One in Five Women Are Deciding Against or Delaying Having a Child Because of the High Cost of Child Care and Preschool, Poll Shows |
Anti-Crime Group Says Greater Federal Investment in Child Care, Head Start
Needed
WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As children head back to
school, a new national poll finds that the cost of quality preschool and
child care is causing women of child-bearing age to decide against having a
baby or delay having one.
The poll, commissioned by the anti-crime organization Fight Crime:
Invest in Kids, found that 23 percent of women ages 18-40 have delayed
starting a family or decided not to have a second or subsequent child. That
figure rose to 28 percent for women ages 25-34.
Law enforcement leaders are calling on Congress to increase investments
for child care and Head Start. Research shows that when at-risk children
receive quality child care and preschool programs like Head Start, they are
less likely to end up in trouble with the law when they grow up.
At a news conference held today at the National Press Club, members of
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids released the poll. Participating were: Miami
Police Chief John Timoney; Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham;
Fort Worth Police Chief Ralph Mendoza; and Sumter, S.C., Police Chief Patty
Patterson.
As a first step toward making quality early education available to
everyone, the law enforcement leaders called on Congress to restore Head
Start and Child Care funding to their 2002 service levels. This would
require an additional $750 million for Head Start and $720 million for the
Child Care and Development Block Grants.
Among the key findings in the poll were:
-- For middle income women ($35,000-$50,000 in total household income),
one in three said that the cost of child care and preschool made them
decide against having a baby or delay having one.
-- For African-American women, the figure was 40 percent; for Hispanic
women, 33 percent.
-- 68 percent of women 18-40 said that child care and early education were
important issues in deciding whom to vote for in the presidential
election. The response rose to 78 percent for women 18-40 with annual
household incomes below $25,000.
-- One-third of these women said they have had to make difficult economic
choices such as deferring the purchase of an appliance because of the
high cost of child care and preschool.
Timoney said the poll points out the plight of many working families
who cannot afford good child care or preschool for their children. He said
the average cost of private child care or preschool is about $900 a month
($10,800 annually) in states with a higher cost of living. In comparison,
the average tuition nationwide at a four-year public university last
academic year was $5,836.
"When working families can't afford good child care and preschool, all
too often we in law enforcement end up dealing with their kids when they
grow up," Timoney said.
Abraham said the poll shows that women also understand that high
quality child care and preschool will cut crime, with 85 percent of
respondents saying that America could reduce youth violence by helping kids
get the right start in life through expanded access to high quality
childcare, and preschool programs like Head Start.
"The high cost of child care and preschool are causing women to make
agonizing decisions. We need to invest more to ensure access to quality
child care and preschool for all American families and cut crime in the
process," Abraham said. "All members of Congress and all presidential
candidates should put this program at the top of any list for full
funding."
Mendoza said, "every day that lawmakers fail to help working families
get good early education for their kids, they increase the risk that you or
your families will fall victim to violence."
Patterson said quality early education also saves money and cited a
study of the Perry Preschool that showed these programs saved $17 for every
$1 invested, adding that "investing in the next generation up front also
saves money and lives in the long run. Because of this, it's just common
sense to make the investment in the lives of our children."
The director of the Urban Institute's Center on Labor, Human Services
and Population, Ajay Chaudry, said he believed the poll was the first to
clearly link women's delays in childbearing to the high cost and limited
availability of high quality child care. "It points to the stark factors
parents must face when choosing to start a family."
The poll was conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation via
telephone and surveyed 600 women from July 12-23. The margin of error is
plus or minus four percentage points.
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids has more than 3,000 police chiefs,
sheriffs, prosecutors, other law enforcement leaders and violence survivors
as members. David Kass, president of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, said the
poll should be a wake-up call to all members of Congress and candidates for
President.
"Congress must invest more funds in child care and Head Start to ensure
access to early education for all American families so we cut crime," Kass
said.
3,000 Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, Prosecutors, other Law Enforcement
Leaders, and Violence Survivors Preventing Crime and Violence
SOURCE Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
back to topRelated links:
CONTACT:
Donna De La Cruz, +1-202-464-7016, Cell:
+1-202-441-3798, Phil Evans, +1-202-464-7014, both of Fight
Crime: Invest in Kids
