helped] thereby.
Therefore, it appears that the government needs to stay out of chlld-
care." TX

"The answer to this problem does not lie in the hands of the state
and/or federal government but in the hands of the industry, plant, or
place of employment of the parents." AL

"There is no question then that inexpensive child care will be in
great demand and should be a priority for the people of the U.S. But
it should not be taken on by the government. It is the duty of the
private industries of America." OR

"Probably the best solution is a combination of direct legislative aid
to low-income families and an increase in corporate day care
programs for working parents." OH

"No thank you, Uncle Sam. We can and should take care of child-
care ourselves." OK

Another observant consideration was brought up:
"Child care subsidies place government's moral authority behind one
way of raising children. They say that mothers who work deserve the
help, while those who stay home don't." PA


52
And a great deal of analysis is shown in the following excerpt
from this politically savvy Oklahoman:
"The government could play a positive role in the workplace by
helping companies offer day-care programs. The payoff would be a
hard-working, talented workforce that would be a significant
contribution to the growth of our economy. However, I do not
want the government to become too involved. It could even
become a 'waste' of taxpayer's money by becoming a type of social
welfare. This would be detrimental to people who rely on such a
program. If this type of program is going to work, it will have to be
extensively planned and experimented with before employers,
taxpayers or the government will accept it." OK

Some argue government should have a larger role to
play in providing child care in the United States

"I think that child care is the government's problem, not the
parents'." NE

"It is the government's responsibility to look out for the people." AL

"The government should concentrate the bulk of their allocated child
care funds to the organization of child care services at or near major
centers of work. In turn the government could offer large tax
deductions to major companies which choose to incorporate such
services into their work place." OR

"If the government is demanding that women be in the workforce
they should provide a day-care at the place of business for the
mother to visit her children." KS
"As an increasing amount of women enter into the work force, it is
the role of the government to provide child care for their children."
CA

"People other than parents are going to have to teach America's
children the norms of today's society, and instill values. The
American government should be responsible for developing these
changes and implementing them." MI
53
"If the leaders of this country hope to curb the violence, drug
addiction and moral decay of this country then it must assume some
responsibility for the care of its young citizens." VA

"The government should also give us day-care centers to give
unemployed people a chance to work. Many parents stay home in
poverty because they have no place for their children to stay. If we
were to have public day-care centers, the unemployed parent might
get a chance to get a job." AL

"To be perfectly honest, when I first set out to write this paper I
didn't really give a damn about the government's role in child-care.
But as I learned, and more importantly thought about the subject, the
more I came to believe that there was only one real answer to this
dilemma. And that is that the government should and must support
some type of day care for the children of its many workers." OR

"I hope that the government begins to put its priorities in order and
takes the responsibility for our nation's youth. They are our future
and deserve proper care when it cannot be provided by their
parents." NY

"So in order to ensure that children get proper care, the United States
government should provide child care at very cheap rates or for
free." FL

"Governmentshould provide federally owned child care centers in
every community." PA

"The government has an obligation to the children in its country. If
not the United States, who will take care of the children?" AL

"The government needs to set up a child care system with national
standards and reduced cost." OH

"The government should help with child-care because the
government is here to service the people." OK

54
A smorgasbord of plans was presented for the government's
role:
"Having a mother to stay at home to raise the children is beneficial
in many areas. The federal government should support these
mothers by allowing a budget for child care to be given to mothers
who stay at home. Responsibility should not only be placed on the
family but the government should provide certain funds for the
mothers who take on such a task as raising our future leaders.
Having a stay-at-home mom will help the child develop respect and
trust for the parent by knowing they are able to count on them to
always be there." KS

"It is the obligation of the federal government to step in and play a
major role in providing and supporting day-care, such as by tax
breaks. In addition, the federal government should be the main
regulating body of day-care services to ensure they are safe and
well-run." OR

"One main problem facing parents today is the limited supply of
funds from the government. If for some reason a parent cannot
provide the care needed for a child, the government should step in to
see that the child is raised properly. No child deserves to suffer
because his family is not a member of the upper class." VA

"The government's role in the world today is to meet the needs of
these families." AL

"But the two bills before the congress suggest assistance, not
interference.The need for government assistance in private matters
has been established. When the Chrysler Corporation was having
trouble the government provided a multi-million dollar bailout. The
government also pays the tobacco companies millions of dollars in
subsidies every year. Our government also put tariffs on all the
imported cars to protect Detroit manufactures. These all cost the
Americans billions of dollars. If the government can spend billions
of dollars to help corporations, it is only fair and decent that they
give our children the same respect." NY

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"Modern day-care centers should be provided to anyone and
everyone that needs one. Not only do these day-care centers need
to be modern, well-equipped, and supervised correctly, they need to
be close and convenient." OH

"In my opinion, the government should pay money to have
professional child-care facilities. It would greatly help all working
parents, because it would allow the parents to rest easy knowing that
the people caring for their children are government-authorized child
care professionals." VA

"I believe that in our changing society, the government has a
responsibility to assist each and every family with proper child care.
The government needs to establish federal and corporate sponsored
facilities both in local neighborhoods and where a mother or father
works." NJ

"It is my best opinion that the federal government can and should set
and enforce high standards and strict regulations concerning child
care, and that it offer more and better designed tax deductions as
well as credits to parents who must pay the unruly cost of that care."
OR

"The government is the only hope for a safe, dependable, and
flexible network of child care satisfactory to all the citizens of the
United States. The empty role in America's day care saga must
inevitably be filled by the American government." AL

"Realizing that child care is a necessity to the families of the United
States, it is evident that our government must be included in child
care. United States families need help and the government must be
forced to attend to their needs." NC

"Society has an obligation and a responsibility to provide for the
physical and emotional needs of our children." CO

"The job of government is to take care of the country as a whole." IN

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"The government sets up the standards and then provides more jobs
by hiring people to check the child care services and make sure that
they follow the rules." OR

"The government has the power to pass laws and tax; these powers
must be used to ease the burden of this problem. The government
may step in at any number of places, paying parents directly to help
with the cost of child care, giving special tax breaks or benefits to
companies which offer day-care facilities to employees, paying for
the training required for good child care workers, paying child care
workers in addition to the payment received from parents, passing
job security laws for parents and guaranteeing parental leave and
increasing child care standards and enforcing these standards." TN

"Government has the responsibility to provide for the nation as a
whole. [The] power of regulation should not be viewed as a
burden on society, but as an advantage to those living under it." AL

"The government's objective and obligation is to provide for the
needs of America's needy." TX

"Not only should the government help by making stricter standards
for workers, but also by providing benefits in the forms of loans, tax
breaks, and vouchers for businesses. This will serve as a great
encouragement for both working parents and the businesses that
employ them." OR

"What is the government's proper role of children? Essentially, the
government is each child's protector. The law protects them from
abuse and neglect. Why can't it guarantee children a good
environment in which to live, learn and grow while their parents are
at work?" OH

"When parents are unable to care for their children financially or
simply do not have enough time, the government must be willing to
step in and help." IL

"The government's role would be that of a parent. Providing for its
citizens is the government's first priority which it seems to be
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neglecting recently. The government must maintain its people or
democracy is lost and no government will exist." OK

"In many poor countries children starve and perish on the streets and
worse, in their own homes. The reason for this is that the
government holds no responsibilities for the child-care that is
necessary. One is left only to wonder what would happen if the
United States took these same beliefs as well. Many people rely
strictly on the government for financial help." AL

"Some critics may argue the United States is moving towards
socialism, but we must remember the future of America is at stake
not political theories." NY

"The government is thought by its people as the father of society. It
is there to make sure peace is kept and all of us are happy. Another
role is to take care of its young, meaning it should be able to provide
more child care for its children. "FL

"The government's responsibility to provide an equal educational
opportunity for all children should begin at birth rather than the
traditional school age." OR

"The government is responsible for the children of today." VA

"If parents are unable to provide for the basic needs of their children,
the government should provide a sister solution to social security,
just for the children." NJ

"People should have the right to place their child in the child care
program they feel is best. That right should not be taken away based
on that family's income." AL

"It should be up to the government to make sure that the daycare
centers are providing the best possible care available to these
children whose mothers are in the work force. This is a proper job
for the government to take on because the children are an important
part of our nation's future. Our children need to be better taken care
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of and educated to enable our country to remain a leading nation in
the world today." OR

"The bottom line is that it is our government's responsibility to step
in and help society." IL

"Americans are individualistic people, and they have been since
colonial times, but they still want the government's help in some
matters. Child care is one of these matters." FL

"Government's role is to watch out and take care of its people and
what they believe in." OK

"After all, it is the government's job to take care of its people, right?"
AL

"It is the government's responsibility to ensure our nation's children
are not neglected but instead protected." VA

"Financial backing is important to aid the people of the United States
through their personal trials and tribulations. The government is
supposed to be for the people, by the people, but what I can't States
and as voices of the majority." NJ

"The United States not only should, but is obligated to, play a major
role regarding child care in order to provide for a strong and secure
future." OH

"It is up to the government to make sure that the children, our future,
are taken care of." OR

"I believe that child care facilities should be set up, staffed, licensed
and supervised by the federal government." OH

"With universal care, not only will all children be guaranteed to be
taken care of, but parents will not have to worry as much because the
government can take care of screening qualified child care centers
and also have periodic visits to check the personnel of the center."
NY
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"Secondly, the government is formed to aid the people, and this
would be a rewarding and dignified way for the government to serve
its citizens. When the American people are in need, the government
should try its best to heed their calls." AR

"If government's role is to provide for the people, then it should also
help provide for the people's children." OR

"In order to compete with other industrial nations, our government
must provide quality child care at an affordable rate for everyone."
NE

"Government's essential duty is to hold the union togetherto
produce solutions for a nation." OK

"The government should be responsible for the nation's future. If this
future relies on the children of today, it is realistic for the
government to become involved in caring for the children. The
government receives millions of dollars in revenue each year. If just
ten dollars out of every tax payment were set aside to provide for
child-care, our problems would be solved. In this manner working
parents would be refunded for their losses and the entire nation
would be investing in its future." KS

