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Table 20

STATE TRENDS IN NUMBER OF PUBLIC, VOLUNTARY, AND PROPRIETARY OR
COMMERCIAL DAY CARE FACILITIES LICENSED BY STATE AGENCIES
DURING LAST FIVE YEARS

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DEFINITION OF TERMS

DAY CARE

For the purpose of this survey, day care was defined as care for those children needing care and protection for part of the 24-hour day, when such care is given either in group care facilities (designated "day care centers" in the report but including day nurseries and the like) or in family day homes.

Nursery schools and kindergartens were not to be considered day care facilities within the meaning of this definition since the chief purpose of these facilities is education. The chief purpose of day care facilities as here defined, on the other hand, is to provide care and protection for children either during the parent's working day, or for part of the day and for reasons not necessarily connected with parental employment. Play groups, day camps and the like also were excluded by this definition.

Some States use the term "day care" to include all of the types of facilities referred to above and may license all such facilities. These States were requested to submit information only with respect to day care as defined here.

Unfortunately, the name of a particular group facility is not necessarily a sure guide to its classification. The purpose and nature of the service is the best test as to whether a facility provides day care in the sense of this report.

PUBLIC, VOLUNTARY, AND PROPRIETARY OR COMMERCIAL DAY CARE FACILITIES

Public day care centers are those operated by a unit of State or local government, such as a State, county, or city department of welfare. Public family day care homes are those supervised directly by a public agency.

Voluntary day care centers are those operated by a non-profit organization under voluntary auspices, such as a social agency, settlement, church, etc., whether or not fees are charged, or on a non-profit basis by a business or industry for its own employees, whether or not fees are charged. Voluntary family day care homes are those supervised directly by a voluntary agency.

Proprietary or commercial day care centers are those operated for the financial profit of the owner, operator, or manager. Proprietary or commercial family day care homes are independent foster family homes not supervised directly by any agency, whether or not the homes charge parents for the service.

Mr. CURTIS. On page 12 there is a statement made that 46 percent of the counties do not have a full-time public child welfare worker. Well, a great many of our counties have less than 5,000 people in them. I know in the State of Missouri we have many counties that have very few people and I was wondering if you have the figures of the number of people in the United States that do not have access to a full-time public child welfare worker.

I think that is a more meaningful test, because I again say, while I do not know how high it will be, there will be a very sizable percentage of our counties which do not call for having a full-time public child welfare worker.

Secretary RIBICOFF. I have another study here, a report of the advisory council on child welfare services, which shows, as of 1958, that 70 percent of the urban counties had a child welfare worker.

In other words, 30 percent of the counties in urban counties were not covered.

Mr. CURTIS. Were not?

Secretary RIBICOFF. Were not covered. Now, it shows that in rural counties only 47 percent of the counties had a child welfare worker, leaving 53 percent of the rural counties uncovered, but there is a complete study with all the data on that which I would also like to place available in the record at this time.

Mr. CURTIS. Yes, I am very anxious to have that.

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection all of the material referred to by the Secretary for inclusion in the record will be included at the point referred to.

(The material referred to above follows:)

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MARCH 28, 1960.-Ordered to be printed with an illustration

UNITED STATES

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON: 1960

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