Encouraging Better Child Care.

• Position: Brief Article

As states pick up the tab for an increasing number of low-income children enrolled in child care, they are using this support to try to improve the quality of that care.

Some 13 million American children are in child care programs. What happens there has a dramatic effect on their later success in school, the likelihood of involvement in delinquency and crime, and the job opportunities open to them in adulthood. Yet numerous studies have found that child care services in our country are generally mediocre to poor.

Nineteen states have introduced "tired" reimbursement systems that pay centers and homes caring for low-income children on state support more when they upgrade their programs.

The tiered reimbursement rates are based on such things as national accreditation standards, stricter licensing requirements or other quality standards like lower child-to-staff ratios, teacher training, curriculum and parent involvement.

Since most child care centers operate on minimal budgets increased reimbursement gives them the money to invest in improving their services.

In some cases reimbursement categories are linked to differently rated licenses...