There are many families who truly depend on the government to help
them in their financial matters. They want to be able to look up to
their government and be able to ask for help and get it. After all, the
government is our Father." FL

"One of the vital functions of the government is to be responsible to
all the citizens." OR

"I feel that the government should play a large role in providing and
regulating child care. I do not know what is best for children in
society and the government may not have all the answers, but it
should be the government's duty and responsibility to find out. It is
the government's job to see that children are taken care of. I feel it
is the government's responsibility to see that proper day-care centers
are provided and that they consider low-income families when doing
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so. What is best for the children? The government may not know
what is best, but it is its responsibility to try to understand the needs
children have and the care that they deserve. I feel that the
government's role regarding child care is the most important thing
that the government has to do. I feel very strongly that the
government should make sure that the children in the United States
have the necessary care they need for a safe and happy life. After all,
these children are our future." AL

"It is the role of our government to provide necessary care for our
children!" AR

"It is only right that the government help the people. After all, this is
a government of the people, by the people, and for the people." OK

Students cited the U. S. Constitution in support of their
arguments for a larger role in child care:

The government, based on and formed by the Constitution, has an
obligation to the people whom it governs, as defined in the preamble,
to do all within its power to assail any problem disturbing the
'general welfare' or upsetting 'domestic tranquility' of society.
Today, this problem happens to be the issue of child care." PA

"The preamble of the Constitution of the United States of America
states that the Constitution was established to promote the general
welfare of the people and their posterity. Child care helps promote
the general welfare of our people and their children and, therefore,
should be included as one of the duties of the U.S. government." OH

"The U.S. does, in fact, have a mixed economy in which the socialist
idea of government providing for the people is present in the
American welfare program. This principle coincides with the
Constitutions stated intent in the Preamble 'to provide for the
general welfare.' The present capitalistic approach to childcare is
ludicrous. It is a much needed service in modern society and cannot
be reserved only for those who can 'comfortably' afford child-care as
if it were superfluous. The government's role in child-care entails the
restriction of rates nationwide so that it is affordable to those that
61
need this service, the passage of legislationso employers can
provide child-care services on their premises,\ and across the board
establishment of after school recreation programs, as well as a
possible revamping of the welfare system which could make use of
the high schools. In making such provisions, the government would
thereby 'promote general welfare' in the sense that the level of
security among children in our unstable society is achieved so that
they and their parents can attain the 'self-actualization' of the
American dream." VA

"According to Article I, Section 8 Clause 18, Congress has the
power 'to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for
carrying into execution the foregoing powers' This clause is
referred to as the 'elastic clause', for it enables the government to
make laws which are for the common good of the people, though
they are not specifically mentioned in the Constitution. Congress
has begun to realize that having two working parents, or a single
working parent, is a 'fact of life' for most children. Therefore,
according to the Preamble and the Elastic Clause, the government is
partially responsible, and also empowered, to pass laws which would
benefit the children and their working parents." NY

"Clearly, the government of this country has a responsibility to take
care of its children. One of the reasons stated by the Constitution for
the existence of the government it created was, 'to promote the
general welfare.'" IL

"Our early leaders established that our democratic form of
government and our constitution should uphold and promote the
general welfare to all future generations of Americans. Yet, today
opposing groups argue over whether the government should take any
action in one of this countrys most pressing problemschild care.
Does our government not have a moral obligation to promote the
general welfare of our children?" TX

"As stated in the Preamble to the Constitution, one of the purposes of
our government is to 'promote the general welfare' of the people.
What better way for our government to show that it does what is best
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for the people than for it to provide a free child care program for
working mothers?" AL

"The federal government is made to serve the people according to
the Bill of Rights." IL

"Our government has the responsibility to preserve and protect its
citizens. The Preamble to our Constitution explains that duty
completely, and if this is a society where children do not matter, we
might as well let all of these great documents crumble to dust, for
without children, we have no future. The government has a clear and
defined obligation to support its citizens." TX

"The role of the government is to help satisfy people's needs and
concerns. This is stated in the Constitution." AL

"Government is in no way obligated by the Constitution to provide a
system of public child-care for any reason, but it is obligated to serve
the needs of the citizens of this country and its democracy. It is this
system of citizens needs and the government's ability to meet these
needs that creates the necessity of a government operated childcare
system." TN
"How important are our children? In the Constitution it says that the
United States is a country by the people, of the people and for the
people. Doesn't that include our children?" AL

"According to the laws which govern our country, the government
has the responsibility to promote the general welfare of the people.
If doing so means providing a child care program for the nation, then
the U.S. government must do so." PA

But those against a large government role also cited the
Constitution

"The Constitution did not put limits on the freedom of the people; it
put limits on the government's freedom and rights. The government
outlined in the Constitution of this United States was never intended
to support the people of this nation, but rather to represent them and
be supported by them. This is a democratic republic, not a socialistic
63
state, and we should not let Congress forget that. When we begin
dividing the wealth of the nation in the ways which have been
proposed, we remove the incentive to succeed. If one can live just as
well, or even comparably well by not working, and not giving one's
children the close personal attention they deserve, why should one
strive so hard not to be much better off? Without incentive, progress
will be hindered, and this country will become stagnant." OK

"In the end, it is best for the children to be either in private homes,
with relatives, or with day care professionals chosen by the parents.
This is imperative if America is to continue on the principles
outlined in the Constitution. Americans pride themselves on their
individualism. If we are to keep this, our children must be free to
learn the religious and ethnic customs their parents value. For this
reason, federal child care is an undesirable solution to this complex
problem." OH

"The government need not run to someone's rescue every time he is
in trouble. We should allow each person the chance either to succeed
or fail. The Constitution is based upon this idea of individual success
or failure." OK

Many students noted that child-care was not mentioned in the
Constitution:
"As for the federal government's role in child care, they should have
absolutely nothing to do with it because they are controlled by the
Constitution and child care is not one of its responsibilities." NE

"Child care is not mentioned in the Constitution of the United States,
therefore, it is not considered a national responsibility." FL

"The United States government role concerning child care is not
defined in the Constitution at all. When the Constitution was ratified
in 1788, women did not play an active role in society outside the
home; therefore, there was no need for federally funded child care
systems as there is today." AL

64
"The U.S. was built on the fact of free enterprise and the fact we can
make our own decisions. Making our own decisions means taking
the responsibility for them." OK

We are warned about being penny-wise and pound-foolish:
"Any economist will tell you that the biggest investment a person
can make is in our children. A nation has a choice rather to spend
money on better schools or larger jails. That money can feed babies
or pay forever for the consequences of starving a child's brain while
it is trying to grow. One dollar spent on prenatal care for pregnant
women can save more than three dollars on medical care during the
child's first year, and ten dollars down the line. A year of preschool
costs an average $3,000 per child; a year in prison costs about
$16,500." NE

"If parents, business, government, and the community are unwilling
to invest time, energy, and resources into the children of today, the
consequences of tomorrow will be disastrous." PA

"Eventually, for every dollar government spends for adequate child
care, it will get seven times that amount back because the need for
government welfare will be much lower." AL

"We, as Americans, need to face the fact that money will be spent
either way. If aid is cut back, welfare will increase, and if aid is
increased, then money will be needed to support such programs." TX

"Although a policy of providing aid to families may seem to be a
very costly expenditure, when examined closely, the government
may actually be saving money." PA

"They [taxpayers] will, one way or another, pay for this child. This
may not be a direct payment, but tax dollars will be spent to keep
this child in jail or to execute him for fatally shooting a cop in a
convenience store over a loaf of bread." OK

"Economists have estimated that for every $1 spent on pre-school
education saves $4.75 in later aid to children, every $1 investment in
prenatal care saves $3.38 in the cost it takes to care for sick babies,
65
and every $1 spent on childhood immunization saves $10 on later
medical costs." OH

"Our children are our future and our most valuable resource. if we
do not take care of them now and set a good example, we will have a
bigger problem in twenty years." NY

"If we spend tax money now on child care, we will spend less in the
future with welfare and other types of federal aid." AL

"If children aren't taken care of now, tomorrow's generations will
pay the price." PA

"$6 could be saved for every $1 spent (on Head Start) into the
program." CA

"Now if the government didn't help pay for child-care, then we
would have more people that are not working because the parents
would have to stay at home and be with their children. So either way
the government would have a little something to pay on child care
and welfare." NE

"A nation can spend money for better schools and day care centers or
for bigger jails. Consider this, a year of preschool costs an average
of $3,000 per child; a year in prison amounts to $16,500." WI

"If education is provided by the government to people who can't
afford it, we could save money in the long run." CT

"Evidence showed in comparing a child-care group to a group
without care had 'less remedial educational needs, less dropouts and
more college students.' This proves that poor children did so well
that there was less need for welfare and help programs. Therefore, if
more day-care facilities were provided, the government would save
money." AL

"It is a pay now or pay forever situation. The taxpayers can pay now
for child care, or they can pay for the women and children to go on
welfare." TN
66
"In conclusion, Jesse Jackson tried to tie up this issue by saying,
"We can either fund head start and child care and day care on the
front side of life, or welfare and jail care on the back side of life."
OH

"Paying for childhood programs now is much less expensive than
paying for problems that develop later." OK

"If the government would simply pay child care for those who need
it, they would end up saving money by reducing teen-age
pregnancies, juvenile delinquency, and also have a higher rate of
high school and even college graduation." NE

"Child care is a need that must be addressed. It would be a wiser and
smaller investment now than the greater social services expense in
the future that is with welfare and unemployment." NJ

"It would be better to pay for child care now, instead of prisons
later." AL

"A measles shot costs around eight dollars. To hospitalize that child
who was not given the inoculation will cost $5,000. It takes $135 to
finance a school-based sex education program, per pupil, per year.
The cost of that child when she becomes pregnant will mean $50,000
of public assistance to her for the next twenty years. To provide a
small child with a nutritious diet for a year, it takes $842. The
special education needed because that child's brain was deprived of a
good meal will mean $3,986 per year." TX

