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Part 1 Organizing a Quality Child Care Program
Growth of Single-Parent Families
Today, more children are growing up in
single-parent families. This has led to an
increased need for child care. Current statistics
reveal that one out of every four children will
live with a single parent by age 18. Some chil-
dren will spend their entire childhood with only
one parent available to them. This lone parent
must provide family income, nurturance, guid-
ance, and basic care. Under the best of situa-
tions, single parenthood is hard work. It can
often be stressful for both parent and child. Life
becomes more difficult when poverty, custody
battles, lack of education, and isolation from tra-
ditional support services are added. When these
additional factors are a part of the family’s
stresses, the quality of life for children can be
compromised.
Currently, one-half of all marriages will end
in divorce. Many of these divorced couples have
children young enough to require constant care and supervision. The custodial parent,
typically the mother, often has to work outside of the home, creating a necessity for
child care.
There has also been an increase in the number of single, never-married parents.
Many of these parents are very young. They need help with child care in order to
finish their basic education and to help them learn parenting skills. Lack of an educa-
tion substantially increases the risk of poverty and instability for a family. Many com-
munities and schools view the availability of child care as an essential service to help
young parents stay in school.
Factors other than divorce, such as the death of a parent, result in a single-parent
family. One parent’s job transfer, commuter marriages, or a parent’s need to care for
elderly family members may cause family separations. Military commitments, job
training opportunities, or parental incarceration may also separate families. Child care
for these children can mean contact with additional compassionate, caring adults.
Shortage of Skilled Workers
The U.S. population is changing. The average age of U.S. citizens is rising. This
means people are living longer and moving out of the workforce into retirement.
Fewer young people are approaching adulthood and moving into the workforce to
take the places of those retiring.
U.S. Department of Labor studies predict there will be a labor shortage in the
future. There simply won’t be enough trained people to fill all of the jobs that will
need to be done. At the same time, there will be young adults with little education,
job skills, or training who will be unable to find work. Their opportunities will be lim-
ited to the most menial of jobs at the lowest wages.
1-1 In this neighborhood, children can feel
secure in knowing that caring adults are
nearby.