Name: Ali Gatewood Date: October 20, 2017
Introduction: I, Ali Gatwood would like to propose that childcare be provided for teenage parents in Kansas. I hereby represent, the school board and the teenage parents in Kansas. I would like to address the Kansas Department of Education.
Child Care for High School Teen Parents
Policy Issue: Teen pregnancy is on the rise and the parent is forced to drop out of school if there are not quality child care options available to the student.
Background: Child care is expensive and teen parents can not afford to put their child in a quality child care program. Therefore, the teenage parent drops out of school.
Many teenaged girls who become pregnant drop out of school immediately and into
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There is one school district in Topeka Kansas: USD 501, that provides child care services. This service is offered at one high school, Highland Park high school. It is a successful program. The parent child learning center (PCLC) has been available to teen parents starting in 1991. This program has helped many teenage parents stay in school and earn their high school diploma.
Options: Quality child care will ensure teen parents have the option to return to school after having a baby. The benefit of having child care provided to teen parents are, the parents can utilize the Parent child learning center free of charge. The parent must meet certain criteria such as, actively attending high school with passing grades, they must apply for DCF child care subsidy, participate in weekly groups, and attend parent/teacher conferences on behalf of their child. Having child care provided to all teen parents would lower the dropout rate of teen
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Administrative Action: The school board in which the child care center is going to be placed would have to vote and approve the action. The State of Kansas will need to agree to provide services to teen parents who attend high school.
Financial Requirements: The sources that will be contacted to support child care for teen parents will include, The Kansas State Department of Education, The school board responsible for the school district, Non profit organizations such as United Way. Kansas Department for Children and Families will be a another resource that will help fund the child care for teen parents. Kansas Department of Health and Environment will need to set the guidelines for the child care to get licensed to meet Kasas State laws.
Time Schedule: It will take some time to implement this plan. The suggested time is three years, in that time, the Parent Child Learning Centers will be presented to the appropriate officials and organizations that will need to support the program for teen parents.
Sources:
www.dcf.ks.gov/
...e Services only require the bare minimum of care for children. This is not acceptable, quality in childcare matters and it is time for us to change our expectations. Children deserve the best care that society and their parents can offer them. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is currently holding stakeholder meetings across the State. The purpose of these meetings, aimed toward parents and childcare providers, is to create a discussion about the current minimum standards. By attending these meetings, and making our voices heard, we as a society will be able to make a change. Requiring that every childcare operation meet the ratios recommended by the National Association for the Education of Young Children creates the possibility for every child to receive the best start in life. It is difficult to think of a better outcome from a policy change.
Formal childcare can be expensive and for many of the families within this community, out of the question. Parents rely on friends or family who happens to be close in proximity to care for the children during the days when they are at work or out looking for employment,
Teenagers who become mothers have harsh prospects for the future. Teenagers obtaining abortions are 20% and girls under 15 accounts for 1.2%. They are much more likely to leave of school; receive insufficient prenatal care; rely on public assistance to raise a child; develop health problems; or en...
Parents are always questioning whether they would like to have any more children someday. One of the aspects parents think about in this decision is child care. Child care can be pricey and the quality of the child care is also something to think about as well. Parents want their child to grow up and become very successful in life. Choosing a daycare from infant on, is part of the process to becoming successful as they grow. For one to add on to the family they need to think about the quality of child care, the price of child care, and attention of care: how their child will be raised. High-quality child care should be provided at public expense to all working parents!
The challenge of finding a quality childcare facility and program for a 6 month old child can be very challenging. This task will require the analysis of multiple facilities and learning programs to find the right fit. In order to choose a quality childcare facility, it’s important to consider and analyze such factors as the quality of the facility, the professionalism of staff, the learning program practiced or offered and the safety and security of the facility. To find quality childcare it may be necessarily for parents to compare two to four different facilities and ask lots of questions in order to find the right match for your child.
Reason to listen: Teenage pregnancy is one of the major causes of high school and college dropout among young girls.
"Student and Family Support." Kentucky Department of Education: (9 Sept 2003). 3 Nov. 2013 http://www.kentuckyschools.net.