"It would be less expensive to pay the day care people, rather than
giving the mother food stamps, free health care, and the many other
things that comes with welfare." AZ

"I believe that if we start with the money in the beginning it may
save us money in the end." WI

"A nation can spend money either for better schools or for larger
jails. If children are not protected from their abusers, then the
public will one day have to be protected from the children. If you
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walk through death row in any prison, roughly four out of five death
row inmates were abused children." CA

"Statistics gathered in Florida by the Department of Education show
that early interventions in the form of programs for preschoolers
shows that for every dollar spent there is a seven dollar return." FL

"A government run day care center would inspire families
everywhere to work, go back to school, and benefit this country
greatly. Sure, the government would spend some money, but this
project is nothing but beneficial. This would make our country
wealthier in the long run." KS

"Because they do not have the financial capabilities to pay for their
own day care, the parent would be left with no choice but to leave
their children to their own resources after school. When children are
left alone, they try to find friends, and often these friends are the
wrong kind of friends. A great [many] of these children become part
of the nation's drug and crime problems. It seems that it would be
much more beneficial when acting for the taxpayer to take a small
amount of money now and invest it in the lives of the future rater
than paying out billions of dollars to rehabilitate drug users and
pushers and criminals." NM

"I believe that having government funded day care centers would be
an excellent investment." NE

"Spending one dollar now would save several dollars later on
expenses for remedial education, crime control, and welfare." TX

"Every dollar invested in early childhood development programs
saves six dollars in such cost later on." KY

"The price necessary to provide adequate child-care seems a very
large sum for the government and taxpayers to provide. Neverthe-
less, an even greater price to pay would be an almost certain increase
in poverty and federal assistance funds to families in which parents
would be unable to work because of a lack of child care services for
their children." MS
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"If our young children do not have quality child care programs, how
will they learn the basic skills to get them started in life? I feel the
cost of these actions is irrelevant. Our children need these programs,
and it is only through governmental aid that they can be assisted. As
Jesse Jackson once said in a speech concerning child care, "We can
either fund Head Start and child care and day care on the front side
of life, or welfare and jail care on the back side of life.'" NE

"The nation can spend money on either improving the schools or
building larger jails." SD

"Every year increased funds are allotted to the space program and
the defense program and cut from child development programs.
However, if the government continues to neglect the children, there
will be no one to fly the space shuttle or the F-117A Stealth
Bomber." VA

"It seems clear that we need to spend more money on child care, but
we need to spend it wisely. It should be spent on things that improve
skills, job-training, mental health and human values." WI

"Sometimes one has to give a little to receive a lot. There is a right
way and a wrong way to spend money. Spending money on poor,
jobless families from the government is a waste. However, a
government-run day-care would provide these families with much
more opportunity and a real chance at life." KS

"This is ludicrous; we are one of the richest countries in the world
and we should be putting a lot more money into child care. I would
understand if we didn't have the money to spend on child care, if we
were a developing nation, but that certainly isn't the case at all.
The President spends millions of dollars fighting the drug war in the
United States. If he put more of that money into child care, the drug
problem in the United States would go down considerably." CT

"If the government can afford to provide incomes for non-working
families, it should provide decent and affordable child-care facilities
for working families. If you are wondering how the government can
afford it, it can. I believe if it stops spending five hundred dollars for
69
a hammer, or a thousand dollars for a toilet seat, the government can
find ways to afford quality child care." AL

"I think that they should provide day care centers for the working
parents of low income, struggling families. Free of charge to the
working parent/parents, of course. It should be funded by taxes. It
would give plenty of people (especially women and unwed, teenage
mothers) a chance to continue or begin the careers they couldn't
pursue earlier in life. Another idea would be to distribute money to
these low income families with let's say, two or more kids." NY

"The cost to the government should not be a concern." CA

"I think the government's money, or shall I say our money, is wasted
on some of the most unnecessary things. I never understood the point
of the space program. Why do we have to know what's out there or if
there is anything out there at all? Why not use the money for the
homeless or starving? More than anything, we need to educate our
children and it has to start with the involvement of the government."
NY

"The Congressmen/women need to make a decision about whether it
is more important for the United States to have the capability to blow
up the entire world one more time or will we finally get some serious
money into the education and child care of our future, the children.
As the old adage goes, 'you get what you pay for.'" IL

"The government should see that the young need more child care.
Why won't they understand that they are helping a cause that should
be on top of any other problem?" CT

"It should certainly be the government's responsibility to care for the
nation's children. The amount of money that decent child care
programs would require may be quite high, but it is the government's
responsibility to pay for such things. That would likely mean an
increase in taxes, however, and few Americans would be willing to
accept this without a fight. Such an increase would not be truly
necessary, of course; with all the money that this government
supposedly has, it could easily finance a number of social services,
70
but this would mean that it could no longer spend money on
expensive military equipment and other unnecessary things." CA

"As you can see, the problem does not lie with day care itself, it lies
with the cost of day care. Many mothers cannot afford it, and are
therefore forced into some difficult and uneasy situations." MO

"It is necessary to have good child care in the United States. Who
cares about how much it will cost us?" TX

"Since the United States collects enough taxes each year, the cost of
child-care should not hurt the people economically at all." MA

"I believe, if our government can spend billions of dollars on star
wars projects, why can't it help those families whose only source of
income is from a single parent?" AL

"Our government has money to give to other countries for their
needs. Why can't they give some money to Americans' needs?" PA

"I feel that it's time to give every child the care and education they
need, no matter what the cost is." CA

"The government could use money being sent to other countries
here, at home for better and more positive uses." FL

"Where are our country's priorities? Why can't President Bush take
some money from this program (Superconducting super collider @
$534 million) instead of robbing present child and health care
programs? It seems that government money is being wasted on
highbrow scientific programs instead of helping remedy the needs of
citizens of our country." CT

"The federal government is going to have to face reality and stop
giving to every country who needs help and take a look at America
and spend a little of that trillion dollars on America's future, the
children of today." VA

71
"I can understand the concern of President Bush and the legislators
when they look at the price tags of some of the new child-care
legislation, but what I can't understand is how they turn around and
spend billions of dollars on the stealth bomber and other high tech
weapons. Isn't our future more important than yet another nuclear
weapon?" IL

"'The California Child Care Resource and Referral Network has
trained more than 1,200 new family-care providers in seventy
communities to create more than six thousand new spaces for
children.' which, in turn, has cost $3 million. Is it a waste of money,
or will it change our society?" NY
"When a program doesn't work the directors ask for more money.
Instead of this, money should be given to successful programs.
Reinforcing failure only leads to more failures, not more success in
any endeavor." KY

The United States' federal agencies paid for about 6.9 billion dollars
worth of aid towards the cost of childcare." IA

"Considering our nation's deficit, the government cannot be expected
to subsidize a child care program all on its own. This would be too
expensive. On the other hand, some families barely make enough to
get by without having to pay phenomenal amounts for child care.
Therefore, the United States government should supply affordable
care, qualified supervision and accessible facilities for child care."
OH

"One billion seventy-five million dollars is a large sum of money to
spend on babysitting little children; especially in these days with the
war in the Persian Gulf costing an estimated 265 billion dollars or
with our nation in the middle of paying for the Savings and Loan
scandal which will cost more than 300 billion dollars. However,
most Americans would rather see their tax dollars go to something
that they might actually be able to take advantage of the benefits
someday in the future." MI

"Certainly the national debt causes hesitation and argument
concerning the funding of child care, but that does not give our
72
government the right to ignore the constantly growing problem
facing hard-working Americans." AL

"Child-care centers will not cost too much money. All they will have
to do is fix-up certain buildings in communities and buy certain
furnishings and pay people to watch the children." MT

"Commitments of monies of a never before seen magnitude to child
care are necessary to manage this relatively modern problem." IL

"In a time when the children are the only hope for the future, the
government needs to take a course of action, but in an era of thirteen
digit deficits, it also needs to minimize cost." TX

But there is always a difference of opinion
"The favorite argument in favor of granting child-care subsidies is
the concept that by not investing in child-care, we are neglecting our
economic future, our children. But is this true? No studies have
shown, beyond a reasonable doubt, that better child-care produces
better adults." MD

"Government funded child care would result in a lot of system abuse.
Many parents would use the facility for free babysitters. Child care
facilities are meant to be used by the working parent and not by
someone who wants to go shopping or meet a friend for lunch and
not have to worry about their kids. If these facilities were
government funded they could not be monitored correctly and would
be abused by some. In certain situations the funds may not even be
used for their proper and intended uses by some uncaring child-care
owners. These funds that are supposed to be feeding the children and
keeping their environment safe and suitable could really be used for
personal purposes by some people who own day-care centers. The
more people who abuse the system the more money government will
have to spend the next year and in all the years thereafter. The
government is too far away to make sure the system is not abused. If
we do not want system abuse the government cannot help in child
care funding." OH

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"The government complicates matters by providing places for
parents to leave children. As far as I am concerned, government has
little, if any, place in rearing children. Taxes need to go into more
needed areas, such as defense. Parents who work should find a
reliable babysitter or take their children to work with them." IN

"Whenever there is a problem in the United States there is a common
cry, let the government take care of it. At this time, with a 200
billion dollar budget deficit, we cannot continue to throw billions of
dollars at every good, although not vital, cause that comes along.
Child-care is a good cause, but in these economic times, is it really
fair to ask the government and the nation's business sector to pay for
child care?" KY

"The congress has decided to spend approximately $1.75 billion
dollars per year to supplement programs already in existence for
child-care. The only problem with this plan is that it attempts to
spend funds that simply do not exist." AL
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75
Section Four








Students' Personal Solutions To
The Child Care Problem
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Solutions

Plan ahead:
"Think before you have a child and be able to afford the time and
money and not rush into it." NE

"The best solution to our child care problems would be the parents
being more prepared for children. They should try to save some
money so that when a child is born the mother can stay home with
the baby till he can go to school." SD

"First, if the parents want children, they need to plan ahead and
understand the cost of child care." KS

"So, before you have any children make sure you have the money
and are willing to sacrifice your time and sometimes your career."
NE

