Cracks in California's Child-Care System
Summary
Spring 2001 PACE Newsletter, Volume 3, Number 1.
This newsletter from Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), published in Spring 2001, focuses on critical education policy topics including child care access and quality, training and retention of child-care providers, new approaches to school finance, accountability measures for underperforming schools, and career and technical education reform.
Child care access and quality are highlighted through PACE’s findings presented to the state legislature’s Latino Caucus. The report reveals significant disparities in child-care availability across socioeconomic and geographic lines, with affluent communities having three times as many child slots as low-income areas. Barriers to utilizing child-care vouchers include cultural, organizational, and logistical challenges faced by low-income families. PACE’s research indicates that many eligible families are not accessing available subsidies, negatively impacting the early childhood education system.
Training and retention of child-care providers is a major focus, with PACE spearheading a statewide initiative funded by Proposition 10 to improve workforce quality. This project includes efforts to expand training programs, offer financial incentives, and enhance retention strategies for child-care workers. Several county-based initiatives aim to recruit diverse trainees, improve program completion rates, and retain well-trained early education workers.
A new approach to school finance, termed “new school finance,” emphasizes linking resource allocation directly to educational outcomes and evaluating how resources are used within classrooms to enhance learning. It calls for greater accountability and efficiency in spending and recommends research strategies focused on examining how resources are mobilized at the classroom level.
The Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program (II/USP) provides additional funding to schools identified as underperforming based on standardized test scores. Early findings indicate mixed success, with concerns over teacher turnover, inadequate external evaluators, and varying levels of teacher engagement in reform efforts.
Career and technical education (CTE) receives attention as California legislators respond to industry concerns over a skilled workforce shortage. PACE continues its involvement in developing state plans for CTE, advocating for stronger accountability measures, enhanced coordination between educational agencies, and the integration of CTE into broader school reform efforts.
Overall, PACE’s work addresses complex educational issues by providing evidence-based research and policy recommendations aimed at improving student outcomes and addressing inequities across California’s education system.