86-1438 WHITE - C�TV CIERK �
PIN� FINANCE � G I Y OF SA I NT PALT L Council ,
CANAR'.� DEPARTMENT '�. A �
BLUE - MAVOR File NOV
• ncil Resolution ,
__ �
Presente By '
�
� � � d' �
Referred To � � Committee: Date ��
Out of Committe� By Date
WHEREAS, in April , 1985, he City Council requested the Planning Comniss on to
organize an ad ho task f rce to develop an assessment of day care needs and
resources in Saint Paul , 'ncluding recommended actions to improve day ca e
service in �he ci ; and
WHEREAS, thle Plan ing Co ission did organize such a task force, and has
reviewed it� repo t and commendations; and
WHEREAS, af�ter holding a ublic hearing on March 14, 1986, the Planning
Commission nanim usly r orrbnnended acceptance of the report by the City
Council wit� amen ments;
NOW, THEREFIORE, B IT RE LVED that the City Council accept the Saint Pa 1
Child Care 7ask F rce Re rt, with the Planning Commission amendments as
stated in P�lannin Commi sion Resolution #86-34; and
BE IT FURTI�ER RES LVED t at appropriate city departments proceed to impl ment
the amended� task orce r comnendations to the greatest extent possible; nd
,
BE IT FURTI�ER RES LVED t at the City Council adopt the following stateme t as
city policy:
�n reco nition of the importance of children to our city,
�he Cit of Sa nt Paul will place a high priority on
a�ddress rtg the needs of all young people. The City will �
do this throug :
-- ontinu tion of efforts to encourage healthy
ne ghborh ods so they are conducive to good family
li e;
' (continued)
COUNCILMEN Requested by Department of:
Yeas Drew Nays
Nicosia , [p F8V0[
Rettman {
Scheibel ',
sonnen ' _ Against BY
Tedesco
Wilson
Adopted by Council: ,Date Form Appr d by City Attor
Certified Passed by Counc'y'1 Secreta y BY
B}�
Approved by Mavor: Date Approved Mayor for Submission to Cou il
BY - — BY
WVHITE - CITV CLERK � �
PINK � FINANCE G TY O F SA I NT PA U L Counci!
CANARV - OEPARTMENT � /f �
BLUE - MAVOR � Fi1C NO. ^/
� ouncil Resolution
Presented By
Referred To � Committee: Date
Out of CommitCee By Date
-- rovisi n for the safety of all young people in the
co munity;
-- rovisi n of city services in such a way that they
su port c ildren of working parents; and
-- ooperat'on with neighborhoods and other public and
private ag ncies in the area to provide needed
se vices t children.
Snnce th respo sibility for nurturing children falls on
the entire comm nity as well as on individual families,
t�e City of Sai t Paul will work toward providing the best
a�mosphe e poss ble for children in the city.
BE IT FINAL�.Y RESO VED th t the City Council extends thanks on behalf of all
the city tojthe Ch'ld Car Task Force members for the long hours of work they
have put in�o anal zing t ese issues, and for their comprehensive report and
recommendations.
Yeas COUNCILME Na s Requ ted by Department of: ^ n �
Drew y ' ��///����
A1N�� � �— �a
[n Favor •
Rettman j � /�/'1
Scheibel �j
Sonnen � f�geinst BY `r/D
Tedesco
Wilson !
Adopted by Council: I�Date
OCT 14 1986 Form Appro by City A rney
Certified Vas e by ounc.iy S eta BY
�
By n �
Approv Mavor: Date Y T � � ���� Appro e Mayor for Submissio to Co il
By _ B
P11$t I �3ED 0 C 2 51986
� P€Cr PARTMENT ��'���0 O . _ O�3rJ2
Peygv Reichert ONTACT
.HONE
-� - 6 i,.,AT� e�r� e
�.
ASSIGN NUNBER FOR UTI G ORD Cli �All Locations for,Si na�ure :
Department Director 4 Director of Management/ yo
r Finance and Managem nt Se 'ices rector � City Clerk
Budget Director � •
� City 'Attorney. ,/ 2 Kath Stack
WHAT WILL BE ACHIEVEQ B TAKI G ACTI I ON TNE ATTACHED MATERIALS? (Purpase/
Rationale) :
The attac6ed let er tra smits he attached Chi1d Care Task Force Report, Plan 'ng
Comnission reso] tion, nd dra t City Council r.esolution to the City Council . The
Planning Corr�iss on too actio : on the child care report .on May 9th. Please te
that the Plannin Comni sion r 'solution incorporates the Mayor's concerns as ansmitted
to the Planning ommiss on, an adds a recommendation that the Mayor and City ouncil
develop a city p licy a firmin ; the importance of children to the city.
COST BENEFIT BUDGETAR AND P RSONNE " IMPACTS ANTICIPATED:
�ECEiVED
, ��t� �``a � MAY � �
� � �— P�IAYOR'S OFFICE
FINANCING SOI�RCE AND 6 DGET A TIVITY UhBER CHARGED OR CREDITED: (Mayor's signa-
ture not re-
Total Amount of 'Tra sactio : quired if under
� $10,000)
Fundi ng Source�
Activity Number: • _
ATTACHMENTS List and� umber 11 Att �ichments :
1. Letter trans ittin child are report from Mayor to City Council
2. Saint Pau1 C ild C re Tas 1Force Report �
: � _
3. Planning Co issio Resol ion #86-34 �
4'. Draft City uncil resolu �on accepting task force report
DEPARTMENT REVIEW � CITY A�TORNEY REVIEW
xYes No Cnuncil esolut on Req ,ired? ' Resolution i�quired? Y No
Yes �_No Insuranc Requi d? Insuranre Sufficient? Y No
Yes �No Insuranc Attac ed:
(SEE •REVERS SIDE FOR INSTRUCTIONS)
Revised 12/84
�
�-�y��'
Victor Tedesco, Preside t
Members of the City C ncil
Page Two
May 21, 1986
If you have que�tions a out the eport or Planning Commission resolution, please do no
hesitate to cont�ct Plan ing Di sion staff.
Very truly y u ,
e r ati er
May
GL/
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CI Y O1�` SA.INT PAUL
=�����;, O CE OF THE CITY COIII�TCIL
�Ri::_�"�'c:`
O O t'e : pctober 6, 986
C MMTTEE REPORT
TO = Sa�nt PQU City Councit ,
F F'�' � M � �O['t1 j�'t g p h C i ty Deve 1 opment and Transparta i on
�F�tAI i 11 iam l� . Wi tson
�
1 . Enter�pris Zone Credits - Bensan Investment/Sign
Design, I c. (C mmittee recommends approval )
Z. Enterpris Zone Boundaries (Committee recommends appro al ) ,
3. Re�olutio a�ce ting the St. Paul Chiid Care Task Forc
Repo�t wi h Pla ning Commission' amendments � (Committee
recammend appr val )
_
� -- --4.-Appe�1 s n Ford Ma i 1 Assoc i ates re t�at�-ve-to- property a — -
2123 Ford Park ay. Also site plan review for the pro ect.
(Moved out of c mmittee without recommendation�
�
CTI'Y HAI-I- SE EN'TH FLOOR SAINT PAUL,MINN OTA SS102
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� INTR DUC ON
In re ponse t the g wing problems with availability and affordability
' child care in St. Paul the City Council requested the Planning Commission
estab 'sh an hoc t k force to assess child care needs and resources in t
city. The Ci y Coun il asked that the Task Force look at problem areas an
make recom endatio s about how city resources and services could impro
� the p ovision of chil care in�St. Paul. Task force members included repr -
senta ives, of child c re users, child care providers and organizations repr -
senti g provi ers, lar e and small employers who offer child care services f r
' _empl yee ch dren, amsey County, State of Minnesota, St. Paul Scho 1
Distr ct, pri te fou dations, and city departments. This report summariz s
the f'ndings nd reco mendations of the Task Force.
� MAJ R FIN INGS
� ' L f r w P hil W
Chil care c sts for amilies are very high relative �to family income, ev
thou h child care w kers and family providers make very low wages for t e
� servi es they provid The only way many families can afford to pay f r
child care is ith so e public assistance. Currently, however, child care su -
sidy rogram are in equate to serve those who need such assistance.
' 2. r f " il" il Cr • T et Futr 1 f
v' r
Pare ts seeki g full- me regular hour care for a 3 or 4 year old generally fi d
' that he cur nt sup y of child care meets their needs. However, odd-ho r
care nd car for in ants and toddlers, school age children, and sick childr n
are a 1 in sca ce supp y. In addition, the supply of family child care homes s
in da ger of decreasi g in the near future because of increased financial bu -
� dens esultin from s ricter licensing regulations and high insurance costs. .
3. i r Vi i ' riori
, Desp te the act tha the need for child care is growing as more and mo e
wom n ente the wo kforce, child care has low visibility and priority in t e
publ' 's eyes Since hild care has been so closely related to family life a d
, hom both e priv �te and the public sector have not made the adjustmen s
nece ary to ddress e now more universal need in an efficient way.
� 4. rn
The ask fo ce surv yed the city's employees to determine their child ca e
need , and ound t at St. Paul employees seem to have fewer child ca e
prob ems tha emplo ees in most companies. The survey showed that the cit 's
� empl yees a older han average, have higher incomes than average, and t e
the 'ty has ore m le dominated occupations (such as fire and police) th n
'
DIVISION OF PLANNI G • DEPART NT OF PIANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT • CITY OF NT PAUL
' CITY HALL ANNEX 25 ST FOU STREET,SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA 55102 • TELEPHONE:61 •2�8-4151
� � �-/�/.��
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the verage mploye . However, many employees did have specific child c re
� con rns th could e better dealt with by the city as an employer, includ' g
cari g for s k chil en, need for assistance when finding a new provider, a d
nee for mo e flexi e working arrangements.
�
GO LS AN RECO MENDATIONS
� Goa #1
Ens re that childre are not denied �ood child care because of low fam y
inco e.