Parenting education:
"Another suggestion is to devise more information programs telling
potential mothers the real responsibility of having a kid." CT

"There are many ways a child can be given a happier home life.
Some of these options are children's homes, foster care and other
family members such as aunts or grandparents." MO

Even if we stipulate that stay-at-home mothers should be
encouraged, the question becomes How?
"Saying that mom should stay at home and let dad support the family
financially sounds sexist. But it may be the answer. If moms still
want a job, there are plenty of work at home jobs' for them, at least
until the children are past that crucial age of development. Actions
speak louder than words, and letting children know that they are
more important than a career is the most important thing they could
learn." OR

"Parental care of small children in the home is preferred, and many
families do sacrifice the benefit of a second income so that they may
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do so. The child care policy should take into consideration the needs
of all parents, not just those who do choose to work and rely on
others to care for their children." AL

"The government could pass a bill giving a tax cut for families who
want one parent to stay home with the children. This would allow
families who really need two incomes a chance to stay home and
raise their children without living in poverty." PA

Telecommute
"An at-home work planallows an employee to do the same amount
of work, in the same amount of time, and receive the same annual
salary. The only difference is that he/she is working at home and not
in the office. The parent can stay with the child all day and not have
to worry about leaving him/her. This will help to avoid a lot of
stress. The parent can simply fax his/her work into the office on a
fax machine." OH

"Many moms have taken their work home to cut on costs of day-care
centers. Valerie Waldner would rather telecommute from her study
in Lakewood, Colorado to her office five miles away. Therefore, she
can do her housework, keep an eye on the kids, and have dinner
ready by five. Her terminal is connected to the company mainframe
so she can work whenever she wants virtually. She still has deadlines
to meet and people to see at meetings, but these occasions can be
met with a two hour babysitter if necessary." MT

Save money by staying home
"Some use the excuse that it is not financially possible for the family
to live on only one income. In most cases, though, this is proven to
be untrue in two-parent families. If a mother were to quit her job,
there would automatically be fewer expenses. The amount of money
spent on child-care, transportation, clothes, and taxes would go
down. The family could save money by having a garden, preserving
food, and even by giving the kids home haircuts. If the family were
to cut back on many things and was still unable to make it
financially, there are ways in which a mother can work at home.
Mothers can give music lessons, make crafts to sell, do small
catering jobs and run typing services." MI
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"There are ways to earn money and support a family while remaining
at home, but moms must put aside certain material values and accept
less income that allows them to stay at home." CA

Other students in the mid-west had the same solution:
"Mothers are finding ways to stay home by getting a job they can do
at home. An at-home business is a good way to make some extra
money while still being able to care for the children. Making crafts
and selling them is a good way to make some money. Doing
accounting work at home, and even babysitting; these are all fine
ways of making money while remaining in the home." IA

"I realize there are situations where both parents must work. The
financial situation would 'fall apart' without both incomes. There are
sometimes successful ways of parenting in these situations too. How
about a home business? Couldn't one parent do his/her job from the
home? Is there a relative near that cares more about your children
than the money received for doing it? Maybe one parent can get a
part time job, or a job during school hours only, so when the kids are
out of school they can come home to mom or dad. Is it possible for
mom to see them off to school, and have dad ready to greet them at
home after school? In this case both can work, a sitter is not needed
and the evenings are for the family." NE

Pinch pennies
"Stay-at-home moms have chosen the rougher road financially than
those who drop their children off at a day-care center and proceed on
to their office for their chosen profession. Financial sacrifices are
made that affect the whole family because of only one income rather
than two incomes." VA

"We can't expect miracles from the government right now, so it is
time for us, the American people to make sacrifices." CT

Tax breaks
"About the only thing the government can do to encourage stay-at-
moms is offer tax breaks to families when one parent decides to stay
home." PA
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"If the government would allow 'at home credits' for mothers to stay
home with their children, this might enable mothers to care for their
children." KS

"If tax breaks for child-care are given to upper middle class and high
class people, then they also need to be given to the mothers who
choose to stay at home. Our programs should not encourage mothers
or fathers to leave their children but should assist those parents who
have to do so for financial stability." NE

"If a parent wants a good child care provider, one should have to pay
more. One possible solution would be for the government to
refund parents money spent for day care. With this plan, parents
could afford to pay more, knowing they will be repaid in their tax
refund." KS

"One solution is to refund taxes to parents who must pay expensive
child care costs. " KS

"The starting of a precedent and establishment of tax laws which
would give special incentives to child care centers and businesses
that provide care is the best way to go about addressing the issue. In
a time when the government has no choice but to take action, this
policy is the safest and most effective way to solve the problem.
Because if we do not, who will care for the children?" PA

Breaks targeted at single-parent households
"I feel that the government should set up day care centers for single
parents who cannot afford to pay even a small fee for a babysitter, so
that the parent can spend more time raising his child. I also feel that
the government should give special benefits to the children of single
parents." PA

Homemaking paid as a service to the government:
"The paid homemaking concept is similar to veteran's benefit
because it compensates the homemakers for time spent in service to
America since raising children means shaping the nation's future.
The children would be taught by their natural parents and grow up in
a secure environment which would stimulate learning and
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intellectual growth. The family unit would be strengthened, self-
esteem raised, and stress greatly reduced since the mother would be
home with the children and not trying to balance family and work.
Many women would choose to stay home since they would be
getting additional money from the government instead of from a
source outside the home. Also, the parents could choose alternate
years of work at home so that both of them could pursue their own
careers as well as spend time raising the children. However, if the
mother chose to take on the homemaking responsibility full-time and
still wanted to pursue additional education or work outside the home,
she could do so after the children are grown." AZ

One parent always in the home by working opposite shifts:
"Working parents can work opposite shifts in order to make sure that
one parent is always at home with the children." PA

Parent co-ops
"One solution would be to get all the mothers of a community who
are concerned about their child's well being and create a system
around each one of their schedules. It is already done with car pools
and youth groups. If the communities were able to create many
activities to include all the childrens interests they could help the
children have fun and at the same time expand their minds. This is
how child care should be handled in this country." CT

Babysitting Co-ops
"Credit in a baby-sitting co-op time bank is worth many hours of
freedom to the stay-at-home mothers who needs an up with the rest
of the world. Baby-sitting co-ops usually spring from a
neighborhood group or a church circle. Many women who do not
have relatives to call on, find co-ops provide an economical relief
from full-time mothering." KY

Government subsidies
"To pay for building, renting or leasing these day-care centers we
could make a national lottery that would help fund the day-care
centers, and also lay taxes off a little bit. The rich could also pay in
taxes and income taxes." NE

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"Head Start funding should be increased and a program for school-
age children should be developed. The government should increase
quality infant and toddler care. The Department of Health and
Human Services should require the licensing of child care workers.
To help mostly middle income families, the government needs to
give incentives to private industry to have child-care options. The
options should allow a parent to stay at home with an infant early on,
with an option to work part-time for awhile. " IL

"I believe that we can take the future in our hands if the government
started paying a parent to stay home and care for the children." MD

"Many women who place their children in day-care centers would
prefer to care for their children at home. They are forced to use child
care because they must work for financial reasons. However, if the
government was to offer subsidies to women who choose to care for
their preschool children at home, the number of stay-at-home
mothers would greatly increase. Offering these subsidies would help
relieve unemployment while allowing mothers to raise their children
in the early years. Subsidies would definitely encourage more
mothers to stay at home which would decrease the number of
children needing child care, therefore reducing the need for child
care facilities." TN

Where there's a will there's a way:
"There will always be the poor single mother who has to work to
keep her head above water. She has several optionsnone require
the government's help. First, she could look for a job that already
provides on-the-spot child care. If that path doesn't work, she could
look for someone to watch her children a few days a week while she
earns a living. Perhaps a grand-parent or other relative would be
willing to help. If all else fails, she could find someone else in the
same situation. The two could work out a balanced system in which
one could work while the other watched the children and vice-versa.
None of these solutions is easy, but it comes along with the
responsibility of being a good parent." PA


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The following excerpt is not so much a solution as a wish that
government budget wisely:
"If the government would just 'purify' their spending and cut down
on mismanagement of funds, sunset some of the current programs,
and have the courage to accept some innovations in child care
programs, the money could be found and applied to this very real
and growing problem." TX

Employers were seen as a big part of the solution

Many students would like to see employers play a more active
role in child care:
"Businesses have tried to attract women into the work force. Some
used maternity leave, part-time work for mothers, work at home on
computers, and more flexible hours as incentives. Now they need to
further adapt to keep these women in the work force. They also need
to add on-site daycare or subsidies to pay for the parents' choice of
daycare." OR

"With the growing demand for more workers with stronger
qualifications, it would be advantageous for businesses to attract
such prospective employees with tempting child-care facilities. The
passage of the ABC bill would remove this pressure and place it,
once again, on the government's shoulders. In 1987, there were
100 employer-operated day care services. Now, 3,300 businesses
offer day care to their employees." OH

"The ABC bill is by far the best solution to the current child care
needs and deserves the support of us all. The problem is not the
amount of money, which we surely could afford, but the way it is
distributed and how it is used. The ABC bill, using its efficient
method of child-population per-capita income distributions of funds,
could easily solve these child care problems." OR
"Each business with more than 150 workers should provide a child
care service for their employees. This service would include all day
care, or before and after school care. This service should be offered
at minimal cost. It should cost the employee approximately the same
that it costs the company. In that way, the company would not make
money on the project, but it would also not lose money. However,
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the long term effect this should show would be increased
productivity and a more efficient worker. The employee does not
have to worry about finding a service for their children if one is
offered." MI

"Some families have to have each parent working full time hours so
new programs are sprouting in the business world." AL

"Women should receive full pay for maternity leave and
should be able to take six months to a year's leave of absence." PA

"Companies should be able to pretax [employees]. This can benefit
both the employee and also the employer. Suppose an employee
makes $500 per week and must spend $100 per week on day care
services; pretax allows this person to pay tax on only $400 per week.
The employer then benefits by only having to pay Social Security on
the $400 the employee must pay taxes on. It seems to be a program
that would work very well for both the employee and the employer."
WI

