ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

Tha childcare rates for all providers in the state of Arkansas reflects a period back in the 1930's & 1940's. The County Cap Rate, (CCR) that has been titled by the lead agency, the Arkansas Department of Human Services is an extremely disenfranchisement and racially motivated system. The CCR system has been orchestrated to the advantage the 1% and or majority white counties in the state of Arkansas. The CCR is determined survey system to each county. But, However, the Minimum Licensing requirements are the same for each provider in the entire state. The survey that is mailed to each provider in the counties are not informed that their child care rate will be determined from the survey. Rates for Providers in counties with majority black population are 40 to 47 percent lower childcare rates than rates for Providers in counties with majority white populations. Providers, in all of the counties are required to provide the same quality of care per child. The Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) is another example of disparity in the childcare rates in the state of Arkansas in the disenfranchisement toward African American childcare providers. 70 to 80 percent of providers in the state of Arkansas are African Americans. Providers in north west Arkansas are paid 41 percent more per childcare rates both under the (CCR) and under the (ABC) program than providers in the Delta ( 80 percent African American counties). There is Economic Racism in the state of Arkansas.

I believe that fairness for what the parents pay in regards to the care and education they recieve for their children needs to be addressed. It is not fair or acceptable (in my opinion) for example in our state that many private paying clients help to support the deficit received by centers. The rates recieved for low income families are two thirds to half of the rates charged by most centers. Operating with a deficit like this is very risky.

I enjoy the daily emails from Exchange Every Day...... It's a good way to start the day!

Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies do a survey of provider rates. I think that the average rates across the nation would be available to you through NACCRRA... Now called Child Care Aware. When we do the rates we
are required to have an 85% response rate for FCC and again for licensed Centers and School Age Programs in each county. Most Counties have a higher response rate than that. This might be more accurate information for you.

This poll is a bit odd. I am asked to put in the 'average' fee in my region. I don't know that. I do know my own weekly fees are double what you have down as the average for my region, New England.

I am not out of line with what private child care programs charge, but probably about double what the state reimburses for the care of low income children.

Average this out and you come up with a figure that doesn't really give a clear picture. Children get the care their parents can afford. This is an unfair system.

As a child care provider I have assured my middle class existence, and find it sad to see others in my field who cannot do the same.

And of course the difference in care is often starkly clear.

I would love to see a poll or a study that shows the range that teachers get paid in a certain area, and compares this to quality of care. I suspect we would learn quite a bit from a survey like this.

And on another point, I keep wondering what is going on nationally with more money going into preschool from the state and federal level. I suspect that much of this money goes to pay consultants, full time staff and others who work in ways that are not directly caring for children. I often wonder if this is an inequity that is beginning to be built more and more into the system, poorly paid teachers overseen by an increasingly large segment of well paid researchers, supervisors, public policy analysts etc. Would love it if you could begin to look at this.