Chung, Saras. “New Study Links Teen Pregnancy and Dropout, Spotlights Solutions.” Wyman Center. Wyman Center, Inc., June 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
Childcare centers are regulated by the government. Many states also have education and training requirements for teachers and caregivers.
Teen pregnancy is affecting the graduation rate in high schools. “Approximately 1,000 high school students will drop out with each hour that passes in a school day in America” (National Women’s Law Center, 2007). Teen pregnancy first came into view in the 1950’s. In different states teens that were pregnant were not allowed to attend school, most of them had to switch schools out of state in order to attend. Teenage pregnancy was normal in previous centuries and common in developed countries in the twentieth century. As higher education became available to women, they began to start their families later in life. By the 1950’s, parents were encouraging their kids to stay in school and to not marry until they graduate high school so they can focus on school better. Today, any teen pregnancy is frowned upon and they are getting judged. Parents want their kids to enjoy all the benefits of higher education before they begin their families. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “in 2011, a total of 329,797 babies were born in the United States to girls between the ages of fifteen and nineteen.” Teenage pregnancy is the number on...
A few accreditation programs include NAEYC, The National Association for the Education of Young Children, NECPA, National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (Douglass 89-94); and specific to Pennsylvania, Keystone Stars. If a daycare receives NAYEC accreditation then they are the crème de la crème of early childhood programs. Parents recognize NAEYC accreditation as a mark of high quality and are more inclined to send their child to that daycare center. Centers that are NAEYC accredited have stronger team of teachers, administrators, and families working together to improve quality for children (Why NAEYC Accreditation). NECPA accreditation in child care center also attracts families to enroll their center there because they know their child will receive quality care. This accreditation program asses the quality of the adult and child interaction, staff framing, health and safety; physical environment, administration, and the parent and community relationships (Encouraging Quality, Recognizing Excellence). Keystone Stars is a continuous quality improvement program. It has four star levels, one meaning just beginning and four meaning the highest quality. Keystone Stars sets requirements for early childhood education program to promote the best learning environment and safest setting possible for each child. A Keystone Stars program provides children with individual attention, daily learning activities, a safe, friendly, and respectful environment; self-esteem, a well educated staff, and parent and community involvement (A Parent’s Guide to Choosing Quality Child Care). Accrediting programs is a way of child care centers providing the best possible care that promotes social, emotional, and cognitive development for young childre...
First and foremost, knowing the purpose of daycare/child care facilities is the primary factor in determining whether a parent should conside...
At this center, the teachers have the tools to assess each child and the parents are interested in knowing the strengths and supports their child needs. The article Understanding Families, states that there should be “opportunities for families to discuss their beliefs about their children, what they want for their children, and how they support their children’s development” (Christian, 7). As conferences occur every 6 months, parents also communicate with the school and teachers via email and during drop off and pick up times. Another great example of parent communication is in the article Building Bridges from School to Home.
The three general types of non-parental child care are in-home care, family day care, and center-based day car...
Babies are born more likely to be born premature and/or suffer low birth weight. There are a lot of problems involved with children having children. There is a higher risk of low birth rate, premature labor, and stillbirth. The problem is teenage girls are not done growing and fully maturing, there for, when they become pregnant it induces problems not only on the baby but the mother as well. *A general rule: The younger the mother, the greater risk of complications for both the mother and child. Often pregnant teenage mothers deny the fact that they are indeed pregnant, therefor ignoring the proper care that she needs for the growing baby inside of her. There are no easy answers; that’s one thing that everyone agrees on when it comes to the problem of teen pregnancy. The Center of Disease Control and prevention affirmed on June 26 what other agencies, such as the National Center for Health Statistics, have been saying over the course of this year: “The teen pregnancy rate is dropping. The number of teenage girls across the country who became pregnant fell 12 percent between 1991 and 1996. This drops affects girls, of different races and socioeconomic backgrounds, in all states. But the problem remains; The U.S. teen pregnancy rate is the highest of any industrialized countries. Babies born in the U.S. to teenager mothers are at risk for long-term problems in many major areas of life, including school failure, poverty, and physical or mental illness. The teenage mothers themselves are also at risk for these problems.