CSREES GOAL:

This program will enhance economic opportunity and quality of life for Americans (REE Goal 5). By expanding the availability of quality child care at affordable prices, this program will help CSREES achieve two objectives: (5.1) to increase the capacity of communities and families to enhance their own economic well-being and, (5.2) to increase the capacity of communities, families, and individuals to improve their own quality of life.

STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED:

The need for quality child care and youth programs (for infants/toddlers, preschoolers, school-age children and youth, and teens in out-of-school time) in the United States has never been greater. Over the course of their developmental years, millions of American children and youth will spend more time child care, school-age care, and other arrangements than they will in formal education. However, national studies show over 2/3 of all child care programs are poor to mediocre.some to the extent of actually harming the development of children.

Children only spend about 20% of their time in school. The other 80% of their time is critical to positive development. Everyday 17 million parents need child care, 13 million children are in child care, 24 million children and youth need school-age programs, and about 5 million youth are left alone. This initiative aims to increase the quality, affordability, accessibility, availability and sustainability of child care and youth programs. However, these child care and youth issues are imbedded in much larger societal issues of Employment, Education, Economics and Environment.

Child care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, school age care programs for children and youth, and out-of-school time programs for teens impact educational issues for children, youth, providers, parents, and policy makers; employment issues for families and employers; economic issues for families, businesses, communities, and society; and environmental issues as they relate to positive and safe environments that stimulate optimum intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development for diverse audiences. Child Care is Everyone's business and Everyone benefits!!!!!!!!

PERFORMANCE GOAL(S):

To increase the quality, affordability, accessibility, availability and sustainability of child care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, school-age care for children and youth, and programs for teens in out-of-school time.

OUTPUT INDICATORS:

• Educational materials for child care providers, school-age staff, and youth development workers
• Curricula for children and youth
• Training programs for Extension staff, child care providers, school-age staff, and youth development workers
• Expansion of the National Network for Child Care web site (nncc.org) into an electronic learning community through contributions from university faculty and staff
• Certificate and/or degree programs created for child care providers, school-age staff and youth development workers
• State, multi state, and local funding and other resources generated for child care, school-age, and teen programs
• Child care, school-age, and teen programs sustained at community levels
• Evaluation of programs conducted
• Public policy meetings and changes
• Extension staff more involved in national associations such as National Association for the Education of Young Children, and National School-Age Care Alliance
• Use of USDA resources such as grants to build child care/school-age centers, and food assistance programs.

OUTCOME INDICATORS:

• Increase the knowledge, skills, and abilities of child care providers, school-age staff, and youth development workers.
• Increase the number of child care providers, school-age staff and youth development workers engaged in professional development programs
• Increase the quality of existing child care, school-age, and out-of-school time for teens programs
• Increase the number of child care, school-age, and out-of-school time for teens programs and options available to families
• Increase the sustainability of newly created child care, school-age, and teen programs and businesses.
• Increase the number of employer assisted child care, school-age, and teen program options.
• Increase the nutritional value of meals and snacks in child care, school-age, and teen programs
• Increase the knowledge of parents in selecting quality child care, school-age, and teen programs
• Increase parenting skills and knowledge that compliment child care, school-age, and teen programs
• Increase awareness of child care, school-age, and youth development public policy issues

KEY PROGRAM COMPONENTS:

Extension staff will improve and increase early childhood (child care) programs, school-age care programs, and programs for out-of-school time for teens through strategies such as:

• multi-state workshops, training, and conferences for Extension staff on topics such as conducting community needs assessments, building community coalitions, resource development, program development, policy issues, program administration, program evaluation staff development, building sustainable programs, model programs, best practices, current research.
• multi-state workshops, training and conferences for child care, school-age and teen staff on topics such as those mentioned above.
• assisting programs to become licensed and accredited and staff to move through a career path.
• using community development models to sustain programs at community levels.
• Conducting multi-state formative and summative evaluations