� l,l The ci shoul work with foundations and corporations to make ch ld
care more a fordabl to low-income residents.
� 1.2 The St e of Mi nesota should increase funding for the sliding fee ch ld
car progra .
� Go #2
Inc ease th number and variety of chlld care opportunities.
' 2.1 The ci y shoul establish a program to fund nei$hborhood initiative to
inc ease ch' d care ow in short supply.
' 2.2 The ci y shoul expand its efforts to assist new and existing provi rs
wit findin start- money or funding for renovations to meet new licens ng
rul s.
� 2.3 The cit should provide information and assistance to child care provi ers �
so t ey can better e city resources to improve the quality of their progr s.
In ddition the cit should make city resources for children and families re.
' acc ssible f r paren who work full-time during the week. •
2.4 The cit should assist providers interested in establishing downtown c ild
car by eli inating ome major barriers facing those providers.
� 2.5 The ty sho d publish a comprehensive information packet to a ist
peo le con dering tarting child care centers or family child care homes.
� 2.6 The cit shoul change the zoning code so that it is consistent with th al-
lo able le ls of c ldren in licensed child care homes.
� 2.7 The s hool di trict should take the lead responsibility in coordina ing
be re and after sc ool care for children in the public schools.
� 2.8 Ramse Count and the State of Minnesota should ensure that its c ild
car licens ng staff is sufficient to handle the increasing number of child are
lic nsing a plicatio s and the on-going monitoring function.
� 2.9 The tate of Minnesota should continue to explore ways to en ure
av ilabilit and af rdability of insurance for child care providers.
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G al �3
� R ise the visibilit of chiid care needs and the.prlority for chlld care in city
p blic pol cy, com unity discussion, and Qovernment operation.
� 3. The ity sho d establish`clear staff responsibility to coordinate cit in-
it'atives f r impr ing child care in St. Paul.
_ 3. The ity sho ld provide leadership for the development of a long erm
� co munic tions p ogram to improve services to children and emphasiz the
v ue of c ildren the city.
3. The c ty shou establish an advisory group to review changing child care
� n eds, t over e implementation of the Child Care Task F rce
re ommen ations, nd to recommend new policy directions on child care.
� 3. ' The ity sho d work with the Chamber of Commerce in their effo t to
ex and th availa lity of child care.
� 3. Rams y Count should take responsibility for an annual collection of ata
on child c re need .
G al #4
� I prove t e city's esponse to the child care needs of its employees
4.1 The c ty shou d revise its personnel policies to deal with the proble s of
� si chiid are and limited availability of odd hours and seasonal child ca e.
4. The c ty shoul publish a handbook to help employees find and use ild .
� ca e, and outlin city policies related to child care.
4. The ity sho ld contract with a private agency to find child care for.
� e ployees ho nee it (particularly, scarce services such as sick care, odd- our
ca e, part ime ca or infant care). If certain type of care are unavail ble,
th servic could r eruit providers where the need is unmet.
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ST. PAUL CHILD CARE FACTS
, Per ent of orking arried women with children under age 6 in 1970: 3496
� Per ent of orking arried women with children under age 6 in 1980: 5396
Ave age ann al cost of care in a family day care home for an
infant: $3120 �
� verage nnual cost of care in a day care center for an
infant: $4316
� Av age an ual cost of care in a family day care home for a
preschooler: $2860
� verage nnual cost of care in a day care center for a
preschooler: $3016
� verage early earnings of a family day care provider,
before expenses: $11,000
� Ave ge sala y of a head teacher in a day care center: $10,816
A erage sa ary of a public school teacher with comparable
experience: $22,000
� Numb r of children under age 10 in 1980: 34,952
� Nu ber of hildren under age 10 in 1985 (Estimate): 42,177
Nu ber of ildren under age 10 in 1990 (Projection): 45,217
� Estim ted per nt of Ramsey County preschool kids with working
m thers who are in family day care: 2096
� Es mated percent in day care centers: 1296
Esti ated percent cared for by relatives: 3696
�, Es imated percent in unlicensed care: 2496
Estimat d percent with other care arrangements: 896 '
� m ount licensin examiner: 253
aseloa of a Ra sey C y g
� aseload f a Hennepin County licensing examiner: 165
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
�
� I. In roducti n.................:..........................................................................p. 1
II. B ckgrou ..............................................................................................p. 3
�
III. P oblems ith Child Care................................................................p. 7
�
IV. R les and Responsibilities in Child Care.................................p. 13
� ' ................ 1 S
V. G als and Recommendations........................................ ..p.
� VI. -Going Child Care Concerns.....................................................p. 31
� YII. timate Funding and Staff Time Needed............................p.35
� ppendix A: Summary of Employee Child Care Survey Results
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� I. I'�NTR DUC ION
� A. Child Ca e Task orce Char e
g
� In response o the g owing problems with availability and affordability f
child care i St. Pau , the City Council requested the Planning Commission o
establish an ad hoc ask force to assess child care needs and resources in t.
� Paul. The C ty Coun il asked that the Task Force look specifically at:
--sup ly and emand for child care in the city;
--the conomi , social and physical factors which influence availabili y,
� affor ability nd quality of child care;
--ho city res urces and services could promote development of qual ty
child care ser ices;
� " � --inf rmatio available to facilitate child care planning a d
devel pment, including new studies if appropriate and needs for n-
goin inform tion;
--the extent t which involvement of city facilities and services co ld
� impr ve chil care supply and/or quality particularly as it relates to
low nd mod rate income families;
--wa s in wh ch the city could enhance the economic vitality of ch ld
� care s a sm 11 business by utilizing city economic and developm nt
prog ams;
--wh ther th city should start a child care center for city employ es,
� eithe by itse f or in conjunction with Ramsey County;
--wh ther or not change or improvement is needed in the pres nt
regu atory st ucture for child care; and
--wh ther or ot a permanent child care council should be establishe .
�
B. Task Fo ce Mem ership
� The St. Pa Child are Task Force was comprised of representatives of c ild
care users, hild car providers and organizations representing providers; 1 rge
and� small mploye s who offer child care services for employee child en;
� Ramsey C unty e ployees; City employees; State of Minnesota Hu an
Services; amsey ounty Department of Human Services; St. Paul Sc ool
Disitrict; an privat foundations providing or supporting child care progra s.
� Tagk Force member and their affiliation, are as follows:
� Marvin An erson, lanning Commission, Chair
Imbgene T eichel, lanning Commission
Jim Christ nson, P anning Commission
Su�anne O ten, 3 Employee Services
�� Joan Fore an, St. aul Public Health
Sr. Gabriel Herbers District 7 Planning Council
Pa� Peters n, Chil Care User
� Dee Dee R y, Chil Care Consultant
Julie Man orren, amily Service of Greater St. Paul
ShCila Mor arty, G vernor's Council on Families and Children
,
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Carole Gerst, Ramsey County Family Day Care Association �
Timothy Vann, Group Health, Inc.
David Allen, Resources for Child Caring �
Patricia Hickman, Family Day Care Provider
Joanne Ventura, St. Paul Public Schools
Terry Saber, Western State Bank �
Caroleen Parker, St. Paul Personnel
Pat Guerrero, St. Paul Public Libraries
Pam Leigh, St. Paul Public Health
Arleen Schilling, St. Paul Public Schools �
Sharon Haessig, East Side YMCA
Nancy Kienzle, Minnesota Mutual
Karen Christensen, Ramsey County Human Services �
Beverly Propes, Child Care Consultant
Antonia Morenno, Child Care User
In addition to the above mentioned task force members, man other interested �
Y
persons participated in task force subcommittee meetings where general input
was� sought. The following persons contributed to the work � of each �
subcommittee:
�itv as Emnlover ReQUlation and Licensine �
Tom Copeland Irene O'Ryan
Andy Albrecht David Ericsson
Kelly Tanzer
Availabilitv �
Shirley Kluznik
Dana Reng �
Darcel Hill
Janice Nolan
C. Task Force Structure and Meetings �
The St. Paul Child Care Task Force held 10 full meetings from May to
December. In addition, for much of its work, the task force split up into three �
subgroups: one dealing with availability and supply of child care; one dealing
with licensing and regulation of child care providers and one dealing with
employer concerns about child care for their employees. Interested persons not
officially on the Task Force were invited to participate in the subgroups. �
Each subgroup met about 8 times, from June to September.
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� II. BAC GRO ND
� A. Demand for Chi d Care
De�and fo child c re services has risen dramatically in the recent past. his
� rise can be ttribut d to:
� ; In r se in t e Birth Rate
The tofal n mber of births each year in St. Paul climbed steadily be-
twe n 1976 nd 1981, after hitting its lowest level in at least twe ty-
five years. he number of children age 0 - 4 in St. Paul is projecte to
� be a proxim tely 21,998 in 1990, up from 18,787 in 1980.
_ Inc se in emale Partici a ion in he Workf rc
� The increas in the overall number of working women, as well as the
nu ber of orking women with small children, has had a tremen ous
imp ct on t e need for child care. More and more women with y ung
chil ren are returning to the workforce, and the fact that more wo en
� of 11 ages re working means that there are fewer opportunities for
mo ers to ake informal child care arrangements with friends, n 'gh-
bor and re tives. In St. Paul, labor force participation for all wo en
� 16 ears an older rose from 47.3°y6 in 1970 to 55% in 1980. Durin the
sa e time p riod, working women with children under 6 rose from 3396
to 396. Th rise in number of working women with children und r 18
wa also dr matic, from 4296 in 1970, to 61% in 1980.
� In ease in in le P rent Familie
In eneral, single parent families have a greater need for child care
�' ser ices tha married-couple families. From 1970 to 1980, single p rent
fa ilies wi h children under 18 increased greatly. In particular, s ngle
wo en wit children under 18 grew from 15°�o to 23% of all w men
� wi h childr n under 18. From 1970 to 1980, the labor force parti ipa-
tio of sin le women with children under 18 grew substantially, rom
55 to 66 . (It should be noted here that no census informati n is
av ilable o women with children 10 years and younger, which ould
� be the mo t desirable statistic to indicate the need for child care.