According to some students it is not a suggestion but an
employer's responsibility to provide child-care:
"The government and businesses, along with parents, have a
responsibility to the younger generation to provide the best care
possible." KS

However, most students saw a free-market advantage for savvy
employers to attract and keep the best employees:
"While some business owners are skittish about child care, others are
billing it as the best employee recruitment and retention tool ever
discovered." KY

"As already shown in trials by many companies, when child care was
subsidized by the companies and offered at the place of work, the
benefits far outweighed the costs, in declining turnover, absenteeism,
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and tardiness. The pressure put on businesses is increasing and will
continue to increase for the business sector to take care of the need
for childcare." AZ

"Many firms are already supplying their employees with child care
assistance. These firms have taken into consideration the difficulty
of working parents trying to find proper child care. I admire these
firms for their understanding." AL

"The companies that help their employees raise better children are
increasing the quality of the next generation of workers. When
people look at it that way, good family policies can be considered as
an investment in America's economic future." GA

"Companies are going to have to be able to grasp the fact that when
employees are being hired the problems of the family and the
headaches are hired also." OH

"I believe that more private businesses should show leadership with
child care by recognizing the existing need, by surpassing
government standards, and by seeing the results of improved
employer-employee relationships. Many people believe that the
government should improve child care. However, the people leading
the way should be the employers, not politicians." KS

"I believe we should give equal jobs to women as to men, but we
have to remember that pregnancy is a natural part of a woman's life.
Employers should understand this and willingly give women at least
a month off from work before and after pregnancy. If companies
are truly willing to accept women in the working place they have to
accept every part of them." NE

There Ought To Be A Law

Some students would advocate force :
"My question to Mr. Bush is why not mandate leave policies? Big
business will not give a parent time off to care for a newborn child
unless forced to do so. Big business often thinks of their employees
as numbers, not as warm human beings." IL
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Today the Illinois student above, would agree that progress has
been made and all of us would agree that more needs to be done,
but not on the solutions.

"First, the mandatory leave should be at least four months for the
new parents. Second, the parents should receive 75 percent of their
current wages during leave. Third, the jobs of the parents should be
guaranteed so that they can return to work. Fourth, the parents
should also be granted three weeks a year of sick leave to care for a
new child or sick parent. The sick leave should be fully paid leave.
Fifth, the government should also build child care facilities on a need
basis. Last, the government should also require the large private
enterprises to provide child care facilities for the employees' children
during working hours." KS

"I think the government should make it mandatory that companies
provide child-care aid to those who need it." MT

"Those businesses with employees having children would pay so
much a week to help the government provide for the children. If the
businesses do not like the new law and do not want to pay for it, the
government can place a strict fine on them. People who know that
the company does not want to help its employees are not going to do
business with them. Why would the company do something good for
them if it will not help its workers? The owners of these businesses
know they cannot stay open without workers and consumers who
trust them." TX
"Lawmakers could also stop dreaming up new taxes. Instead, put that
creativity into laws that place standards on childcare, initiate
government guidelines and, impose strict fines on businesses that
don't put childcare in their buildings." OK

"All businesses should, by law, send in a list of how many child
raising employees they have working for them, and the age of their
children. If that total reaches a certain amount they must begin a
child care center." TX

"I think a law requiring large businesses to have on-site day care as
an employee benefit would be beneficial. For those who are not
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employed by a large company, I think that there should be low-
priced government day care centers with reliable supervision and a
reduced rate for low income families should be provided. To pay for
this, there might have to be an increase in taxes or perhaps have
money funneled out of another source into this program." CA

On the other hand, many students thought laws would do more
harm than good . . .
"If the ABC bill is adopted, then that would favor the parents that
send their children to a daycare over the parents that keep their
children at home. The only way to distribute equally the benefits
to all parents is to give tax breaks to parents rather than to day-care
providers, parents should be able to decide how their children are
cared for." AL

"The ABC bill simply encourages mothers to work, and also drives
costs up and selection downit assumes that the traditional family is
now a mere memory." OH

"Eighteen million children are in need of adequate child care. The
government has allotted 2.5 billion dollars for the ABC Bill in its
first year. This amount would be merely enough for one million
children; this shows that the government has greatly under-budgeted
this bill...the children who could not be funded would most likely be
at home alone." AL

An analysis, instead of a quick acceptance of facts, is what we see
below. The process makes us sing!
"One example of a House bill that I do not agree with will cost well-
off families, according to Congress' Joint Tax Committee, $285
million each year. This would mainly affect families making $70,000
or more per year. What I do not agree with is that a family making
$70,000 per year in Oklahoma is going to be much more financially
able than someone making $70,000 per year in New York or
California. I feel that the law makers are not considering that the
standard of living varies from place to place. Also, this bill may
discourage employers from having day care programs, because they
would have to track extensively every employee's total family
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income to determine when they are no longer eligible for child care
assistance." OK

"The ABC Act would also put many restrictions on the type of
service and who would provide it. This would increase the cost to
the point where many families could no longer afford the service."
FL

"Those who have no children and those who do not put their children
in day carewill be penalized because they will not get a tax credit.
Tax credits will only be a reward for those who put their children in
day care. Those who keep their children at home, perhaps the ones
who are doing the best for their children, will be penalized by paying
more taxes. The ones who keep their children at home will probably
be the poorest. The poorest will also be hurt by increased expenses
as a result of taxes for day care. When the government comes in, day
care centers will have to raise their fees. They will charge all
customers more, rich and poor. They will provide a program that
people may not want, but will have to pay for in taxes or other
expenses. The government already has a gigantic deficit and does not
need another program that will cost more money." AL

"Because of a child care bill passed by the House on March 29,
1990, over 2 million families will have some cut from child care.
They also lose care that is given by the employer. So, the
government wants to help the middle class people. Well, in helping
them they are hurting thousands more. As the companies grow, so
do the care facilities in them, but now they are unable to provide
these places for the wealthy. Did it ever occur to the government that
'rich' families also like to spend time with their family? That was the
main reason for the care facilities in the work place. It allowed the
parent or parents to see their children more often, like on their breaks
and during lunch. The people that are rich have to have their
children taken care of just like anyone else, but because they have
more money they can't find a place to take their children. Is this fair?
Absolutely not! This is discriminating against people because they
have money. That's just like discriminating against the poor because
they don't have money." KS

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The Kansas and California students disagree philosophically but
both oppose the legislation:
"Since many people would not be able to afford twelve weeks of
unpaid leave; the bill was useless. However, it is not surprising that
the bill failed, as it would have inconvenienced the wealthy
employers with whom the government seems to be the most
concerned." CA

"The Constitution protects religious freedoms for all American
citizens and the authors of this bill (ABC) should not be able to
dictate what religious instruction is appropriate in child care
facilities." AL

Many students favor government regulation:
"With universal care, not only will all children be guaranteed to be
taken care of, but parents will not have to worry as much because the
government can take care of screening qualified child care centers
and also have periodic visits to check the personnel of the center."
NY

"As the armed forces, police, and firemen are paid to protect and
ensure security, I feel that since we pay people to care for our
children that it should be regulated by state governments. If a mother
chooses to put her child under the care of other people and these
people are paid for this job, I feel the mothers are paying for their
child to be watched over. This is our government's responsibility to
our people, to protect." NE

"It is not fully the parent's job to evaluate a child care center. The
government should play a major part. They need to investigate every
child center and make sure that they are all up to standards. The
parents cannot be the only ones responsible for their child's safety.
There is only so much they can do." TX

"Another regulation should be to require the establishment of a
community board made up of parents with children in day care. The
board would take the place of the advisory board that is presently
set-up in the (ABC) bill. Because the people on the board would be
volunteers, a large amount of money would be saved because the
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government would not have to pay people to be on the advisory
board. The board would decide what would be taught in the day
cares of that particular community, such as whether or not to teach
religion and/or sex education. This would increase parental
responsibility and authority for parents who would otherwise not
take any part in the schooling of their children." AL

"The government should not only provide the necessary money but
should enforce tighter standards for day care employees." FL

"Federally-imposed regulations on existing daycare centers will
protect our free-enterprise system, while encouraging employers to
pay for or provide childcare services would be more convenient for
employees. This system, combining the best possibilities for
everyone, is clearly the optimum solution for today's daycare
problems." TX

"Governments are established to loan and organize. In the modern
world they organize everything from airlines, the FAA, to the foods
we eat, the FDA. Following in the outlines of these organizations,
government should form a new commission to watch and guard over
our child care." NE

"Since we obviously need some type of child care, we must
concentrate on one single method rather than spreading out our
efforts ineffectively. By federally subsidizing businesses to set up
day cares and setting up a federal agency to set standards, we begin
to effectively reduce the problem to manageable proportions." PA

"Legislators can be pressured to require minimal acceptable
standards of quality for day care programs purchased with federal
funds either with direct subsidies or through tax breaks." NC

Other students were resigned to government regulation:
"If and when any federal regulated laws are passed it must not cross
the line that discriminates against mothers or fathers that stay home
and those who choose the day care option. Also, day care should not
be favored over paid care provided by relatives, aunts, grandparents,
etc." WA
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"The government is also very inquisitive. They feel like they need to
know some very private information. They will send out a
questionnaire to someone who does not have a license. They want to
know things such as: How many rooms in your house? Do you have
a basement? Is there a play area for your child? They want to know
some questions that are not even important to child care. If that isn't
enough, after a year they send out the questionnaire again and
require it to be filled out yearly in order to renew a license. I believe
that the only time that the questionnaire should be sent out is if there
is a serious problem." KS

Some students were skeptical:
"Many people believe that federal standards are necessary to ensure
the safety of children in day-care centers. However, a recent study
shows that children in licensed day care are just as likely to be
victims of abuse as are children under unlicensed care." OH

"Most Americans seem to agree that the government should provide
the proper resources, but allow administration of the programs to be
carried out at the local level. In order to provide better child care
and still give parents the ability to control the destiny of their
children, the government should adopt a 'hands-off' approach in
which it provides the resources, but not the rigid controls, for the
child care system." IL