INTERNAL LINKAGES:

1. LAND-GRANT SYSTEM/NASULGC

• Initiatives: Workforce Preparation and Food Safety
• Base Programs: 4-H Youth Development; Family Development and Resource Management; Agriculture; Nutrition, Diet and Health; Volunteer and Leadership Development; Community Resources and Economic Development.
• Special Funded Programs: Children, Youth and Families at Risk, USDA/Military Programs.
• Boards: Board on Human Sciences legislative priority.
• National 4-H Council
• Regional Rural Development Centers
• Universities: Research, Resident Instruction, and Extension Faculty

2. REE/USDA

• USDA priority: Secretary Glickman has named a child care coordinating council with representatives from Rural Development (Rural Housing Service and Rural Business Service); Research, Education, and Economics (Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; Agricultural Research Service; Economic Research Service) and Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services.

EXTERNAL LINKAGES:

1. OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES AND/OR ADMINISTRATION

• National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) White House Interagency Initiative: Education and Training; Children's Research; and Food Safety Research.
• Presidential Child Care initiative.
• Partnerships with Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, and Justice. Formal partnerships through MOU's and announced by Secretary Glickman and other Secretaries.

2. ADVISORY GROUPS

• National Agricultural Research, Education, Economics, and Extension Advisory Board (NAREEEAB) Priorities: Education and Outreach, Food Safety, Human Nutrition; Overarching Priority: Public Communication and Outreach.

3. COMMODITY GROUPS/STAKEHOLDERS

• Major national professional associations such as national Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA), National Institute for Out-of-School Time (NIOST), and US Army and Air Force.
• Private funders such as the DeWitt Wallace Readers Digest Fund, Work/Family Directions, Kellogg, and Mott Foundation
• Organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, Campfire, YMCA, Girl Scouts of the USA, Girls Incorporated

TARGET AUDIENCES:

• Child care providers who are licensed, unregulated, center-based, informal, and family based
• Administrators and directors of child care programs
• Extension and other child care professionals who can be trained and certified to train others
• Employers
• Parents and other family members
• Community Citizens
• Policy makers

  Within the general population, those in most need of this child care initiative are: limited resource families and communities in rural and urban environments, children of families living and working on farms, children living in isolated areas in rural and inner-city areas, families needing child care during non-traditional days and hours such as parents who word different shifts and migrant farm workers, and children with special needs. Populations historically under served, typically representing non-white racial and ethnic backgrounds, will be highly considered in this initiative. Although the needs of preschool children are not adequately being met, an even larger gap exists in quality programs and services for school-age youth. Individuals providing child care services in unregulated situations and/or who cannot access formal education, are particularly important populations to reach with training.

PROGRAM DURATION:

Five Years-1999 through 2004

STATES/INSTITUTIONS AND PERSONS INVOLVED FROM EACH:

STATES/INSTITUTIONS PERSONS

Infants/Toddlers, Pre-School, and Family Child Care:

• Iowa State University, Lesia Oesterreich, co-chair, 515-294-0363, loesterr@iastate,edu
• Cornell University, Susan Hicks, co-chair, 607-255-8291, sah27@cornell.edu
• Kansas State University, Marlene Glasscock, 785-532-1484, glass@jumec.ksu.edu
• Oklahoma State University, Lynda Harriman, 405-744-6280, lch@okstate.edu
• Colorado State University, Patricia Johnson, 970-491-7452, pjohnson@cahs.colostate.edu
• Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, Val Montoya, 505-897-5351, vmontoya@sipi.bia.edu
• Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, Susan Kato, 505-346-7711, skato@sipi.bia.edu
• The Pennsylvania State University, James Van Horn, 814-863-8646, jev@psu.edu
• The Pennsylvania State University, Lyn Horning, 814-863-5568, lch5@psu.edu
• University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Irene Lee, 870-543-8119, lee_I@vx4500.uapb.edu
• University of Arizona, Patty Merk, 602-470-8086, pmerk@ag.arizona.edu
• Iowa State University, Kathy Reschke, 515-294-5702, kreschke@iastate.edu
• Virginia State University, Novella Ruffin, 804-524-5257, nruffin@vsu.edu
• University of Maryland, Susan Walder, 301-405-8339, sw141@unmail.umd.edu