Fi ures on women with children under 18 are used in lieu of a etter
st istic.)
� The incr asing d and for child care services is difficult to document since
many pe ple loo for and find child care outside of the formal, lic nsed
system. owever the change in the number of families seeking referra and
� licensed lots is ne indication of changing demand. In the 1984-85 iscal
year, Re ources or Child Caring (a child care support organization hich
makes re errals or licensed child care for all of Ramsey County) re rred
� 5�80 chil ren, a 1 96 increase from the year before.
Clf the 5 80 refer als made last year,
� -- 8% wer for infants (6 weeks to 11 months old);
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1 96 e e for toddlers (12 to 29 months old);
--3196 were for pre-schoolers (30 months to lst grade); and �
--1496 were for school-age children (lst grade to 10 yrs old).
B. Supply of Child Care �
i. Formal vs. Informal Child Care �
Child care arrangements range from formal licensed care arrangements to in-
formal care by friends and relatives. Formal child care refers to licensed care
provided either in a day care center or a family day care home. The following
definitions delineate the differences between the three types of formal child �
care:
- Groun Dav Care Center: refers to any program that, for compensation �
or otherwise, provides day or night care for six or more children at one
time. The term includes, but is not limited to, programs for children
known as nursery schools, day nurseries, child care centers, play groups,
child care centers for school age children, after-school programs, infant �
child care centers, cooperative child care centers, and Head Start
programs.
Familv Dav Care: refers to child care for no more than ten children at �
one time of which no more than six are under first grade. The licensed
capacity must include all children of any caregiver when the children
are present in the residence. �
Groun Familv Dav Care: refers to child care for no more than 14
children at any one time, with age distribution restrictions. The total ,�
number of children includes all children of any caregiver when the
children are present in the residence.
Informal child care arrangements refer to all other types of child care, includ- �
ing care by siblings or relatives in or outside the child's home, care by non-
relatives inside the child's home, self-care, and care by legal or illegal un-
licensed care providers. Legal unlicensed providers are those who care for �
only related children, or who care for children from only one other family. _
All other providers are considered illegal unlicensed providers.
The need for more formal care arrangements is expected to continue growing �
in the near future. As more and more women enter the workforce, chances for
informal care arrangements with relatives and neighbors will diminish.
ii. Licensed Child Care Canacitv �
As of June, 1985, there were 646 licensed family child care homes and 37
licensed child care centers in St. Paul, with an estimated capacity of about �
5,000 children. The distribution of family child care homes is very uneven
throughout the city, however. The Battle Creek, Payne-Phalen, and Greater
East Side areas have the greatest number of homes, while Summit Hill, �
Summit-University and Midway-Hamline areas have -the fewest. The current
supply of licensed child care in the latter areas leave parents with few choices,
so they probably rely more heavily on informal arrangements.
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� iii. r - iv n Arr ement
What arrang ments d parents in St. Paul make for their children's care? It is
impo�sible a this ti e to reach an exact count of child care arrangemen s,
since� so man famili s rely on informal arrangements. However, Resoure s
� for Child Ca ing has estimated child care arrangements of working mothers n
Ramsey Cou ty, co pared to working mothers nationwide. The followi g
table display this est mate:
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ESTIMA ED DI TRIBUTION OF CHILD CARE ARRANGEMENTS
� bF WO KING OTHERS, RAMSEY COUNTY AND U.S., 1982-1983
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Children Under Age 6 Only
� � Ramsev Countv Nationwide
Licensed Chi d Care 32�/0 22°rb
� ' Famil Day C re 20% 796
Grou Center 12% 15%
- Unlicensed on-Rela ive 24% 2196
, Relative 36°r6 52°Yo
� Other 8% 396
Total 100% 10096
� *Refers to t e prima y child care arrangement. About 2096 of parents ha e
more than o e arra gement (e.g. day care center most of the time a
grandparents when p rents work a late shift). Secondary arrangements are m t
� included and childre are counted only once.
Sourc�es: Ma tin O'C nnell and Carolyn Rogers, Child Care Arran ements f
� W rki Moth rs: June 1982 U. S. Department of Commerce, Burea
of the Census, Current Population Reports, Special Studies Series P-2 ,
� No. 12 , Nove ber, 1983.
� Daniel P. Mu ller, et. 1., Needs Assessment Studv of Youn� Adults. St. Pau ,
MN. mherst . Wilder Foundation, 1983.
� Minnesota D partme t of Public Welfare, Trends in Child Care, Februar ,
1983. t. Paul, N.
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This dstimate indicat that the formal, licensed child care system is especiall
important in amsey ounty as a resource for families with working mother .
� First, familie with orking mothers in Ramsey County rely much more o
licensed fami y day c re than families nationwide. There are several explan -
tions for this includi g the fact that Minnesota was one of the first states t
� begin licensin famil day care providers; Ramsey County has had a capabl
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and effective licensin staff for lon er than most communities; and extensive �
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training and support services for licensed family day care providers have ex-
isted since 1973, probably longer than any other area in the country. �
Second, according to this estimate, families with working mothers in Ramsey
County rely much less on relatives for care arrangements than such families �
nationwide. While child care arrangements with relatives remain the most
frequent of any arrangements, in Ramsey County, it appears that licensed
child care is not far behind.
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� III. PR BLE WITH HILD A E
S C C R
� In znany w ys, St. aul has a positive child care situation. Most people loo ing
for care f nd high quality arrangements, and are able to choose from a reat
� variety of child c re settings. St. Paul employers in general are conce ned
about chil care nd many have taken steps to assist their employees ith
finding su table c ild care arrangements. Evidence of local employers' on-
� cern is see in the establishment of a Chamber of Commerce Child Care ask
Force, aim d at im roving the availability of child care in the St. Paul are .
Mainy pro ems exi t, however. The Child Care Task Force found four m jor
� problem a as with child care in St. Paul, which are outlined below.
A. High C st of C ild Care vs. Low Pay for Child Care Workers
�• i. hild Ca e Costs nd Wa es
Chhld care worker make low wages--usually $4.00 per hour or less--and fa ily
day care h me pro iders also make little money for the services they pro ide.
� This leads o a ver high turnover of workers and providers, and lower qu lity
programs. Young ildren need stable attachments for their best develop ent;
however, s ch atta hments almost impossible to achieve with the low wage as-
� sociated w th child care.
Evien wit such 1 w wages for workers and lean budgets for provi ers,
hoWever, ild car costs for families are very high relative to family inc me.
� Families ho hav the greatest need for child care services--for inst nce,
single par nts ma ing low wages--often cannot afford to pay an adeq ate
amount fo those s rvices.
� Some figu es to co firm this situation follow:
� *H ad teac ers in day care centers in Minnesota earned an averag of
$10 816 in 984, compared to an average salary of $22,000 for a p blic
sch ol teac r with comparable experience.
� *T e appro imate cost of care in a licensed family day care ho in
Ra sey Co nty for an infant last year was $60 per week or $3,12 per
yea ; for a reschooler, $55 per week or $2,860 per year.
� *F a singl mother with one preschooler and making $8,000 per ear
(th media income for single mothers who responded to the re ent
Wil er Fou dation survey of single parents), child care expenses w uld
� tak up abo t 35°r6 of her gross income.
� ii. �7n de te Subs Pro rams
One feder 1, state nd county-funded pxogram provides most of the child are
subsidies a ailable to low-income families. Part of the program, known as
� Title XX, provide full subsidies to families with incomes from 0 to 60 of
the media ; the ot er part, known as the Sliding Fee Program, provides pa tial
sulbsidies n a slid ng scale to families with incomes between 60 and 70 of
th� media .
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The program funding is grossly inadequate to serve all those eligible, however. �
As of the summer of 1985, over 140 families were on the waiting list for the
sliding fee program alone, and more would be on the waiting list if the
program were advertised. Resources for Child Caring, the non-profit or- � �
ganization which administers the sliding fee program in Ramsey County, es-
timates that an additional $720,000 per year would be required to serve all
those eligible. �
Another major source of child care subsidy for low and moderate income
families, and �he major form of federal government involvement in child care
is the Child Care Tax Credit. The allowed credit depends on the amount spent �
on child care and income, and ranges from 3096 of expenses or a maximum of
$720 for a one-child family earning less than $10,000, to 2096 of expenses or a
maximum of $480 for a one-child family earning over $28,000. The credit �
maximums are doubled for families with two or more children.
A similar credit can be taken at the state level. To qualify for the state credit, �
however, family with one child must make less than $23,000 adjusted gross �
income, and a family with two or more children, less than $31,000.
While the Tax Credit assists families having difficulty paying for child care �
and is a very significant subsidy both from the federal and state's perspective,
it still does not take care of the full problem faced by very low income
families. For instance, a family making less than $10,000 could take a maxi- �
mum credit of $720 on each return. If the family paid close the the average
amount for child care (around $3,000), this would still leave them with about
$1560 left to pay for child care expenses, amounting to about fifteen percent �
of their total income.
B. Scarce Supply of "Special" Child Care; Threatened Future Supply of Family
Providers �
i. Unavailabilitv of "Snecial" Child Care
If parents only seek full-time regular hour care for a 3 or 4 year old, chances �
are the current supply of child care will meet their needs. However, many
parents are not finding what they want: only 5096 of all referrals for licensed
child care end in enrollment, and the remaining 5096 find other arrangements.
Some of the most difficult types of child care to find are: �
Infant and Toddler Care
3896 of all referrals to licensed care in Ramsey County last year were �
for infants, and 1796 were for toddlers. At the same time, the supply of
slots for infants and toddlers was scarce. Only about half of all
providers will accept infants, and the remainder generally will only �
take one or two.
School-Age Care
Although the number of referrals for this group was significantly less �
than that for infants, parents still have difficulty finding slots for
their school age children. Many providers would rather care only for
full-time children since it pays better, and it is easier to establish con- �
stant staff to child ratios. In addition, many providers have a majority
of preschoolers, and do not care to mix age groups.
