For a state-by-state comparison of average annual daycare costs, see this page on doodledays.com (data courtesy www.naccrra.org).
The NACCRRA also has following interesting statistics:
- More than 6 in 10 children under 5 in the
- On average, the children under age 5 of working mothers spend 36 hours a week in child care.
- 57% of all mothers return to work within the first six months of giving birth and 65% do so within one year.
- 39 states do not require teachers in child care centers to undergo training before working in a class room.
- Daycare expenses constitute 25% of family income for families below poverty level. For single parent families, the percentage of family income spent on childcare can be very significant.
- A study of interactions concluded that the words spoken by primary caregivers to children in their early years account for 59 percent of the cognitive accomplishments of preschool-age children.
Childcare matters. What can parents do to make sure that their children get the best care for the dollars spent on childcare? Of what use is careful selection of your childcare provider if you don’t follow up regularly to keep a pulse on the quality of your childcare?
Doodledays was born out of our desire to make the best use of Internet for addressing these issues.
- Using doodle-diary, you can track every month how you feel about the service of late.
- Using doodle-connect, you can promptly and conveniently communicate with your provider (if the provider has also signed up) to address your concerns or provide positive feedback.
- Using doodle-board, you can rate and review your current or previous daycare.
Take a tour of www.doodledays.com. Tell us what you think. Spread the word. Become a member. It is free resource for parents.
