Mr. CORNELL. We are going to have to take a little recess. We have a quorum call. We have to prove to the people back home we are here. So we will recess for half an hour until 12:45.

[Whereupon, at 12:15 p.m., the subcommittee recessed, to reconvene at 12:45 p.m. the same day.]

AFTER RECESS

[Whereupon, at 12:45 p.m., the subcommittee reconvened, Hon. Robert Cornell presiding.]

Mr. CORNELL. We will resume the hearings.
Suppose we get back to Dr. Piers later.

Ms. Sale?

STATEMENT OF JUNE SOLNIT SALE, CODIRECTOR, DAY CARE CONSULTATION AND MEDIA PROJECT OF PACIFIC OAKS COLLEGE, PASADENA, CALIF.

MS. SALE. Rather than repeat what I have already written I would like to enlarge upon my statement.

That is all right, isn't it?

Mr. CORNELL. Surely.

Ms. SALE. At Pacific Oaks we have been doing research in all kinds of day care for about 12 years, before it was popular.

Some of our research has shown the great contribution that family day care can make to the day care field. Family day care is unique in the kinds of services it provides to parents and the children.

One of the things that I feel needs to be raised after hearing the private for profit groups this morning has to do with the size of programs and what is good for children.

We have done research in day care centers that has shown that the maximum size to provide a good program for children is 60 children in one setting. When programs get larger than that, children get lost in the shuffle. Staff gets lost in the shuffle. It may be more feasible from an economist's point of view. But from the point of view of a child or a parent a center larger than 60 just is not where it is at.

That is another reason we wanted to look at family day care and the developmental aspects that it has to offer. We found that family day care is a small setting. It is a place where parents can become involved.

This does not mean that all family day care is great, just like all center care is not great or all in-home care is great.

Family day care really is something that should be considered. Another thing that I heard this morning that I think needs to be straightened out is that in almost all the statistics I have seen relating to day care, family day care provides almost 80 percent of the out-ofhome care of children.

There was some figure of 70 percent bounced around. I have never seen that figure. Our experience has been that family day care does provide 80 percent of out-of-home nonrelative care.

Mr. CORNELL. I think what they are referring to was that in the proprietary day care centers

MS. SALE. I don't see how family day care can be considered proprietary. The people that we have observed are providing a service But they are surely not making a profit. There are very few that ar making a profit. They are providing a service to the community.

When we think of 72 cents an hour as an average of what family day care parent makes after expenses, I can't see that as a profit. It is a very meager salary.

Another point that I would like to speak to has to do with the supporting of family day care organizations. There is the beginning of an attempt by family day care mothers and fathers to organize in order to improve their self image and improve their image to the community.

I think it is a very positive step.

I hope this bill will provide the supports necessary to help these organizations to do more to help themselves.

Another very important aspect of day care now-this is beginning to spring up and I know of a couple of examples of this-that I believe also needs support, is a system which brings parents and providers together for information services.

There is an example of this in Portland, Oreg. It is called the Day Care Neighbor program where a neighbor in the locale where the parent lives helps that person find day care and in turn helps the day care provider with getting resources and supports. And they need support, all kinds of support.

In San Francisco there is the child care switchboard.

In Berkeley there is a group called Bananas. They are called. Bananas because young women who were looking for child care said they would go bananas if they didn't find it. So they called themselves Bananas.

In Pasadena we have a group called Watch; Women Attentive To Children's Happiness; and the Child Care Information Service. There is the Bank Street Consultation Service.

I think these systems in the neighborhood need to be supported in order to give parents the feeling that they can be involved and that they do have a choice. This system also helps providers, no matter whether they are private for profit, proprietary, family day care or school systems.

I think this is one good way of delivery for that kind of support. I would only like to make one additional statement. That has to do with parental involvement. Parental involvement will come if there is something in it for the parents, if there is a real feeling that the parents have something to offer to providers or to teach providers. Parents have a lot to offer.

When we say that parental involvement means truly involving them and listening to them and providing some support for them I believe we will have parental involvement.

That is my statement.

Thank you.

Mr. CORNELL. Thank you very much.

[The prepared statement of Ms. Sale follows:]

57-649 O 76 pt. 57

STATEMENT OF JUNE SOLNIT SALE, Co-Director Day Care Consultation and
Media Project, Pacific Oaks College, Pasadena, California. March 14, 1975

I am pleased to be present before this committee and am especially glad to be able to talk from the point of view of a West Coast resident. I have been unable to thoroughly analyze S626 and HR 2966, but from a brief reading am in complete accord with the goal of providing a range of supportive services to children and their families, with day care being one of the most important.