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� Sick are
Child care ce ters are prohibited from caring for sick children, a d
most amily d y care homes do not wish to care for sick children. F r
� paren s who annot stay home with their children, this presents a
monu ental roblem. The referral service lists several sick ca e
provi ers, but the cost is usually prohibitive for most families.
� Odd- our Car
Some arents eed child care for only certain days of the week, at o d
hours of the ay, or for only a short period of time (such as during a
� two eek sch ol vacation). Such "drop-in" care arrangements are ve y
diffi lt to fi d in the formal child care system because most provid s
are ei her fill d to capacity or choose not to take on irregular, pa t-
� - time rrange nts.
ii. i h Fa il Chil Pr vi er Turnover
� The supply f famil child care homes is in danger of decreasing rapidly n
the near fut re. Fa ily child care providers are in a tenuous position: n
average, the made nly $11,000 gross income (this excludes such expenses s
� food, and w ges for assistants) in 1984 for providing child care services, y t
many now ce a g eat financial burden because of new licensing requir -
ments which reyuire ostly home and equipment changes. In particular, so e
� homes must emodel indows so they will meet fire code standards, put in fi e
doors, and a d or re lace railings and locks. Many must also purchase n w
cribs or play equipm nt to meet new standards.
� Another ma r cost acing providers is liability insurance. In the past ye r,
many provi ers hav experienced a 5009�o increase in their insurance cos s.
Last year, c sts rang d from $55 to $150 per year; this year typical covera e
� costs $334 to $580 pe year.
For these an other easons, family providers leave the business after a rel -
tively short eriod o time. In 1984, 25°6 of the existing licensed homes 1 ft
� the business. New p viders are entering the business; however, the gain is n t
keeping up ith the ncreasing demand.
� Another obs acle to mily child care providers is the lack of enough county
licensing wo kers to ecruit and train providers as well as inspect and enfor e
licensing re uireme ts. Although the county has agreed to hire two m re
� licensing sta f in Ja uary of 1986, the staff will still have difficulty keepi g
up with new licensin requests.
C. Child Ca e Has L w Visibility and Priority
� Despite the fact tha the need for child care is growing as more and m re
women ente the wo kforce, child care has low visibility and priority in t e
� public's eye
Evidence of this incl des:
� *Con inued i adequate funding for child care programs and licensi g
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workers
*Little coordination between public agencies to deal with child care �
issues
*No designated staff within the city to deal with child care issues.
*Absence of collaborative effort between employment and training
programs and child care providers. �
Since child care has been so closely related to family life and home, both the
private and public sectors have not made the adjustments necessary to address �
the now more universal need in an efficient way.
The low visibility and priority of child care is just one aspect of a broader
problem, however: the low visibility and priority of children's issues in �
general. The inadequacy of education, the increasing amount of child abuse
and neglect, and the number of children in poverty are other important issues
that have not been adeyuately dealt with in public policy. Child care issues �
must be dealt with in the context of all children's issues.
D. Employer/Employee Concerns �
As more and more women entcr the workforce, employers are finding it to
their advantage to deal more directly with the chil�l care problems of its
employees. �
The Child Care Task Force surveyed the city's employees to determine how
concerned they are with child care problems. The survey found that the city's �
employees are older than average, have higher incomes than average, and that
the city has more male dominated occupations (such as fire and police) than
the average employer. Because of these factors, St. Paul employees seem to
have fewer child care problems than employees of most companies. In �
addition, participants in several focus group sessions with city personnel indi-
cated that they were fairly satisfied with the way the city has responded to
their child care needs. �
However, many employees did have specific child care concerns that could be
better dealt with by the city as an employer. Some of these major concerns -
expressed by St. Paul employees were: �
*Caring for sick children;
*Caring for children on vacation from school; j
*Need for help and understanding when having difficulty finding new �
providers; and
*Need for more flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, or
more part-time hours. �
For several reasons, the Task Force concluded that there may not be enough
demand from city employees for child care services to establish a child care �
center for city employees alone. As noted above, the overall characteristics of
St. Paul employees seem to indicate that they have fewer child care problems
than those of most companies. In addition, over 70°�0 of employees who did
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� have child c re conc rns stated they would rather have care available near r
their home, i a fami y setting, than downtown. However, it may be possib e
for t�e city o work ith other employers in the downtown area to establi h
� such � center
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IV. ROL S AN RESPONSIBILITIES
� There are ny lev ls of government as well as non-profit agencies a d
private grou s involv d in the regulation, licensing and provision of child ca e.
� The federal nd stat governments provide the Child Care Tax Credit, and t e
state license child are centers and provides funds for day care subsid .
� Ramsey Cou ty lice ses family day care homes and administers the subsi y
available to ower in ome households. It is the County, rather than the cit ,
that traditio ally has direct responsibility for social services. City governme t
inspects chil care c nters for compliance with health regulations and has i -
� portant infl ence on any home or center in the city through its zoning a d
building cod regulat ons.
� The distribu ion of egulatory responsibility can mean confusion, difficul y,
and txpense or care providers. Most importantly, perhaps, it means that the e
is no center or acco ntability or clear overall responsibil�ty for the public i -
terest in a s isfacto child care system.
� The task fo ce has ncluded that new responses are needed at each level to
address the roblems identified, and that the city must take on a stronger r le
� than it has n the p st to deal with child care problems. The city has m re
mechanisms for dir ct citizen contact than other levels of government, a d
city govern ent op rates a variety of services which can provide valua le
� resources fo quality child care. In addition, the city can provide the impet s
for Surroun ing uni s of government, neighborhood groups, city employe s,
and non-pro it agen ies to work together to set new priorities and directi ns
for Child ca e in St. aul.
� Generally, t e task f rce sees the following major roles and responsibilities or
units of gov rnment nd other groups involved in child care:
� Federal Gov rnment
The federal govern ent should continue to allow a child care tax credit to
� help allevia e the co t of child care for low and middle income families.
Statie of Mi nesota
The state sh uld ens re adequate funding for child care subsidies for low n-
� come famili s, prov'de adequate, well qualified staff for its licensing and n-
spection fu ction, a d continue the leadership it has exercised recently to ee
that child c re need are assessed and addressed statewide.
� Ramsey Co ty
The county must e sure adequate staffing for a good, timely response on
licensing re uests a d appropriate monitoring of child care needs. Because of
� their prima y role i licensing, and hence their close relationship with m ny
of the prov ders, th county should take major responsiUility for developm nt
of a good c ild care information system.
� City of St. aul
The city ca not tak over the general social service responsibility assigned t
the county, r the fi ancial responsibility for necessary subsidy from the st te.
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It does, however, have important resources of its own for support of child �
care; it is one of the city's major employers; and it is in a position to provide
leadership to focus the resources of various actors for improvement of child
care in the city. The city can take steps to improve accessibility of child care �
to low-income residents, help providers meet new licensing requirements, raise
the visibility of child care needs and the priority given to child care concerns
in the community, and assist its own employees with child care needs. �
In addition, many of the services which are the direct responsibility of city
government such as recreation programs and facilities and libraries can help �
to support quality child care, and provide more support to families with work-
ing parents with sensitivity to the needs in programming.
St. Paul School District �
The school district should expand its role particularly in the provision of ex-
tended programs for school-aged children in need o€ care outside of school
hours, and continue to explore other possibilities for using its facilities and �
programming resources to meet more of the need for quality care for children.
District Councils
The St. Paul District Planning Councils should inventory child care needs and �
services in these areas and consider district actions appropriate to needs
identified. This might include: a referral system through council offices to
help families make connection with potential care providers; organization of �
special projects to providc child care on a cooperative Uasis and to address
special care needs not easily met through regular providers, including care for
sick children and odd-hour and irregular care. �
St. Paul Employers
St. Paul Employers should carefully consider employee child care needs in
their planning of child care services and benefits for thier employees. They �
should support the Chamber of Commerce Child Care Task Force Action Plan
to increase the availability of child care in the city and support community
agencies addressing child care issues. �
Child Care Community
Child care support agencies such as Resources for Child Caring and the
Family Day Care Association, as well as individual providers should continue �
to take responsibility for making high quality care possible and making care
responsive to changing demand.
Parents �
Parents with children in child care should continue to be ultimately reponsible
for deciding what kind of care is best for their children, and for determining �
whether or not their provider is giving good quality care to their children.
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� V. GO LS A D RECOMMENDATIONS
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GOAL #1
EN�URE HAT C ILDREN ARE NOT DENIED GOOD DAY CARE B -
� CAXJSE O LOW F MILY INCOME
Recommen ed New nitiatives/Policy Directions
1 1.1 The i shoul work with foundations cor orations and church rou to
ma e hil care m e affordable to low-income residents
� The task f rce cam to one ma jor conclusion in its assessment: the number one
prablem in the chi d care system is the gap between the cost of quality are
� �and the a unt of oney m.any people who need child care are able to pay In
ordier to p ovide g od quality child care, providers must charge high rat to
paX their orkers (or themselves, if they are family child care provi ers)
enpugh to attract highly qualified personnel and encourage long-t rm
� commitme t. Yet, he cost of such good quality care is way beyond the r ach
of anost lo -incom families. Even when providers pay their workers or t em-
selves low ages (a is currently the case for most providers), most low inc me
� families ca not aff rd child care services without some assistance.
Fo many ervices, even middle and higher income households do not expe t to
pa� what servic costs to attract highly qualified personnel and encou age
� lo�g term ommit ent. Public education is one example of this: all of so iety
pays for e ucation of children, not just parents alone. Funding for child are
ha$ gener lly been the parents' responsibility, however, and at current c sts, .
� child care s not af ordable to many families who need it.
Several su sidy p grams are currently in place to meet the needs of ow-
� income pa ents in the city. However, the programs are clearly inadeq ate.
Resources for Chi d Caring has estimated that there are about 350 fa ilies
� with child en eligi le for the Sliding Fee Program, but only 100 are now ing
served. T fully eet the need of all families eligible, an additional $72 ,000
� would be equired nnually.
