Child care costs 'doubled since 2001'

A new report shows child care is becoming increasingly expensive and is forcing parents to reduce their working hours to care for their children.

The Taskforce on Care Costs, comprising of business groups and peak non-government bodies, released an affordability index on child care on Friday.

The study follows the price of child care since December 2001 and shows its affordability has dropped by more than 50 per cent.

"If child care costs continue to rise at a rate faster than incomes, childcare will become too expensive for the average family and many more parents will consider leaving the workforce," the report said.

One in four parents have already reduced their working hours because of the high cost of child care, the study shows.

Making childcare work for you

CHILDCARE costs have rocketed in recent years, pricing many parents out of the market. Some families have to rely on friends and relatives to look after the kids to enable them to go out to work.

Other mums have given up their careers because soaring childcare bills have made going back to work financially unviable.

While those who do go back to work as soon as maternity leave ends face hefty nursery bills or nanny fees at the end of each month.

A survey by The Daycare Trust charity found that a typical full-time nursery place for a child under two is £152 a week – a rise of six per cent on last year.

Kate Goddard, the charity's policy and research officer, said that as there is no government regulation of childcare costs, prices can vary widely especially in regions such as the north west with nurseries and childminders in more affluent areas charging more for their services.

State checking safety of daycare centers

State environmental officials are asking polluters to make sure that they aren't putting children in nearby day care centers in danger, according to a newspaper report.

In a letter dated Jan. 29, Department of Environmental Protection officials asked owners of businesses that have groundwater pollution under their facilities to determine whether the contaminants have reached day care centers nearby.

DEP Assistant Director of Remediation, Ron Corcory, said the letters were "purely precautionary" and did not indicate that the department feels children are at risk.

The letter stems from mercury contamination that was found at a day care center in Gloucester County's Franklin Township. The school was built on the same site where a thermometer factory used to do business.

Arkansas Childcare Ranking not Care for Alarm, Advocate says

An advocacy group for children and families says a national group's ranking of Arkansas at 42 in childcare standards does not give a complete picture of the efforts to improve the quality of childcare.

Rich Huddleston of the nonprofit organization, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, says the report shouldn't cause undue alarm.

The state-by-state comparison was compiled by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, based in Virginia. Idaho came in last overall.

U.S. Defense Department services, which were included in the comparison, ranked at the top. While Arkansas ranked 42 overall, it excelled in standards enforcement, ranking 16th in the nation.

Huddleston says the report is a reminder that every state should reassess its standards every couple of years.

How good is your daycare?

A nationwide survey says many states are getting lazy when it comes to regulating childcare centers. It ranks the military's system as the best. Out of the 50 states, Pennsylvania comes in at number 15. Ewa Roman talked with a spokesperson for all childcare centers in the state to see how she plans on making things better.

It can rattle some parents. For Keena Synder of New Cumberland, finding child care was tougher than expected. “You want to find a place that like---no place is gonna take as good car of your kid as you are."

That's why Keena is thankful for organizations like the National Association of Child Care Resources, a group that recently ranked states in oversight of childcare centers.

Keena: “I'm glad there's somebody out there that helps parents because as a first time parent you don't really know what to look for."

The report puts Pennsylavania at number 15 out of 50 states.