why is child care and early education so

important?

fact – minnesota parents work and they need child care to stay in the work force nearly four-fifths of minnesota mothers work – the fourth highest rate in the country. this translates to more than 670,000 children statewide needing some kind of non-parental care. the rate of minnesota mothers of young children in the workforce has more than doubled from 30.7% in 1970 to 72.4% in 2000. nearly seven in ten (68.8%) minnesota children under six had either both parents or their single parent in the labor force in 2000. approximately 20% of parents say child care problems interfered with getting or keeping a job. 37% lost time from work in the past 6 months because of child care problems. parents of young children seeking welfare benefits in minnesota report that “help paying for child care” is the most common reason driving them to seek assistance. fact – many working parents cannot afford child care the average cost of child care for two children is more than $20,000 per year8 – nearly three times the yearly undergraduate tuition at the university of minnesota. most parents of young children are at their lowest point of earning power. high costs of child care hit lowest income families the hardest – families earning below $20,000 annually pay, on average, 28% of their income for child care. fact – quality early childhood education makes a difference for kids the first five years of life are particularly critical for brain development. quality child care prepares children for school by developing higher cognitive skills, better math & reading skills, and higher educational achievement. fact – early education is a smart investment the federal reserve bank of minnesota has estimated a “return on public investment” of at least $12 for every $1 spent on quality early childhood. the perry preschool study found that early learning is a significant cost-benefit to society. better school success means less use of juvenile and adult justice systems, better socialization, and more.

contact information:

postal address: 332 lake avenue south spicer, minnesota 56288 telephone: 320-905-1387 email: tammy@tkwconsulting.com

tkw consulting...

...is dedicated to the promotion of quality child care through education and the improvement of professionalism and public perception of early care providers. scientific research confirms that children's earliest experiences dramatically affect their ability to dramatically affect their ability to succeed in school and in life. their intellectual and emotional development is strongly influenced by the quality of the care they receive in the first few years of their lives. this means that the right kind of child care can be a wonderful opportunity to enrich children's lives and help them realize their full potential. i have spent many years trying to be a positive influence in the lives of the children that i care for. i feel so strongly about this that i am now trying to be an influence on the lives of many more children by providing support and education opportunities to other early care providers and by trying to improve the public image and community support for our profession. tkw consulting provides this support through personal training, small and large workshops, speaking appearances, organizational involvement, conference planning, educational consulting, and peer networking. i provide training for family child care providers, organizations, center directors and staff, teachers, head start, efce, and any other early care professionals that have an impact on the lives of children. on the lives of children. let’s make the world better, one child at a time! feel free to contact me. to learn more about tkw consulting, visit the about tkw page. tammy k wachter