"But according to the largest study ever to address the safety of
unregulated care, researchers were 'consistently impressed' by the
quality of day care and they concluded that the environment was
'stable, warm, and stimulating'. Overall, the researchers found that
parents who used unregulated care were highly satisfied." FL

Still other students were down-right critical of government
regulated childcare:
"According to Robert Woodson, president of the National Center of
Neighborhood Enterprises, Washington D.C. alone has fifty-seven
forms that a person must fill out in order to be considered for a
license. The nit-picky rules are often a hindrance rather than a
help. These laws not only make it hard to get a license, but also
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raise the price of operating a day-care center by requiring a house or
building to meet specific standards." MI

"If the government decides to take on the support of child care, it is
almost unlimited to what they could regulate." NE

"Day-care will never become affordable until the system is
deregulated." IL

"Federal studies show that these regulations do relatively little to
improve the quality of day-care, while, at the same time, force an
increase in day-care costs and limit the supply of day-care centers."
MI

What matters?
"Examples of regulation causing too many problems border on the
ridiculous. For one woman, to renovate her home to local laws
would have cost her about two thousand dollars. In another instance,
laws stipulated that a day-care center must have thirty-eight inch-
wide doors. Because the doors in the proposed facility were only
thirty-six inches wide, a wall had to be knocked out to accommodate
the laws. Another woman discovered that if she wanted to add
another child to her roster she must have separate boy's and girl's
bathrooms in her home. In Winston-Salem, North Carolina., the local
zoning board restricted a woman from taking care of fifteen children
for the sole reason that her front yards were five feet too short and
her side yards were four feet too short." SD

"The inspector who examined another house would not give a
license because the ceiling in one place in the basement was too low,
even though the woman pointed out that she would probably be the
tallest one to go in the basement. It did not matter that the children
were happy, or that the parents felt secure about leaving their
children there. Nor did it matter that other day cares do not always
give children as much attention as these children received." MI



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What about state and local authorities?

Other students thought the federal government should give way
to state and local authorities:
"The only feasible solution for the child care debate is to give the
responsibility to the states to care for their own needs." OH

"The regulation and control of child care should be left to state
legislatures where it can be more closely controlled. In the federal
government, the child care debate is being exploited by both sides
and no progress is being made. Existing grants to the states can be
used to expand child care services if managed properly by state
governments." PA

"If a national child care system was set up it would supersede the
regulatory authorities of the states by requiring that minimum
standards be met if any federal support is to be given to a state. The
ability of a state to respond to the needs and desires of its own
citizens concerning its regulation of child care would be sacrificed to
an all-encompassing federal government." OR

A compromise:
"State and local governments should have a part in providing day
care and seeing that all laws are carried out properly. I do not think
that national government should have the main role in carrying out
laws of child care but they should be able to oversee some aspects
and areas of it." OK

"Funding child care should be a state not national issue. Each state
should set up their own system for funding. After the state passes
laws and sets budgets, the major responsibility would move on to the
county officials. Then it would be more of a local decision as to how
things were coordinated and taken care of. If each county had a local
'watch dog' program setup the state could control how, why, and
when the supplied funds were being used at each facility. The local
'watch dog' members would be able to visit each facility annually to
decide how much money they should receive." OH

94
"I think the state, not the national government, should make the laws
on the care of children according to [geographical] locations. The
laws should be strong enough to protect the children, but should not
get in the way of disciplining children. The laws should be set
according to the morals of the area, not according to the ideas of the
whole country." NE

"I believe that the individual states should handle this issue because
this way the care provided would be a lot more personal." CT

"Our government needs to have state run child care centers." TX

"There do need to be upgrades and revisions in our present child care
programs, but these are the job of the state governments." AL

The next two excerpts, both from Ohio, express opposite
opinions:
"The states need to follow these [federal government's] guidelines to
keep all the states uniform, but take on the rest of the responsibility
of running the center themselves. States must find it necessary to
fund programs for child care without the federal government.
Each state needs to be independent and help itself." OH
"State government rather than the federal government, should be
responsible for child care and aid. The federal government should
merely provide resources for the states to carry out their
responsibilities." OH

There was little consensus when it came to control of child care.
This group of excerpts favors local controlthe more local the
better:
"If child care has to be controlled and run by the government at all it
would be best to have it run by state or better yet local government.
When programs are run by smaller forms of government the elected
officials usually understand their constituents better and work harder
to do what they want them to do. Also if the child care is at the local
level the parents have a much better chance at controlling what goes
on in the child care facility so that their children are cared for
properly and not abused in any way." NE

95
"The federal government should not create the whole system, but it
should fund the state and the local authorities so that they can put the
money to its best use." CT

"Providing funds for child care should primarily be the state's
responsibility." OH

"The quality and regulation of child care is a state, not a federal
responsibility." AL

"The federal government has a very general overview of what is
happening in every state, whereas the state governments have a
better grasp of what is going on in their own territory. Because of
this, the state government would do a better job of distributing the
money to various child care services better than the federal
government." CT

"As an opinionated person I believe that the federal government is
financially incapable of correctly providing sufficient child care. It is
my belief that the local governments should take the responsibility. I
think the government should take a long last look at the issue and lay
down some ground rules, appoint persons to oversee and insure
adequacy, and then place the problem into the hands of either state or
even as local as county governments." MO

"Congress should assign states the responsibility of deciding how
childcare systems will be operated in those states, whether on a
statewide program, or subdivided into counties, cities, communities
or other divisions." TN

"The state and national governments together can control or reduce
the problem. If one state succeeds in child care, each state along with
the national government will follow their guidelines to solve the
problem. Therefore each state should try something different to see
what can be done that really works." TX

"The government of the United States does not have the ability to
take on the burden of child care in the American home. At 220.4
billion dollars the national deficit is monstrous. The states should
96
take the burden off the federal government and set up their own
programs for their own reforms. The federal government should also
stay out of business affairs but encourage actions through tax breaks
and grants that would help to develop solutions. Instead of making
reforms and setting standards that would only make child care more
expensive the government should encourage parents to stay at home
and businesses to guide employees in caring for their children." OH

"Corporation supported child care, along with the state development
of child care, should provide for most of the country's child care
needs. The federal government should just provide support and
funds for the states. It should not have the task of regulating child
care nationwide." OH

This group of excerpts favors federal controland limits the
role of local government over child-care:
"The state and local governments should play a very minor role in
child care. The majority of the decisions made by the government
about child care should be made by the federal government." GA
"The federal government is the place at which improvements must
begin in order for child care to expand to all needed areas. State and
local levels of child care cannot and will not improve until enough
standards and regulations are established and upheld. Expansion in
the child care field will not occur unless appropriate funds are
generated. Congress must continue to take the proper steps to make
child care better, and we as a nation, must support them." IL

"When the burden for solutions is rendered to the states it appears to
be a feasible solution, but in reality it leads to total disarray. The
slavery issue is a prime example. Individual states were left to decide
their own fate. The resultthe Civil War." OK

"We have a federal postal servicewhy not have a federal day-care
service for major cities and local day-care centers that receive
federal aid and operate by federal guidelines." OH


97
Large philosophical differences are expressed by the two
following excerpts:
"Many states in the U.S. have non-profit organizations donating
funds for child care. For example, Texas is helping Dallas reach the
standards set by the National Association for the Education of
Young Children. By May of 1988, $350,000 had been contributed.
North Carolina's child care resources draw on a fund supported by
the county of Charlotte, with matching funds from the business
community. The money is used to pay for child-care for welfare
parents. Money not used is returned to the fund to keep tax
expenditures low. 'For example, Florida lets employers deduct one
hundred percent of the start-up costs of an on-site child-care center.'"
NY

"San Francisco passed an ordinance that requires developers of
major projects to provide space for day care centers or to contribute
to existing facilities." OK

Taxes are the most obvious way to fund programs:
"It is a well-known fact that citizens of the United States are
violently opposed to tax increases. Therefore, the government most
often tries all other solutions before raising taxes. However, in the
case of child care, a tax raise is almost inevitable. If the government
wishes to provide better day care centers at lower costs, a larger
amount of money is definitely necessary. One should reconsider his
or her aversion to high taxes and look to the possibilities of the
future. A few more dollars from one's income could be well-spent
contributing to the production of more strong and effective leaders
for tomorrow." AL

"People dislike taxes, but can find it in their hearts to give for the
future of the country." MI

"Poor people should get lower taxes because they are the ones that
really need money. The wealthy should get higher taxes and some of
these taxes should be used to help pay for some of the day-care
centers that poor people use. If we use taxes to pay for day-care
centers, then the poor don't have to use much of their paycheck for
their children's child care needs." NE
98
"Many people feel that the government could, instead of paying
thousands of dollars for tools that should cost ten dollars, put the
money into things that taxpayers need and can use.child-care." FL

"Americans would do well to learn from the examples set by
Sweden, Britain and other welfare states, but they cannot do so
unless they are willing to pay higher taxes, or to change their
philosophy of government." CA

"With all of the problems of today's child care facilities, government
intervention is a must. Although it would raise taxes, I believe our
children are worth it, and besides they are tomorrow's leaders. Our
country gives millions of dollars for aid to third world countries. I
know that those third world countries are in dire straits, but I also
believe that we should take care of our own people, especially our
children, before we take care of foreign nations." AL

"Although the word tax is a hated word, a small additional tax could
be added to property taxes and earmarked for child-care centers."
OH
"If I were asked to solve the child care issue, I would propose that
the government set up professional child-care facilities with
authorized personnel to look after the children, but not take the
money out of the taxpayer's pockets. I would suggest that the parents
who wanted their children in a professional child-care center should
pay a special tax to keep their children in these facilities." VA

"Because child care is such an important issue, I feel that there
should be a certain amount of funds appropriated by local and state
governments toward child care. Another alternative to funding for
child care is a better tax return policy for parents who list their
children as dependents on their tax form. Still another alternative
could be for the government to pass a bill in which businesses which
employ a certain number of people would have to set up some form
of day care." PA