City Resp nse
� One impo tant res onse to the problem is to increase th� subsidy availab e to
lo�v-incom parent for good quality child care. Ideally, increasing the s ate-
funded sli ing fee program would Ue the best way to address this problem (see
' re�ommen ation 1 2). The Child Care Task Force recognizes, however, that
su�h a ch nge at he state level will require a great dcal of time and e fort.
T e Task Force hus recommends that the city join together with area
fo ndatio s, corp rations and church groups to establish a two-year fu d to
� su sidize hild ca e for the low income residents of the city. The purpo e of
th� fund ill be o deal with immediate problems some low-income fa ilies
ar� havin with f nding child care, and document how child care subs dies
� contribut to thei ability to become self-sufficient. The two-year tim line
will allow for ad inistrators to gather information to support increasin the
funding f r the sli ing fee program at the state level.
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The Task Force recommends that the city take the lead in establishing such a
fund, and that it contribute some city money to the fund to demonstrate the �
commitment the city has to the goal of making child care more affordable for
low income residcnts. Area foundations, corporations, and thc United Way
should also be approached to contribute to the fund. The fund could Ue ad- �
ministered either by the city or by a private agency or foundation.
An example of how such a fund could work is presented by the City of
Minneapolis. Minneapolis has subsidized child care for the past 10 years, with �
funds from the Community Development Block Grant. Funds are used each
year in a variety of ways, including providing some direct subsidies to low-
income families, some direct grants to child care centers serving low-income �
children, and grants for special projects. One year the program funded a
�epair service for family child care homes; and for several years it has funded
"area child care representatives" who provide technical assistance to family �
day care providers in the neighborhoods of Minneapolis. The fund is ad-
ministered by the Greater Minneapolis Day Care Association, and decisions on
project funding are made by a citizen review panel.
The major thrust of the St. Paul fund would be to provide direct subsidies to �
low income families who have been eligible for, but are not receiving, state
subsidies. In addition, a portion of the fund could be used to fund neighbor- �
hood initiatives (see recommendation 2.1) which would increase the supply and
yuality of child care for all income groups.
The Child Care Advisory Group (see recommendation 3.3) should coordinate �
the establishment of the fund after the city has made the initial contribution.
The Advisory Group should: 1) contact interested foundations and charitable
organizations for contributions to the fund; 2) set guidelines for how the �
fund should be used; 3) decide what agency should administer the fund; and 4)
document how the fund has contributed to the self-sufficiency of families
who have participated. �
1.2 The State of Minnesota should inerease funding for the slidin� fee child
care nroQram. �
The Sliding Fee Program funded by the State of Minnesota is inadequate to
meet the child care needs of low-income families. St. Paul alone would need �
an additional $720,000 per year to serve all families eligible for the program.
State Response �
The State of Minnesota should increase funding for the sliding fee program to
cover all of the eligible participants in that program. The City of St. Paul
should adopt this as part of the city's legislative program, and let the state
know that this is a top priority for the city. �
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GOAL #2
� I1�CREAS THE NUMBER AND VARIETY OF CHILD CARE OPP R-
TUNITIE
R�comme ded Ne Initiatives/Policy Directions
� 2.1 The it sho ld e tablish a r ram to fund n i hborhood initi tiv s to
in rease ild are n w in short u 1
� AS shown bove i the background section, odd-hour care and care for inf nts,
toCldlers, chool-a e children, and sick children are all in short supply. One
� important way to ddress this problem is through neighborhood initiativ s to
support b th form 1 and informal types of arrangements. Neighborhoods re a
logical pl ce to be in to increase the supply of child care available as w 11 as
� to help e 'sting p viders stay in business. Neighborhood groups can ide tify
prioblems heir res dents are having with child care more easily than any roup
at the co nty or ity level, and are in a better position to develop innov tive
projects t assist t eir residents.
� C�ty Resp nse
T1�e city s ould es ablish a program to promote neighborhood initiatives t in-
� crease ch ld care ow in short supply and to increase affordable child care
o�portuni ies. he program would be patterned after the Neighbo ood
P�rtnersh p Progr m: neighborhoods would submit proposals for project ap-
prlopriate for thei residents, and would be required to match city fu ding
� requested Some i eas for possible projects include:
a) Sick Ch Id/Drop-in Care Networks
� Th neigh orhood is the ideal level to develop a network of p ople
wi ling to rovide care on a drop-in or emergency basis. In this ty e of
', pr ject, a istrict council or other community group could com ile a
lis of peo le willing to provide drop-in care, and then act as a re erral
� fo people needing the service. One approach might be to r cruit
se iors in he neighborhood to provide the care on a volunteer asis,
pe haps in xchange for services or transportation.
, b) Suppor Groups for Neighborhood Providers
N ighborh ods could also establish support groups for family pro iders
� in areas ere there are none. The purpose of the support g oups
w uld be o give family providers a means to exchange ideas a in-
fo mation o improve the quality of care and deal with problems they
fa e. The Ramsey County Family Day Care Association also pro otes
� in ormal s pport groups for family providers throughout the area and
w uld be valuable resource to assist neighborhoods to establish such
gr ups.
� c) Child re Cooperatives
C ild care cooperatives give parents an opportunity to participate more
� ac ively i their children's child care setting. Advantages of co pera-
ti es are t at costs can Ue reduced by having parents work at the nter
fo a cert 'n number of hours each week, and that parents can c ntrol
de ision king by on the board. Neighborhood groups could se k in-
� te ested re idents and begin the process of developing such cooper tives.
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d) Single Parent Support Groups �
Neighborhoods could also establish support groups for single parents
who are at home raising their children. Participants could help each �
other cope with difficult situations, as well as exchange informal child
care services.
The city should designate the Child Care Advisory Group as the entity to �
develop the funding and guidelines for this program (see Recommendation
3.3). One option for funding neighborhood initiatives would be to designate a
certain portion of the Child Care Fund for this purpose (see Recommendation �
1.1). In addition, the city should designate staff to provide technical assis-
tance to neighborhood groups in the following areas: writing grant proposals
ta foundations, setting up non-profit organizations, and small business
assistance. �
2.2 The citv should expand its efforts to assist new and existin� oroviders �
with findin� start up monev or fundin� for renovations to meet new licensin�
rules.
In October of 1985, family child care providers were required to meet new and �
stricter licensing regulations. The new state regulations, known as "Rule 2",
mean that many providers must remodel windows, replace doors and railings,
add or remove locks, buy fire safety equipment, and buy regulation cribs and �
play equipment. The expense of ineeting the new regulations is a ma jor
obstacle for some providers. Enforcement threatens the closing of some
licensed child care services. �
City Response
The City has valuable tools to help child care providers meet the immediate
problem of new and expensive facility improvement requirements. S'pecial ef- �
forts are needed to make sure that the city's rehabilitation and business
development resources are directed in the most effective way to the immediate
rehabilitation and special business development needs of child care providers. �
The following summarize ideas on how the city can assist child care businesses:
a) Use City Residential Rehabilitation Funds to meet licensing
requirements; modify program guidelines so that those providers who ��
do not meet income criteria but who serve low-income children also
qualify for city assistance.
b) Assist potential providers with seeking SBA 7(a) loan guarantees (a ,
program for new small businesses which guarantee bank loans up to
9096), loans from the Community Initiatives Consortium (a consortium �
of insurance companies which loan money to businesses with com-
munity impact), and tax-exempt bonds.
c) Participate in the Chamber of Commerce Task Force work to . �
provide incentives to new providers.
Staff from within the Neighborhood and Housing Rehab Divisions of the �
Department of Planning and Economic Development should continue to work
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with child ca e busin sses seeking assistance.
�
2.3 he it shoul rovi information nd assistance to hil r r vid
� so th c n tt r it r source to im rove the u li of their r r s.
In ad iti n e ci ould m ke cit re ources for childr n n f mili mo e
acc s ibl f arents who work full-time durin the w ek.
� The city ha many esources available that can play an important role n
providing hi h quali child care. However, most child care providers fail o
take advant ge of t ese resources, which include Public Health servic ,
� Library prog ams, an Parks and Recreation programs.
In addition, any wo king parents find it difficult to take advantage of the e
same resoure s, beca se they are often only available during regular worki g
� hours.
City �tespons
� Somei specif' ways he city could improve its community services are s
folloWs:
' a) H alth
� 1) Th Public Health Division should add Saturday hours f r
service to children, such as dental clinics;
2) Th Division should answer health concerns of child ca e
� , provid rs that go beyond what they learn at training classes, a d
provid refcrral to existing resources for special needs childre ;.
' 3) Th Division should train child care center staff to do so e
health creening (such as taking strep throat cultures)
� b) Li raries:
1) All w family child care providers to get a group card f r
� their c ildren (as child care centers are currently allowed to d )
2) Dir ct appropriate publicity to both child care centers a d
family child care providers to encourage them to use t e
� librari s. Ideas to emphasize include: ways library staff c n
help pr viders (by selecting age-specific or topic materials; rea -
ing to roups at the library, doing bookmobile and library� orie -
� tations for groups, arranging films and video rentals); boo -
mobile stops at child care centers; and involving children n
summe reading programs.
� c) Pa ks and ecreation
1) Ge erate Booster Club funds for creative, non-athletic a -
tivities for young children and post-school activities;
' 2) See grant money for unique programming for children n
` ' child c re;
3) Coo dinate with libraries for new activities;
4) Re ruit more volunteers--perhaps seniors--to supervise ne
� activiti s;
5) Mo nt a publicity campaign to generate interest in progra s
tailore to child care needs;
� 6) A d athletic and non-athletic activities on evenings a d
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weekends so that full-time working parents can participate or �
attend programs with their children.
Staff from the Department of Community Services should develop and imple- �
ment these ideas, and to add new directions as appropriate. Funding for these
initiatives should come out of existing resources, or, as designated, from �
private sources.
