Families' reliance on childcare has risen significantly over the past 30 years. In 1993, 9.9 million children under age 5, needed care while their mothers worked (Bureau of the Census, 1995). More than two-thirds of all infants receive nonparental child care during their first year of life, with most enrolled for about 30 hours each week (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 1995). There are many different programs in the United States that provide extended day childcare for working parents. Programs such as the 6 to 6, YMCA, etc are available in the morning before school and in the evening after school. Although these programs provide parents the much-needed care of their children, most programs are ill equipped to provide care for children that become ill and/or are chronically ill. In addition, most employees of such programs have received the minimal training, such as CPR, and safety awareness classes. Childcare centers, as well as many schools do not allow children to remain at the facility when they fall ill. Parents are required take off from work, and pick up their contagious bundle of joy. What about the care of the chronically ill children, such as those with asthma or other recurring ailments? There are so many strict guidelines for management of illness that parents, especially single parents, have no other recourse, but to remain at home with their sick child, for days on end. As a result, the very reason behind parents working, can possible affect whether they remain gainfully employed.GoalsThe purpose of the proposal is to address and provide additional childcare services to the parents whose children are chronically ill. Parents would be allowed to remain at work, while their child is being taken care of. This program would even pick their children up from school, or parents would simply bring their sick child to the facility in the morning, and then move on to work. The goal of this supp...