99
Many students gave a lot of thought to their required solutions
as evidenced throughout this book:
"How can the load on the working mothers and fathers of America
be lessened? One way might be for the government to make
grandparents and aunts and uncles over eighteen eligible for federal
funds if they are caring for children whose mothers work. Another
idea might be to provide a fund for mothers with newborns. The
mother would have the government withhold a certain amount of her
paycheck designated 'childcare' to use for the care of the child. The
government would also add a small percentage of the amount to help
the mother meet her child care needs." SD

"A possible solution might be something like this. The government
provides good quality childcare for everyone. Those who can afford
it pay full fee. Those who are currently on government assistance
would no longer get a free ride or a chance to feel like the scum of
society. Instead they would be evaluated and have a chance to be
either trained on a job or take some kind of classes to make them
employable. During this time the government would assume
financial responsibility, just as it had been doing anyway, as well as
providing complete childcare. Once the person had a job that person
would assume an increasing amount of the financial burden on a
sliding fee basis." FL

The solutions of others came from personal experiences and
diverse backgroundsone result from a national project:
"What is best for the children? Politicians have been asking each
other a lot but have not really come up with a good answer. I was
raised in a divorced family and my mom had to go back to work.
So I am for any reform that would help a child, even if it led to more
taxes. I think that is truly best for not only the children of America,
but for America as a whole." OH

"Parents who choose to send their children to a private day care,
maybe because they prefer the curriculum taught, receive no tax
credit. This is unfair because these are the parents that have to pay
for the government regulated day cares and also the private day care
of their choice. In order to benefit all parents with children in a day
100
care, a tax credit should be given to all families with children in any
day care." AL

"Just because a huge constituency exists for child care doesn't mean
it's a good idea. A compassionate government ought to concentrate
its welfare resources on its neediest, which are its poorest citizens.
In my view, this means we should grant added tax relief to the
working poor." PA

"In addition, if the government offered tax deductions to parents who
have children in day-care, the care workers should also be able to
receive tax deductions because they receive such little pay." AZ

"The government isn't asking any mothers to stay at home, but
maybe they should. It doesn't matter which of the two parents stay
at home, but the point is the goals of one of them should be delayed
for awhile." CT

"The government needs to pass programs that will make it easier for
parents with kids who need to work." CA

Some students were aware that affordable and need are very
flexible words and used often in persuasive arguments:
"One may wonder what is considered affordable care. It should be a
flexible system based on the wages of the parents. Living expenses
should be fairly determined then subtracted from their income. An
affordable payment would then be determined based on the
remaining amount." OH

"Government should cut the costs of day care to where they are
affordable for parents. They should target and coordinate state
programs which will serve all children, and provide incentives to
businesses to expand day care. They should also target tax credits to
aid poor families." MS

"The government could consider sending funds directly to the
parents needing the help with their children. The problem with this is
that many times the money the parents get is used for other things
and not for the care of the children." MO
101
Section Five






In Conclusion
Whimsical, Miscellaneous, Wise, Not-So-Wise
And Humorous
102

103
In Conclusion

"In conclusion, I would strongly urge our federal government to set
up better guidelines for day care programs. Offer some grants or
subsidies to assist businesses in setting up a day care program in the
office. Give some tax credits to less financially able parties so they
might afford better day care for their children. Review the
requirements to open a day care center. Let's get the centers into the
hands of qualified and trained people instead of many home care
providers that have little or no skills to day anything else." NE

"In conclusion, I think that the people should not put their child care
worries on the shoulders of others simply because they are too lazy
to work for a living. I also feel that standards for child care should be
improved for those that pay for it because it isn't fair for some
middle class families to be overburdened with the expense of child
care when some are not. It would be a very good idea for the
government to think about the problems they are creating and move
cautiously because once the decisions are made, they are hard to
change." ND

"In conclusion, we the people of the United States have an innate
power invested in us called the vote. With that power we will be able
to make better day care come about and also solve the above
mentioned problems. Thus we will also be able to bring about a safe
and qualified day care that will not only give our children a place to
stay but also give us peace of mind." FL

"In conclusion, although some believe that government, at both the
state and federal level, should take a larger role in providing child
care, this is not the case. The loss of parental control, the high cost,
and the effect it would have on the birth rate clearly outweigh any
possible benefits from government-sponsored child care. Except for
new legislation such as I have described, then, the role of
government in child care in America should not be changed
significantly." CA

104
"In conclusion, I would like to say that I have learned a great deal of
information about this growing controversy. If children are living in
homes where one parent works or both parents work, then they are
most likely in need of child care. More child care programs are in
need and people with more than three children should receive tax
breaks, because they need more money for child care. It is also
essential that one parent be encouraged to stay home with his or her
child under the age of six if at all possible. After all, a parent's care is
the best care of all. It would also be of great assistance to people
who receive welfare to have the government pay total child care for
them then they could save their earnings and possibly be weaned
from government support." NE

Some whimsical and some serious thoughts
about children

"Children are pieces of white fabric. They are innocent and easy to
be dyed another color. If these fabrics were dyed creatively, they
would become precious, but if not, they could become a rag." CT

"Children are the characters in fairy tales, the bounce in a ball, the
spring of a trampoline, the energy in us all. The faces of the young
bring truth and promise, security and love." NJ

"An example of how this relates to low quality is going to a store and
buying a box of cheap trash bags and then finding they break after
they are only half full. It might be okay to get an inexpensive cheap
quality trash bag for your garbage, but children are not like trash
bags. They need to be treated better." FL

"If we ignore this issue and fail to deal with it, it will grow and
destroy generations just as a weed left unnoticed may destroy a
garden When neglected a flower withers and dies. Let us think of
children as flowers." CA

"Our government's job is not to replace parents or parents' rights but
rather to encourage and assist where possible. Children need their
parents to be their advocates in a very hostile world. Joseph Joubert
105
once said, 'Children have more need of role models than of critics.'
When one or more parent cannot be there, someone has to care.
Someone has to continue to ask the question, 'What is best for the
children?'" OH

"When people spend a long time with someone, whether it is their
child or not, they can get on each other's nerves. Children are not
always the quietest of people. They enjoy good times and they want
to let the world know when they are having that good time. The
people closest to the child who looks like they care will be told every
little detail of the latest event." MI

"Our children are one day going to be running this country, and we
expect them to solve the problems we have created. It is up to us,
though, to provide the children with the background to achieve their
goals." OH

"In the twenty-first century, we will be faced with adults who
experienced 'hot potato' emotional attachments during childhood as
they were bounced from one care-giver to another. These adults will
be our business and political leaders with far-reaching power.
William R. Wallace, a nineteenth century lawyer and poet, wrote,
'The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.' A
strong nation begins in the home, and decisions that affect the entire
world will be made by the products of today's child care." AR

"Every child is important and hopefully the government will
recognize that." ID

More than a few writers had something to say about latch key
kids:
"Being a latch-key kid has played a bigger part in my life than I
realized. Perhaps there is a taboo on being the child of a single,
working parent, but my childhood was good." From the time I was
born, I've been to baby-sitters and day cares, and sometimes my
mother took me places with her. As soon as I was old enough, about
age seven, I became a latch key kid, which was dangerous at times. I
remember one place we lived where my next door neighbor was a
106
drug dealer, a lady across the street drowned her three children in a
lake, and a boy down the street was accident-alley shot." NE
"I'm in a group home for kids with problems and have been for five
years. I had a lot of problems because of poor child care. Thanks
to good child care from the state of Missouri's Division of Family
Services, I have become a responsible, outgoing young lady and I
[am thankful]. I only wish that all children were treated as well as I
have been treated here." MO

"Mothers have helped each other out for centuries; however, as
society develops, more and more women have discovered that
combining strengths and uniting forces is their only hope of survival.
In order to prevent having a latch-key childmany parents allow
their kids to go over to a friend's home after school until his/her
parent gets home from work. Neighboring families carpool, take
turns babysitting and share many responsibilities. Unfortunately, this
is not a possible solution for everyone." TN

"Latchkey kids need to have their own set of survival skills. With the
[object] of getting a parent's attention, kids have learned to set up
dates three months in advance. They have also thought of ways to
send affection. For example, sending notes to the office or sticking it
to the coffee pot are two ways of grabbing the attention of a parent."
WI

And most had a good word to say about moms, whether working
in or out of the home:
"Studies have shown that if a parent is happy with what they are
doing whether it's staying home with their child or working in the
next town, that a happy parent is a good parent, and therefore the
child will most probably grow up to be a productive adult in
American society." NM

"Some parents value money, others value a stable home life. Some
parents want to bring their children up so they appreciate money and
hard work. There is nothing wrong with that. But, other parents want
to work so that their children can have the luxuries that the parents
did not get as a child. There is nothing wrong with that either, if the
parents still discipline their children. Whether or not the mother
107
works is not the main problem. It really does not matter, as long as
the children are brought up to appreciate values, generosity, learn to
work for what they want, and to care for others." WI

"In either of the positions, being at home or out in the work force, we
can applaud the mothers who do work and try to make a better life
for themselves and their families." NE

As the following suggestions show, this generation has its share
of thinkers:
"Even though lack of funds is the main problem, the government
cannot just pay its way out of this predicament." PA

"The leaders of this country must cut through the bureaucratic red
tape and provide legislation to insure the funds needed to provide for
these at-risk youth today than to pay for their stay at correctional
centers in the future. The future is truly in their hands, and it is one
worth fighting for America can't let her brightest fire, the youth of
this country, be snuffed out. America has always risen up and
conquered the problems that lie before her. And she will again. OK

"State and local governments, religious organizations, employers and
parents have tried to meet the increasing demands for better child
care. But obviously it is something they cannot do without the
government's help. Only the government has the money to create a
versatile child care system so all parents can incorporate family life
and working life into a healthy balance. While other nations have
already paved a road for their youth, our nation hasn't even finished
constructing one." PA