2.4 The citv should assist nroviders interested in establishinf� downtown child �
care bv eliminatinQ some ma ior barriers facinQ those nroviders.
The demand for downtown child care is growing while the supply is limited. �
The nine licensed centers closest to downtown St. Paul had a combined waiting
list of 300 in December of 1984, and were receiving a combined 120 calls per
week from parents looking for care. �
A number of barriers face providers wanting to establish downtown child care.
While some barriers stem from health and safety requirements (such as the
rule barring centers from any floor of a building other than ground level) and �
cannot be resolved by the city, several could be alleviated by city action.
These include:
a) Limited availability of nearby parking spaces for parents to drop- �
off/pick up their children;
b) No appropriately designed outdoor spaces for children to play and �
limited vacant land to develop such space;
c) Zoning code language which only allows child care centers �
developed in inclustrial zones to serve one company's employees.
City Response �
The City of St. Paul should help eliminate these barriers where appropriate in
specific instances by:
a) Designating loading zones in front of child care centers as necessary; �
b) Considering play areas equipped for child care when planning out
door space in downtown; and �
c) Change the zoning code to allow industrial zone child care centers
to serve employees of more than one company in the area. �
Appropriate city staff should assist downtown child care providers on a case
by case basis. The Neighborhood Development Division of PED should coor-
dinate such efforts. �
2.5 The citv should nublish a comnrehensive information nacket to assist �
�eonle considerinQ startin� child care centers or familv child care businesses.
Potential child care providers must deal with a large number of rules and
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reguilations efore t ey can establish a child care business. The laws they m st
� comply wit exceed those for most other types of business. State licens'ng
ruleS specif such t ings as type of equipment required, staff-to child rati s,
healith and afety r uirements, and programming requirements among ma y
� items. In a dition, roviders must meet local fire, building, zoning and hea th
ordipances. The req irements are complex, and many potential providers n ed
assistance w th inter retation.
� City Respon e
The city sh uld pu lish a comprehensive information packet to assist peo le
considering tarting hild care centers or family day care. At a minimum, e
� packet shou includ the following:
a) icensin requirements for child care centers, family child c re
� home , and g up family child care homes;
� b) A plicabl zoning, fire and building code information•
�
� c) A list of ntacts at the city, county, and state level for further n-
form tion in ach area;
� d) eneral usiness start-up information on such things as accounti g
and t xes.
The 'city sh uld eit r appoint an appropriate department to implement t is
� recotnmenda ion, or contract with a community child care organization to
deveilop the acket.
� 2.6 he it should han e the zonin code so that it is consistent with the 1-
1 w ble 1 ve s of chi dren in licen d child ar homes.
� The St. Pau zoning ode now defines family day care and group family d y
care based o outdat d licensing requirements. The zoning code now reads:
� a) F mil Da Care: A day care program providing care for not m re
than six chil ren at one time, including the day care provider's a d
helpe 's own hildren under school age.
, b) rou Fa il Da Care: A day care program providing care or
more than six but not more than ten children at one time, including t e
� provi er's an helper's own children under school age.
City Respon e
The �oning ode sho ld be amended to reflect the greater numbers of childr n
� now ',allowed under t e new state rules governing licensing of child care. T e
new '�definiti ns wou read as follows to accommodate current state rules:
a) F mil Da Care: A day care program providing for not more th n
� 10 ch ldren a one time of which no more than six are under lst gra e.
The 1 censed apacity must include all children of any caregiver wh n
the c ildren a e present in the residence.
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b) C�roun Familv Dav Care: A day care program providing for not
more than 14 children at one time. The total number of children in- �
cludes all children of any caregiver when the children are present in
the residence.
It may be most advantageous to amend the zoning code so that it refers to state �
code rather than list specific definitions.
2.7 The school district should take the lead resnonsibilitv in coordinatin� �
before and after school care for children in the �ublic schools.
Parents find it especially difficult to find before and after school care for �
their school-age children. In addition, many families simply cannot afford
such service, even where it is available. Often, children are left to care for �
themselves while their parents are at work. Some children left on their own
. may be mature enough to handle emergencies that arise; however, for their
best development, they need an environment within which they can feel both
safe and free to explore. As families become less able to provide this �
environment, organized services and activities emerge as a critical element in
a child's development.
Many resources throughout the city could be used together to create rich and �
exciting child care programs for school-age children. City libraries and
recreation programs, community organizations, parents groups, family and �
group family day care programs, youth-serving agencies, and agencies serving
children with special needs all have resources to contribute to school-age care
programs.
The public school system, however, is the most central resource for school-age �
care programs. The schools have such close everyday contact with school-age
children and their parents, extensive knowledge of the differing needs of �
children between the ages of five and thirteen, and a wealth of resources that
could be used for after-school care programs, that they would be the most
logical place to coordinate such organized services and activities. In the
process of coordinating such programs, an emphasis should be placed on find- �
ing ways to allow children from low-income families to participate.
School District Response �
In response to the problem of scarcity and affordability of before- and after-
school care, the school district should:
a) undertake a study to determine parents' demand for school-age care; �
b) increase the supply of services, in cooperation with city libraries
and recreation programs, community organizations, parent groups, ex- �
isting before and after school care providers, youth-serving agencies,
and agencies serving children with special needs;
c) seek financial support from private and public sources so that more �
low-income families can be served;
d) support or conduct research on the short- and long-term effects of �
22 �
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school age chi d care on children's development and on the effects n
� young childre of prolonged periods of self care.
The school d strict s ould first survey parents to determine their school-a e
child care n eds. S cond, the district should initiate discussions with a -
� propriate cit agenci s, foundations, child care providers, community group ,
non-profit a ncies s rving youth, and the Chamber of Commerce to genera e
more specifi ideas o the structure of after-school programs. A major e -
� phasis shoul be plac d on dealing with the transportation problems involve
in after-scho 1 progr ms which are located in places other than the scho 1
building.
� The program should e funded through a combination of parent fees, chil
care subsidy progra (Title XX and Sliding Fee) for low income familie ,
and private urces f r low-income families who are eligible for, but are n t
� receiving, ass stance t rough the child care subsidy programs.
1 2.8 am e ount nd the State of Minnesota ho ld ensure th t it hil
care l�i nsin staff is ufficient to handle the increa in number f child ca
licen in a ications and the on oin monitorin function.
� The Child C re Tas Force considers licensing a very important functio ,
neces�ary to nsure t at certain minimum standards are met by all provider .
Curre!nt regu ations c ver the following: facility; building, fire and zonin
� codes; progr m bala e; health and safety standards; nutrition; supply an
equipment; st ff qual fications; group sizes; staff to children ratios; and clas -
ification acc rding t infant, toddler, pre-school, and school age. Althoug
certai� stand rds ma be excessive and should be subject to review and rev'-
� sion as their egative effects are felt by providers; overall, the task force co
siders'that lic nsing i very valuable and should be continued.
� Curre�tly, th major roblem with licensing is that neither the county (whic
licenses fami y child care homes) nor the state (which licenses child car
centers) has e ough st ff to handle new applications or on-going monitoring o
� existing prov ders. amsey County child care licensing workers have a
average case oad of 53, compared to an average case load of 165 for He
nepin, Count child re licensing workers. This fall, the Ramsey Count
child care lic nsing st ff was forced to close intake of new applications, sinc
� the current orkload prevented them from investigating applicants properl .
Licensing sta f have bcen expected to handle the increasing volume of a -
plications for licensur as well as deal with all of the licensed providers wh
� are in crisis a d consi ering dropping out of the program.
Currently, th state c n only visit all full-time programs once every year, an
half-day pro rams on e every two year. State licensing staff used to visi
� more aften, b t visits ave been reduced due to an increased workload withou
increalsed sta ing,
� County and S ate Res onse
Rams¢y Coun y recen ly approved the hiring of two more licensing staff i
respo�se to t e rece t upsurge in family child care licensing application .
� Howeyer, the emand or new licenses and the need for licensing examiners t
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give assistance to homes already licensed have been so great that these two �
staff people will probably be inadequate to meet the need.
Both Ramsey County and the State of Minnesota should reevaluate their staff-
ing needs in this area, and add or reallocate staff to child care licensing as �
necessary.
2.9 The State should continue to exnlore wavs to ensure continued availabilitv �
and affordabilitv of insurance for child care nroviders.
Liability insurance costs for child care providers have skyrocketed over �
the past year. Last year, costs ranged from $55 to $150 per year for a family
provider, depending on coverage and number of children insured. This fall,
typical coverage costs anywhere from $334 ta $580 per year depending on the
number of children for which the provider is licensed. �
Along with rising costs, limited availability of insurance coverage has also be-
come an issue. Family child care providers had a number of options available �
to them at one time, but now only several agencies provide this type of
insurance.
Child care providers are not alone in having problems with availability and �
cost of insurance. The insurance problem for child care providers is just one
aspect of a more sweeping insurance crisis that has affected many groups, in-
cluding human service agencies, foster parents, and nurse-midwives among �
others. Deregulation of the financial industry in the early 80's, coupled with
recent extensive losses in the insurance industry has led most carriers to drop
specialty lines of insurance.
State Response �
The power to resolve this problem lies outside the city. The State of Min-
nesota is currently exploring a number of options to deal with the insurance �
problems of child care providers (as well as other businesses and organizations
having difficulty getting insurance coverage), such as:
a) authorizing the state to issue property insurance to policyholders ,
who cannot obtain coverage on the private market;
b) authorizing assigned risk pools in a line where a policyholder can- ,
not obtain such insurance in the private market;
c) strengthening consumer protection legislation, declaring midterm �
cancellations of commercial policies or failure to give 60 days notice of
non-renewal as an unfair practice;
d) requiring commercial policies and rates to be filed with the state; �
e) amending the rate statutes to enforce the provision prohibiting in-
surance rates from being excessive, inadequate or unduly �
discriminating.
The city should add this issue to its legislative program, and lobby for specific �
legislative changes as they are introduced.