Pacific Oaks College has been involved in day care research and demonstration programs for the past 12 years, and we have become aware of the important contribution family day care offers to working parents and their children. Too often when day care is mentioned, a vision appears of a center with a sign over it telling us that this is a child care center. Family day care, which operates out of the home of a neighbor or friend is like every other house or apartment in the neighborhood... it is an invisible, informal network that may be uncovered in most neighborhoods and. despite its neighborhood roots, is the most integrated child care program that exists in terms of culture, race and socio-economic background. Family day care provides approximately 80% of the non-relative, out-of-home care for children in the United States. Other important facts about family day care are: 1) it provides most out-ofhome care for infants of working parents; 2) it provides for more full day child care than public and private center programs put together; 3) it is the most flexible type of out-of-home care for children and their families, often providing for working hours that include the swing shift, afternoon shift, as well as alternate work days; 4) it is not babysitting (Recent studies show its potential for the delivery of developmental programs for children and their families); 5) it provides a significant part of day care for school age and handicapped children.

Not only do family day care parents provide quality care for children they also act as substitutes for the extended family for lonely, troubled and alienated parents. The availability of a concerned family day care parent can be particularly significant during times of disruption. The stability of an established routine for the child can give needed security, as well as provide a parent support to handle his/her own traumi This is not to say that all family day care is excellent, or that every family day care parent is a good child care provider, but it is to say, that as a model, family day care has the potential of delivering quality services for children and their families.

As family day care has begun to surface and appear as a viable alternative to center care, there have been questions asked about the money involved in running a family day care home. To some, it seems that if you care for children and earn a decent salary, then there must be something wrong. I think that is probably a correct observation of the state of day care today, but let me quickly add that I do not believe that is the way it should be. Those that are making large profits on child care are generally short-changing the children somewhere down the line...because the large costs are in personnel, and children need aware, nurturing and many wellpaid adults to care for them. In the case of family day care, few earn more than the

equivalent of a meager salary and some may even lose money. Our Community Family Day Care Project study conducted in 1972 found that the providers averaged 72¢ per hour (after expenses); we recently informally polled members of WATCH* and their rates have increased slightly, but then so has the cost of providing the service.

Family day care should be viewed as a service and certainly not as a business. It is interesting to note that in California, as well as other states, a family day care parent may not receive a license unless there is evidence of another or outside income. Is there another business that has this requirement? Many have asked...why should anyone want to be in family day care, if it doesn't make any money to speak of? The answers we have found are that it does provide pin-money; it does provide an opportunity to stay at home and not have to go out to work in a low-paying job that has additional expenses attached to it, such as work clothing, food and transportation costs; and most importantly, family day care parents like to be with children.

Recently, systems of family day care have been established, so that the providers of service may be guaranteed a stable income, but administrative costs of such systems often keep the salaries paid to providers quite low. Family day care parents, who provide services for most of the out-of-home care of young children deserve an adequate salary that reflects their contribution to our country.

Currently, family day care parents are beginning to form self-help groups in in order to improve the quality of life of those they serve, as well as for themselves. Many of these groups have been initiated by social service departments and have been encouraged to exist with kind words, but few tangible supports necessary to help infant organizations. Community organizers have noted the need for ongoing staff and office support in order to insure that a fledgling organization can develop and grow. Resourceful family day care providers have been able to keep their organizations afloat, but have expended a good deal of energy, time and their own money to insure that a fragile group may continue to exist.

I believe that family day care organizations should be supported and encouraged to grow. By forming into self-help groups that meet their own unique needs, family day care can become more visible to the community and thereby will become more accountable.

Another important effort has developed in the field of information and referral services that serve parents, as well as day care providers of all kinds - family and center programs. In a sense these groups act as the legendary friendly neighbor in a small town for parents looking for children's services in anonymous neighborhoods. They help to find a comfortable match between what families need and services that are available. Self-help groups of parents, day care providers and information referral services have a good deal in common...they have to scrounge to receive any assistance or financial support to provide an office and staff to keep functioning, they are located in the community where families are trusted by parents, they are advocates for families and they care deeply about the quality of life of our families and children. I urge that these family-oriented groups be supported as an important way of providing supportive services to children and their families.

Thank you.

*WATCH = Women Attentive To Children's Happiness, a self help group that was an outgrowth of the Community Family Day Care Project, Pacific Oaks College.