"The America I envision in the future is a technological leader, a
place where an emphasis is placed on the home, a place where
government intervention is looked upon with scorn, and above all a
place where education of a child is above any other object, including
material wealth. Any bills causing mandatory day care would lead us
away from that future. The future now begins in the hands of every
parent in America." IN

108
"The American people seem to be in a spending trap that they can
not get out of. Maybe we young leaders of tomorrow will find a way,
but we must get involved. We must make an effort to participate in
voting and maybe run for public office ourselves. As a generation
what we do will reflect back on America in the 90s. This is our
search and we must help to find a solution for the good of our
children. Are we up to the task?" TX

"The whole thing is being dumped on the government's lap and it
shouldn't be. This is not only their problem and if we, as a nation,
work together, the problem could be solved. The government and
nation should never give up on this dilemma until it is solved. If that
means long hours of hard work, then that is what should be done. As
a United States citizen, I would like my country to be a better place
not only for me, but for the others living in this country. Let us hope
that we can work this out in the near future and do what should be
done." PA

"Everyone wants to help other people to become successful in life,
and success begins at childhood. The government should not hand
out money expecting people to already know how to manage it.
People would not be in such acrisis if they did know [how to
manage money.] In order to exclude a great amount of
government welfare expense, the government could set up a loan
system for people in need. The borrower would have to pay back
exactly what he or she borrowed. This system would have to be
limited and require proof that the borrower is trying his or her best to
gain financial stability. Why not let the government work with
people instead of for them?" OR

"The government can help, but not by administering more rules and
bureaucratic red tape. The best way to bring a solution within reach
is to attract better care providers, offer incentives for businesses to
get involved, and gradually reawaken the moral values of the
family. The government could help by giving grants and tax cuts
to providers. It could pay in part for basic supplies and food. Free
courses and programs could be offered to make a good care giver
great. Instead of driving providers out of business, the government
should help current workers and attract new ones Care givers can
109
help by nurturing children and simulating the family environment.
Parents can help by giving their kids as much love as possible in
their special time together. Businesses can help by making children
more accessible to their parents. Government can help by giving
more aid to care providers." OH

"To solve the child care problem it will require a partnership
between the local, state and federal government as well as employer
and private charities." FL

"The solution to child care is not a one idea solution but a problem
that contains many factors which will take the society as a whole to
solve it." OH

"Up until now, we as a nation of individuals. have done very little to
improve child care for our children. Instead, we have chosen to avoid
the problem we clearly need to solve on our own. Government has
done its part; let's do ours." OR

A couple leaders of tomorrow considered and ruled "there is no
problem". . .
"The need for child care regulation is nil, and the costs of such a
program would far outweigh any benefits. Those families that can
afford professional care should utilize those programs, while the tax
benefits to higher income families should be deferred to those in the
middle class range. Let's put this issue aside and take care of the
much more urgent and toxic problems that face our society." OR

This one gave an answer worthy of the most polished politician:
"We must strive to help those who are having financial trouble, yet
we can not unfairly burden those who have reached financial
security. We must be careful in the formation of governmental acts
and make sure that these proposals are fair to the nation's citizens as
a wholeI feel that the government's role regarding childcare
should be to provide what they can to those who need it. So the
tax must be enough to help but not so demanding from the people
that it hurts." MD
110

111

And In Conclusion, Where Would We Be
Without A Little Humor?

What Was That Word Anyway?

"The United States is the only western industrialized nation that does
not guarantee a working mother the right to a leave of absence after
she has bored a child." NY

"Times change and people change along with inventions and facts."
VA

"The United States is the only western undistinguished nation." NY

"Ericson, who is a cycle analysis, created the well known theory of
trust verses mistrust." MA

"Even though the government's debt is growing largely, it is
trenchant for the children and their well-being to not be overlooked."
VA

"Some may wish to grow up in a mordified environment contrasting
to that at home." VA

"Out of so much good [ABC bill], hardly any problems could
submerge." ID

"America's parents need to remember the basic need of every child is
to have someone who loves them irrationally." MO

Say What?

"Agreement is the toughest part of a compromise." OK

"Everyone's life begins at birth." VA

112
"In order for a problem to be solved, a solution must be reached."
OH

"Abuse has a major impact on the child's well-being." NY

"Circumstances will always be around." OH

"Usually if a problem is prominent all across the United States, it
becomes a national problem." MA

"When trying to reduce the deficit, new spending shouldn't be
added." KY

"The United States is certainly not the only country with children."
OH

"Many times the reason child care doesn't work is because child care
doesn't work." NY

"When parents show up after work to pick up their children, and find
their child has been abused, something is obviously wrong." KS

"Day care centers are usually limited in space because they are filled
to capacity." TX

You Don't Say!

"If child care is a very high price then the child is less likely to
attend the center than if it were reasonable price." FL

"The working world is becoming more advanced; especially now
that women are starting to work." VA

"Prices are sky high for the little amount of work that the people do
to take care of the children."

"The parents could spend this money on anything they wanted as
long as it was for child care cost only." NY
113
"It's scary to think that everything that kids learn in today's world is
from each other." OH

"Parents do not need to have children only to let someone else raise
them. This would cause a lazy parent society." AR

"Children need mothers, but they do not need full time mothers. Full
time mothers become their children's slave and are taken away from
society and the work force." CA

"In 1990, government food programs cost four hundred million
dollars alone. Without such aid, reduced and free school lunches
would not be possible, discouraging mothers from sending their
children to school." TX

"Overall, the government has a pretty steady stand on child care;
they are not trying to please anyone." VA

"The government really seems to think that men help with the
children. Have you ever tried to get a male to change a baby's diaper
or feed him his dinner?" NY

"People need a license to cut your hair, but anyone can care for your
childa t wages lower than those of the average zoo keeper." NY

"I think that if I were to make a bill, it would be something like this:
In order to be eligible for free or reduced rate child care, the child
must be eight years or younger, with no police record." NE

"First, parents could prevent their children from being in child care
by not having pre-marital sex." MN

"Any mistakes that the government makes is normal, and just as any
parent would say, There is always room for improvement.' I am sure
the government, being today's parent, feels the same." TX

"The only downside of this plan is adding to the deficit, and that
would just be like tossing a drop of water in an ocean of troubles."
ID
114

"Those that return to school raise the intelligence of the nation as a
whole, and with the level of the intelligence that the Japanese have
acquired; it would not hurt the United States for this to occur." AR

"Now parenthood is being offered by the government." TX

"For the most part, the only thing that many Americans care for is
money and how they can get more of it." OK

"In conclusion, charity starts with the government." PA

"Can you imagine a senior citizen being brought up before a judge
for the crime of taking care of their young grandchild without a
license?" IN

"I think the answers are a lot easier than we may think." TX

"Though the feelings surrounding control may be overwhelming for
parents of two year olds, there are other emotions that temperamental
two year olds can easily arouse." NY

"Child care is not always as easy and cheap as it may seem." AR

"If we can't trust the government, who can we trust?" AL

"Some people may think there will never be another Ronald Reagan
because of how children today are being treated." VA

"Richard Nixon tried to get another child care bill across in 1971, but
it went up in smoke almost as quickly as Nixon's career." NE

"Currently parents have become weak in the battle of raising
children." FL

"America is the land of opportunityfor babysitters." MA

115
"[Regarding the proposal to give $1,000 to parents,] everyone would
find ways to be poor so they could get in on this free money too."
NY

"Parent's should try spending perhaps an extra hour with their child
each day instead of putting money on the kitchen table." VA

"What I am trying to say is that money for child care should be
spread out amongst the poor and the rich people; more for the poor,
and less for the rich." NY

"If our government has been so successful in other things why would
it not be successful in the child care business?" FL

"Babysitters make a plethora of money, especially if they watch
more than one child." IN

"If America is so great, then why are these things happening?" CT

"We need to remember our present educational system in public
schools did not evolve until our government intervened, and
preschool education, justifiably, should be no exception." TN

"To pay three thousand dollars a year to a day-care center is like
receiving a bullet through the right arm for young couples trying to
make ends meet." IL

"The Supreme Court has brought a lot of voters down." NY

Horror Stories

"The government cannot reasonably expect a parent to give up a
career and a source of income in order to raise a child." WI

"Clearly then, the government should provide child-care services to
the parents in this country, since many of them have been forced to
work for financial reasons." MA
116
"As our cries go unanswered, millions of mothers continue to face
hardships and are seldom compensated for their absence of work."
NJ

"I feel that the government's role regarding childcare should be to
provide what they can to those who need it. So the tax must be
enough to help but not so demanding from the people that it hurts."
MD [A budding politician]

"We simply could not have everybody working in their homes. Who
would run the factories?" CA

"There are so many other ways to get the money needed for child
care. One is that, Congress could lower the paychecks of those who
are overpaid." FL

"We must strive to help those who are having financial trouble, yet
we can not unfairly burden those who have reached financial
security. We must be careful in the formation of governmental acts
and make sure that these proposals are fair to the nation's citizens as
a whole." AL [Another budding politician!]

"Another possible solution is to pay mothers or fathers the same
wages paid to child care workers." KS

Some Personal Favorites

The following excerpt was meant for the Solution section. What
do you think?:
"With financial help from government, people will not need to worry
as much about supporting their children. They feel much happier
when they can put some money into something useful, like a new car
or a pool. This happiness helps to reduce stress." NY

Only fairy godmothers need apply!
"The government should insure the quality of the center's leaders and
it should be required that they be loving and caring women who are
extremely patient and perhaps have children of their own." CA
117
Some students resorted to threats:
"If legislation is not passed concerning child day care, the women in
the work force might want to react harshly toward the government.
This could cause a great outbreak of female rebellion across the
nation. If the women got together, they could wipe out industry and
bankrupt businesses by their refusal to work because the United
States government did not provide funding for child day care as a
result of not passing the bills regarding child care." AL

I can't recall but I suspect a male student authored the following
excerpt:
"Another con could be the cooking and cleaning. The cooking is
okay and could be fun. The cleaning is awful. If you stay at home
you do the chores. This can definitely be a con. With all of the cons
for a stay-at-home dad it can sometimes seem like dad should not
stay home with the children." MI