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� GOAL #3
RAISE TH VISIB LITY OF CHILD CARE NEEDS AND THE PRIORI Y
FOR CHIL CARE N CITY PUBLIC POLICY, COMMUNITY DISCUSSI N,
� AND GOVE NMEN OPERATION
Recommend d New nitiatives/Policy Directions
� 3.1. The Ci shoul establish clear staff res onsibilit to coordinate it n-
itia ives for im rov d child care in t. P ul.
� One of th most ifficult problems confronting the development of p-
propriate p blic po icy for child care is the lack of a central staff per on
devoted to nalysis f child care issues and coordination of efforts support ng
child care i the cit . A staff person is needed to represent the city's conc rn
� about this ' sue an the commitment to address the problems of child care in
the city.
� City Respo se
Given all t at the t sk force feels can be done to good advantage by the c ty,
it appears hat the most effective way to ensure necessary accountabil ty,
� visibility, a d consi tent effort would be through the establishment of a er-
manent ful -time s ff position in city government for the coordination of
child care ' itiativ . The task force thus recommends that a full time p si-
tion be add d to co rdinate child care initiatives in the city.
� The duties or the sition should include:
� a) und-rai ing for the fund to subsidize child care for the work ng
poor (See Re ommendation 1.1);
b) orking with the Department of Community Services to impr ve
� city esource for child care providers (See Recommendation 2.3);
c) verseei g the effort to promote neighborhood child care initiati es
� (See Recom endation 2.1);
d) cting a a liaison to the school district to aid in their effort to ex-
� pan their r le in care of school-age children (See Recommendation .7);
e) cting a a liaison to the state and county to bring up and res Ive
chil care i ues that involve more than one governmental level ee
' Rec mmend tions 1.2; 2.8; and 2.9);
f) orking with the Youth Initiatives Task Force to emphasize the
� val of chi ren in our city (See Recommendation 3.2);
g) taffing he Child Care Advisory Group (see Recommendation 3. );
� h) orking with the Chamber of Commerce on their effort to exp nd
ava'lability f child care (See Recommendation 3.4);
� 3.2 The �t shou d rovide leadershi for the develo ment of a lon -t rm
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communications nroQram to imnrove services to children and emnhasize the �
value of children in the citv.
People often perceive the city as a place unwelcome for children. Families �
tend to move from the city after they have children, thinking that the suburbs
will be a better place to raise them. Although many good resources exist for
families with children in St. Paul, the city should make a concerted effort to
improve the overall situation for children, and make people more aware of �
how the city already is attractive for children.
City Response �
The "KidsPlace" program undertaken by the City of Seattle attracted the at-
tention of the task force as the kind of effort needed to bring diverse seg-
ments of the community together in a strong commitment to better provision �
foz children throughout the city. In St. Paul, the establishment of a Youth In-
itiatives Task Force is under consideration, a group which would address the
needs of youth as well as children. Such a group could provide the leadership
needed for a broad ranging program that would heighten awareness of the �
needs of children and youth and give these needs higher priority in both
public and private agendas. It will be important that the interests of the
youngest children are well represented on the task force. �
The city should proceed to establish a Youth Initiatives Task Force and ap-
point people who will represent the needs of young children to serve on it.
�
3.3 The citv should establish an advisory Qroup to review chanain� child care
needs, to oversee implementation of the Child Care Task Force �
recommendations, and to rccommend new oolicv directions on child care.
Child care issues are complex and involve many units of government and non- �
profit organizations as well as child care providers. Individual groups have
discussed child care problems and made recommendations to resolve them, but
there have been few attempts to do this jointly. It is especially important to
get the city, county and school district together to discuss these issues since the �
decisions of any one of these units of government have such a strong impact
on the other two.
City Response �
The Child Care Task Force attempted to examine many child care problems in
the city. However, many issues cannot be dealt with in a short term approach.
An on-going advisory group is needed to regularly review changing child care �
needs, to oversee implementation of the Child Care Task Force recommenda-
tions and to recommend new policy directions on child care.
The city should establish an on-going Child Care Advisory Group with repre- �
sentatives of child care users, family child care providers, child care center
providers, organizations concerned with child care issues and Early Childhood �
Education, the State Department of Human Services, and appropriate city,
county and school district departments.
3.4 The citv should work with the Chamber of Commerce in their effort to �
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� x n vail ili f hil r
A tas k rce o f he C ham ber o f Commerce in now deve loping recom en da-
t�ons on how the Chamber can increase the availability of Child Care. The
� task for is reco mending four strategies:
1 Spons a Family Child Care Recruitment Campaign with an ncen-
� ti e progr m to increase the number of net new providers by 200.
2 Stimul te the development of new child care centers with an ncen-
� ti e progr m to increase the number of new slots for children by 00.
3) Join � a partnership with the St. Paul School System to e plore
w ys in w ich the schools can provide before and after school car .
� 4) Prepar a Sick Child Care Report on the availability of sick child
c re servi es, and assist employers in addressing this issue for their
� e ployees
City Res onse
There ar severa parts of this campaign that call for the City of St. P ul to
ijoin in:
1) Refer otential new providers to the Chamber of Commerce f r in-
� k' d assis nce in starting up new programs;
2) Partici ate with the Chamber and the St. Paul Schools in discu sions
� o how t e schools can provide before and after school car (see
R comme dation 2.7).
The Chil Care ordinator (see recommendation 3.1) should oversee the city's
� cooperat on with the Chamber of Commerce on discussions with the chool
district, and sta f from the Neighborhood Development Division of PED
should c operate ith the Chamber on their business recruitment efforts.
�
3.5 Ram e ou t should take res onsibilit for an annual collection o data
�n hild are n e s.
� Currentl , data c llection on child care needs is scattered, irregular and iten
relies he vily on utdated census information. More information is nee d on
� the num er of c ildren needing child care, parents' current and pre erred
c�ild car arrang ments and families who cannot now afford child care.
� County esponse
The Chil Care ask Force recommends that one agency--Ramsey Co nty--
owersee n annua collection of data on child care needs. so that future deci-
sions are based o correct assumptions about the needs.
� W'here i ormati n is unavailable, Ramsey County should consider di ectly
surveyin provid rs and the general population of the area, or work with
� another i tereste agency or non-profit group to conduct such surveys.
�
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Data elements should include but not be limited to the following: �
1) Number of children needing child care in the city and county;
2) Number of child care centers and family child care slots, by age �
group served (i.e. infants, toddlers, preschoolers, etc.);
3) Number of families and children subsidized by the State Sliding Fee �
Program and by Title XX;
4) Numbers of children receiving care in child care centers, licensed �
child care homes, unlicensed child care homes, and at-home care by sib-
lings or relatives.
- 5) Number of children under age 10 who are left on their own for por- �
tions of the day.
6) Number of new and existing providers, by care type (i.e., number of ,
infant care providers, sick care providers, etc.) and number of
providers who have left the business.
Since Ramsey County licenses family child care homes and administers child ,
care subsidies, it would be appropriate for the county to regularly collect and
report data on child care. The Child Care Coordinator and the Child Care �
Advisory Group (see recommendation 3.3) should assist the county by provid-
ing direction on data needs. As necessary, the County should contract with a
private agency to conduct surveys for data unavailable elsewhere.
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GOAL #4
, IMPROVE HE CI Y'S RESPONSE TO THE CHILD CARE NEEDS OF TS
EMPLOYE S
� Recbmmen ed New nitiative/Policy Directions
4.1. Th i shoul revise it ersonnel licies to deal with the ro lem f
� ic child r and imited availabilit of od hours and onal child car .
In t�e St. P ul Empl yee Child Care Survey and child care focus group dis us-
sioris cond cted by the Task Force, the ma jor child care concerns noted re
� caring for sick c ildren and finding care at irregular working ho rs.
Employees felt the had adequate provision for emerQencv care but t ey
needed mo flexib lity to deal with sick children on a longer term basis. In
� addition, any cit d the problems they had with finding part-time or o d-
hou,r care, care fo children before and after school, and during sc ol
hol�days an vacati ns.
� City Respo se
The city sh uld re 'se its personnel policies to deal with these problems, nd
bargaining nits sh uld advocate for such changes. Some options include:
' , 1) ncreasi g flexible working arrangements, such as flextime, 'ob
shar ng, and art-time work;
� 2) llowing employees to use sick time when their children are ill, ot
just n emerg ncies as is currently the case.
� The city p rsonnel epartment should actively promote flexible working r-
rangements as an ption for city employees, as opposed to just inform ng
employees t rough ersonnel policies.
, The person el dep rtment should also undertake a study of the costs nd
benefits of xpandi g the use of sick leave as described above.
� 4.2 The ci shoul ublish a handbook to hel m lo ees find and u e c ild
car and t outline it olicies related to child care.
� Although c ild care concerns are not universal for employ.ees, many need lp
to find goo qualit care for their children. In addition, the focus group is-
cussions o child are revealed that many employees are unclear on ity
, policies w ich rel te to child care, including the use of sick leave or
emergencie , mater ity leave, and options for flexibie working arrangement .
City Respo se
� The city s uld pu lish a handbook to help parents find and use child c re,
and to outl ne city policies related to child care. The handbook could incl de
informatio on re erral services in Ramsey and surrounding counties, a
, description of wha licensing means, help with how to prepare children or
chi�d care, ips on hat to look for in good quality child care, among other
thidgs. T handb ok should be issued separately from the general pol'cy
handbook, nd shou d pertain only to child care concerns.
,
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Several employers in the area have produced such handbooks with the assis- �
tance of child care organizations. A similar handbook could be revised to fit
the needs of St. Paul employees, and reproduced at a low cost. The city per-
sonnel department should pursue the production of a child care handbook, �
with the assistance of area child care organizations or employers who have
produced similar publications.
