Chapter 2 Types of Early Childhood Programs Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 37 The off-site center is another option. This model is often used when several companies form a group. Each company may not have enough need for their own child care center. By sharing a facility, the costs and risks are shared by all the companies in the group. The off-site location may be closer to the parents’ homes. Therefore, transportation times are shorter. If space is available, this type of model may also serve other children from the community. The vendor model allows companies to purchase space in a child care center or several centers. This model is ideal for small companies. It is not as costly as opening a center. There are no costs for start-up, investment in a building, or center administration. Companies respect parental choice when the voucher model is provided. Parents receive a voucher or coupon worth a certain amount of money from the company. Some companies will pay for all child care costs, while others pay only a portion. This model may be preferred by parents who do not live close to the work site. Thus, it is a useful model for companies in large cities. One disadvantage of the voucher model is that the money received must be declared as income on tax returns. However, the employee can deduct the cost of child care from federal taxes (and state taxes where allowed). Child care for ill children is provided by some companies. This benefi t can take two forms. A center may provide services for children who are ill and cannot attend school. When this is done, the health department as well as the state licensing agency must be notifi ed. This works best for children who are recovering from an illness, but are not well enough to return to school. The second form allows for a nurse to be sent to a sick child’s home to provide care. This allows the parent to go to work. Finding a quality child care program near home is a problem for many parents. To assist parents in this process, some companies provide a referral service that matches the parents’ needs with centers. The company may hire its own resource specialist or contract a resource and referral agency. Generally, parents are given a list of community child care centers. Specifi c information on each center is collected and given to the parents. Included are the center’s location, fees, hours of operation, goals, enrollment capacity, policies, curriculum, staff qualifi cations, and special services. Maps showing the location of the centers are often provided to help the parents in the selection process. Universal Prekindergarten Another type of early childhood education program is called universal prekindergarten (UPK). UPK is sponsored at the state level. These programs are designed for three- and four-year- old children and provide a high-quality, literary- rich environment. Children benefi t from being involved in this environment before they enter kindergarten. They then start kindergarten eager to learn and ready for success. When children lack quality early learning experiences, they start school at a disadvantage to others. Studies show that pre-K benefi ts all children, but has greater benefi ts for disadvantaged children, although other children also receive substantive benefi ts. Large gains depend on high- quality pre-K programs. Factors Affecting Quality Early childhood programs vary in their practices and program quality. Quality indicators must be examined to ensure that the needs and well-being of children are being met. The quality of programs is infl uenced by the following factors: • teacher-child ratio • group size • staff qualifi cations • adult-child interaction Teacher-child ratio is important because teachers can be more responsive and interactive when there are fewer children in the group.