Chapter 2 Assessing Community Need and Establishing a Program ©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 2

Assessing Community Need and Assessing Community Need and Establishing a ProgramEstablishing a Program

©2013 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.

Chapter Objectives

• List the factors that influence the need for child care.

• Name the various types of child care used by families.

• Identify information that will help you determine the types of child services needed now and in the future.


Chapter Objectives

• Use your knowledge of data collection methods and resources for assessing the need for child care in your area.

• Compare and contrast mission and values statements.• Use core values to develop values statements.• Describe characteristics of different types of centers.


Assessing the Need

• Needs Assessment includes…

– number of families and children

– socioeconomic level of families

– ages of children to be served

– type of service families prefer


Assessing the Need

• How Do You Find Out About Need?

– questionnaires

– use of telephone surveys

– small-group meetings


Discussion Question

1. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of using a telephone survey for assessing the need of child care in your target community?


Determining Program Philosophy

• The basis for choosing program philosophy is…

– assumptions about how children learn– values of the program planners and families

involved– views of the planners regarding basic issues

in education


Philosophy:Based on How Children Learn

• How children learn falls into three major categories

– environmental– maturational– interactional


Philosophy:Based on How Children Learn

• Environmental– Assumes the environment and teachers have

the most influence on children’s growth.

• Maturational– Assumes there is an internal driving force that

leads to child development.

• Interactional – Assumes that learning results from the

dynamic interaction between the cognitive and affective systems, and the environment.


Philosophy:Content Versus Process

• Content subscribers support notion that the goal of education is to provide children with content that enables them to succeed in school.– Focus is on preparing for next step in schooling– Achievement is evaluated by relating each

child’s progress to norms or to grade level– Goal of education is upper movement of the child

to higher levels of intellectual competency



• Process subscribers support the notion that problem-solving skills are more important than content mastery.– Autonomy, collaboration, and cooperation are

valued– Years in school are considered an integral

part of life itself– Major goal of education is for children to

become autonomous problem solvers



• Process subscribers support the notion that problem-solving skills are more important than content mastery (continued).– Schooling is not viewed as either preparation for

later school or preparation for life– Achievement is based on the ability to cope with the

here and now


Types of Programs

• Not-for-Profit

• Individual Cooperative

• Agency-Sponsored

• Government-Sponsored

• Public School-Sponsored

• Campus Child Care


Types of Programs

• Privately Sponsored Not-for-Profit

• Profit-Making (Proprietary)

• Independent Owner

• Corporate Systems

• Employer-Sponsored

• Military

• Family Child Care Homes


Individual Cooperative Programs

• Cooperative programs are often called parent co-ops:– Owned and operated by group– Parents expected to help in classroom– Usually has one or two paid staff members– Costs are kept at a minimum– Tuition is typically lower than in other centers– Most are half-day programs


Agency-Sponsored Programs

• Many not-for-profit early childhood education programs are sponsored by community agencies (i.e. church groups, service agencies, United Way)– May be full or half-day enrichment programs– Found in both rural and urban areas– Can serve both low-income and middle-income

families– Sometimes receive partial support from sponsor but

obtain remaining support from tuition, government funds, and/or grants


Government-Sponsored Programs

• Head Start is the best known federal government-sponsored program.– Funding for HS may go to public school

systems, universities, and public or private not-for-profit agencies

– HS programs may be center based or home based

– May provide full-time or half-time and usually serves 4 year olds

– Early Head Start serves infants/toddlers©2013 Cengage Learning.

All Rights Reserved.

Public School-Sponsored Programs

• Mostly Pre-K programs and many in public schools– Funded through local or state tax monies or

other public funds– Full or half-day programs staffed by people

hired through public school– Typically housed in public schools– Practices tend to focus on academic success,

school readiness, and standardized testing


Campus Child Care Programs

• Lab schools and child care programs for children of students, faculty, and staff. – Found on college campuses– May be sponsored and subsidized by

college/university or by government funds– Provide facilities for research, observation, and

teacher training– May be full or half day– Program hours are flexible to accommodate

students’ course schedules©2013 Cengage Learning.

All Rights Reserved.

Privately Sponsored NFP Programs

• Centers are sponsored by large industries, hospitals, and apartment complexes.– Offer services for the children of their employees and

residents– Centers are set up for comfort and convenience of

employees and residents– Hours are flexible– Fees may be on a sliding scale– May be a part of the employee benefit package– May have Dependent Care Assistance Program


Independent Owner

• Program that is owned and operated by an individual or small group.– Tuition is usually the only source of income– Owners frequently have budgeting and financial

problems and could receive money from other sources including state funding


Independent Owner

• Program that is owned and operated by an individual or small group (continued)– Operation rarely makes a profit because of the

high cost of operating a quality program– Owning multiple centers can result in quantity

buying and shared services that reduced cost per child and increases possibility of making a profit over and above operating expenses


Corporate Systems

• Large child care chains that are operated by a parent company that develops a prototype and sets up a number of centers throughout the state/region or across the nation.– Some companies have gone public– Operate under central administration that

furnishes financial background


Corporate Systems

• Large child care chains that are operated by a parent company that develops a prototype and sets up a number of centers throughout the state/region or across the nation (continued)– Center is publicized by identifiable slogans,

logos, brochures, and advertisements– Franchising may fall under this category– Knowledge Learning is an example of a

corporate system


Employer-Sponsored Programs

• The child care center is supported by an employer– Some are operated by large management

organizations– May offer subsidized tuition and/or reduced

fees– May be able to give employees better wages

because of reduced operating costs paid by employer


Military Programs

• Department of Defense (DOD) operates child care programs at military installations across the country.– Each branch of military operates its own child care

services but must follow mandates in Military Child Care Act of 1989

– May contract with off-installation centers to guarantee spaces for DOD children


Military Programs

• Department of Defense (DOD) operates child care programs at military installations across the country (continued)

– Financed by a combination of government appropriations and sliding scale parent tuition fees

– May be full-day center-based care, part-day preschools, drop-in care, evening and weekend care


Family Child Care Homes

• Family child care is where a small group of children is cared for in the home of a child care provider.– Popular for infants and toddlers, but care for

all ages including school-age– May be an employee of a system but most

often operates independently contracting directly with families


Chapter Summary

• Starting a center includes…– conducting a needs assessment– developing a philosophy– Deciding on the type of program operations

• Time and energy must be invested before financial support is available and before a program can begin to deliver service to children and families.


Chapter 2 Assessing Community Need and Establishing a Program ©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Documents

cengage learning

learning results

need of child care

program philosophy

community need

process process subscribers

child development

various types of child