Affordable Child Care

On Oct. 23, 1997, President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton led a White House conference to discuss what the first lady called the "silent crisis" in child care. A proposal was presented to ease the shortage of safe, affordable child care for millions of Americans. Congress was called upon to establish a $300 million scholarship fund for child care providers, and to pass legislation to better track the criminal records of child care workers.

While parents should be given genuinely affordable choices in child care, it is their responsibility to investigate their choices thoroughly. Parents who have access to a computer and the Internet can turn to American Child Care Solutions for information that can help them choose the type of child care that will meet their needs.

The issue of parental responsibility in finding appropriate affordable child care was brought into focus recently when a British au pair in Cambridge, Mass., was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of a child in her care.

The glaring fact highlighted by this case is that an au pair is considered an inexpensive form of child care for American parents. This affordability overshadows the fact that the adventure of the job appeals to young people rather than the dedication to work with young children. This case has left many unanswered questions about child care in the United States.

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