School-Age:

• University of Arizona, Darcy Dixon, co-chair, 520-836-5221, ddixon@ag.arizona.edu
• University of Idaho, Arlinda Nauman, co-chair, 208-885-7276, anauman@uidaho.edu
• Texas A & M University, Ida Acuna, 956-383-1026, i-acuna@tamu.edu
• Alcorn State University, Manola Erby, 601-877-6556, mcerby@lorman.alcorn.edu
• Michigan State university, Sheila Urban-Smith, 517-355-0180, smithsh@msuc.msu.edu
• University of Connecticut, Carol Eller, 860-486-0101, celler@canrl.cag.uconn.edu

Out-Of-School-Time for Teens:

• Washington State University, Mary Deen, co-chair, 509-372-7227, mdeen@tricity.wsu.edu
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Angela Huebner, co-chair, 703-538-8491, ahuebner@bt.edu
• University of Nevada, Eric Killian, 702-222-3130, ckillian@agntl.ag.unr.edu
• University of New Hampshire, Paula Gregory, 603-625-1940, paula.gregory@unh.edu
• University of Missouri, Ina McClain, 573-882-4319, mcclaini@ext.missouri.edu
• University of Massachussets, Tom Waskiesicz, 413-545-0611, waskiewicz@umext.umass.edu
• Washington State University, Kevin Wright, 253-445-4612, wrightkc@wsu.edu
• University of Maryland, Kendra Wells, 301-403-4248, kwll@unmail.umnd.edu

Evaluation/Research:

• University of Tennessee, Jan Allen, co-chair, 423-974-2475, jallen6@utk.edu
• University of Georgia, Christine Todd, co-chair, 706-542-8873, ctodd@fes.uga.edu
• University of Rhode Island, Marilyn Martin, 401-277-5259, mmartin@uri.edu
• University of Rhode Island, Tony Mallilo, 401-874-4658, tonym@uri.edu
• Southern Rural Development Center, Bo Beaulieu, 662-325-3207, ljb@srdc.msstate.edu
• University of Arizona, Sherry Betts, 520-621-3399, sbetts@sg.arizona.edu
• North Carolina State University, Karen DeBord, 919-515-9147, kdebord@amaroq.ces.nesu.edu
• North Central Rural Development Center, Willis Goudy, 515-294-8337, wgoudy@iastate.edu
• Mississippi State University, Michael Newman, 662-325-3462, mnewman@ext.msstate.edu
• University of Rhode Island, Diane Horm-Wingerd, 401-874-2403, dianehw@uri.edu

Technology:

• American Distance Education Consortium, Janet Poley, 402-472-7000, jpoley@unl.edu

Program Leadership Committee Liaison:

• University of Arizona, Shirley O'Brien, 520-621-7145, sobrien@ag.arizona.edu

OVERALL MULTI-STATE PROGRAM CONTACT:

• Nancy Valentine, Ed.D., National Program Leader, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, USDA; 202-720-5347; nvalentine@reeusda.gov

• Eddie Locklear, Ed.D., Department Extension Leader, North Carolina State University; 919-515-8488; eddie_locklear@ncsu.edu

ADMINISTRATIVE ADVISOR (if one has been appointed):

• ECOP Representative: Lyla Houglum, Oregon State University, 541-737-2713

• CSREES Administrative Advisor: Alma C. Hobbs, CSREES, USDA, 202-720-2908, ahobbs@reeusda.gov

DOES THIS PROGRAM INTEGRATE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION?

Yes __XX__ No_____