4.3 The citv should contract with a nrivate aQencv to find child care for �
emnlovees who need it (narticularlv scarce services as sick care, odd-hour care,
aart-time care or infant carel. If certain tvnes of care are unavailable, the
service could recruit nroviders where the need is unmet. �
Again, as stated above, child care concerns are not universal for all city
employees. However, about 19% of the employees who responded to the survey
stated they did have problems with child care, and most of them stated it was �
because of difficulty with finding part-time or odd-hour care, care for sick
children, or care for school-age children during vacation and holidays. 139'0
responded that they had considered quitting their job because of child care �
concerns, and 10% stated that their spouse has considered quitting.
The city should contract with a private agency to find child care for its �
employees. The service would recruit child care providers if unavailable.
The city personnel department should be responsible for implementing this
recommendation. �
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VI. ON- OING CHILD CARE CONCERNS
,
The �hild C re Task orce was unable to fully address a number of concerns
� in its recom endatio s. The need to focus our report mainly on what the cit
can dIo to de with c ild care problems as well as the monumental nature of
some'of the roblems iscussed led the task force to recommend a broader-
� basec� Child are Ad isory Group (see Recommendation 3.5) to analyze these
issue� in grea er dept . These concerns are listed below, with questions
genenated by our disc ssions:
� 1. U�hsupervi ed Chil ren
How many c ildren g unsupervised for large portions of the day? How old
are tl�ese chi ren, an how old should children be before they are left on
� their�own fo parts o the day? What can the community do to address this
problem?
� 2. Law Wage of Chi Care Workers and Providers.
How can we aise wa es of people working in child care centers, or providin
family child are, so hat there w�ll be less turnover in the field? How can w
� increase the ublic's cceptance of the value of child care workers, and
wi1li�Dgness t pay mo e for such services?
3. E�raluatio of Fam ly Day Care Licensing Rules.
� Licensing of hild ca e providers is an appropriate public role for the
protection of childre , and it should be continued. However, individuals
concerned w'th child care continue to debate the value of specific regulation .
� How can we ake lic nsing work most effectively? Are regulations governin
fire and buil ing saf ty too severe, and are they making family providers go
out o�' busin s? Lice sing rules and their effects--both positive and negativ -
on family da care p oviders should be evaluated in light of recent
, experiences.
4. R@sponse o Illega Unlicensed Providers
� How many il egal unl censed family providers are there in the area, and why
do they cont' ue to g unlicensed? How can we bring them into the licensed
system? Giv n that 1 censing is an important function to help ensure parents
that their ch ldren w' 1 be safe in child care homes, should we be doing a
� better job of enforci g licensing requirements? What incentives can we offe
for purovider to beco e licensed?
, 5. R�le for enior Ci izens in Providing Child Care
One way to dress t e need for part-time, odd-hour, and sick care may be to
have senior c tizens t ke an active role in child care provision. However,
� manyi questi s must e answered before the city or a neighborhood group
could develo a proje t featuring senior citizens as providers. How can we
enco�}rage se iors to rovide child care? Would seniors who provide tempora y
childl care se vices ha e to be licensed? How would earnings from providing
, child care af ect Soci 1 Security payments? Could in-kind services such as
transportatio be exc anged for providing child care services?
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6. Private Employers' Role in Supporting Child Care
The Task Force recognizes that many employers in the community have taken �
active steps to assist their employees with child care needs. However, much
remains to be done to publicize those positive efforts, and encourage other
employers to follow suit. Which private employers provide direct child care �
assistance to their employees? How do personnel policies differ among area
companies, and which ones best support employees' child care needs? How can
we encourage companies to begin providing direct child care assistance as well
as to develop better personnel policies? �
7. Feasibility of Establishing a Downtown Child Care Center for City and
Other powntown Workers �
As stated in Section V, the Task Force concluded that at this time there may
not be enough city employees interested in using a downtown child care center
to warrant establishing such a center only for city employees. However, the
Task Force feels strongly that the city should be a model employer in this �
community, and should take steps to show what other employers can do for
their employees. With this in mind, the Advisory Group should investigate the
possibility of the city establishing a child care center with other downtown �
employers. Where should funding for starting a center come from? How
should fees be structured, and how could low-income employees be served?
What other employers might be interested in developing such a center? How
will the city's employee bargaining unit structure affect the ability of the city ,
to develop such a center?
8. Space Requirements for Child Care in New Developments �
The City of San Francisco has adopted a policy which requires developers to
set aside space for a child care center within new downtown developments. Is
this a policy St. Paul should adopt? How much overall demand is there for �
downtown child care?
9. Coordination Between Licensing Bodies: City, County, and State
The city, county, and state all license child care: the city regulates health '
requirements in centers; the state regulates child care centers on all aspects of
operation; and the county regulates family child care providers on all aspects
of operation. There is very little communication between these licensing '
bodies. What are the consequences of having little or no communication
between licensing bodies? For instance, since both the city and the state
enforce health regulations, how do they communicate the differences in
enforcement to center employees? �
10. Appropriateness of City Role in Licensing
The city now enforces its own licensing standards with regard to health ,
provisions in child care centers. Is this an appropriate role for the city? How
has enforcement of these regulations affected health of children in child care
centers? How are differences in degree of enforcement been coordinated �
between the state and the city?
11. Coordination/Collaboration with Church Groups
Many churches and parochial schools have developed or are now developing �
child care programs. How can other community groups and agencies
collaborate with them to build new child care options for the community?
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12. Support for Pare ts Who Stay Home With Children
, Many paren still c ose to stay home with their children, and though some
can �asily a ford to o so, many have difficulty affording this option. How
can we help upport arents who want to stay home to care for their childre ,
� but who hav diffic lty affording this option?
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' VII. ESTIMA ED F NDING AND STAFF TIME
ew Total
, ity New Staff
unding Funding Time
Recommend�tion eededl l� Needed Neede
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1.1 City/Found- 180,000 $720,000 .4 FT , for
� ation Fund o $238,000 two-ye r project
(Inclu ed in 3.1)
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. 2.1 Neighbor- 50,000 $150,000 .3 FTE for
hood Irritiatives�2� one-ye r project
� (Inclu ed in 3.1)
, 2.2 Assist Pro- -- --- .1 FTE on-going
viders w/funding
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� 2.3 Improve ci- 3) (3) (3)
ty resources
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2.4 Downtown -- --- (4)
' Day Care
� 2.5 Comp. Info. 1000 to $1000 to .4 FT , for
Packet 2000 $2000 2 mon hs only
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2.6 Zoning Code -- --- �4)
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� 2.7 School District- - --- �4)
After School Care
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New Total
City New Staff '
Funding Funding Time
Recommendation Needed`1� Needed Needed
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2.8 Ramsey County- --- --- (4)
State of MN-Licensing '
Staff .
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2.9 State of MN- --- --- (4)
Insurance Issue '
- 2 2 500 1 FTE on- oin �
3.1 Staff Per $3 ,500 $3 , , g g
son per year per year ,
3.2 Youth Ini- --- --- .2 FTE; on-going �
tiatives Board
r
3.3 Advisory --- --- .2 FTE, on-going
Group (Included in 3.1) '
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3.4 Work w/Cham- --- --- (4)
ber of Commerce
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3.5 Ramsey County- --- --- (4) ,
Data Collection
4.1 Personnel (3) (3) (3) �
Policies
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New Total
, City New Staff
Funding Funding Time
Recommendation Neededll� Needed Need d
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4.2 Handbook for $1,000 to $1,000 to .2 FT , for
' Employees $2,000 $2,000 two onths only
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4.3 Contract 2,000 to $2,000 to ---
� w/Private Aigency 3,000 per $3,000 per
ear year
, Total $266,5 0 to $906,500 to .6 FTE for t o months only
' 327,500 $909,500 1.3 FT on-going
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�1�Unless ot}�erwise 'ndicate , funding amounts are for one-time expenditures only.
I �2�This estimate is f r a one year project, with the assumption that it would be cont' ued if succes
�3�These ite�s need urther tudy to determine new funding and staff time needed.
, �4�Th i
ese dut es are stimate to be a very small port�on of one staff position.
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' APPEND X A: SUMMARY OF EMPLOYEE CHILD CA E
SURVEY RESULTS
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I. IINTROD CTIO
' As part of i s assess ent of child care needs in St. Paul, the Child Care T sk
ForGe surve ed city employees to determine the extent of their child c re
conc!erns. portio of school district employees--those in civil service, n n-
� teaching rel ted pos tions who are represented by many of the same barga n-
ing units as city em loyees--were also included in the study. Of 650 surv ys
distributed o rando ly chosen city and school district employees, 474 or 7 96
' were return d.
II. MAJOR FINDIN S
i 'i'able A (a ached) table shows a summary of survey results. Some of he
major findi gs from that data are as follows:
' *Abo t one-q arter of the respondents have children under the
age o 13.. T is relatively low percentage is tied to the fact that alm st
two- irds of the survey respondents are age 41 and older, and h ve
' older childre
*Sur ey resp ndents had relatively high family incomes: the major ty
mak $30,000 or more and almost one-quarter make $40,000 or more. In
' addi ion, sur ey respondents who use child care pay relatively little or
this ervice. lmost one-third said they paid less than $25 per week or
child care. T e high cost of child care appears to be a problem only or
' a fe respon ents.
*The most fr quent child care arrangement is care by a spouse or by
, the r sponde t when he or she is not working. Most respondents in t is
cate ry app ared to have a spouse or respondent working part-ti e
hour or each partner working different shifts, and caring for child en
in of -hours.
� *The second ost frequent arrangement is care in a home other t an
the r sponde t's. The responses on child care arrangements parallel he
' esti ates of hild care arrangements in Ramsey County cited earlier in
this eport (s e page 5).
*Mos respon ents are either completely satisfied or very satisfied w th
, chil care ar angements. However, a substantial portion cited reas ns
for issatisf tion. Of those dissatisfied, most state the cause as if-
ficul y of a anging part-time or odd hour care, or finding arran e-
' ment when t e child or regular provider is sick or on .vacation.
*A1 ost two thirds of the respondents stated they would rather h ve
chil care n rer home than work. Of those who have child care o t-
' side he ho , most have it located more than two miles away fr m
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both home and work. �
III. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS
"St. Paul employees seem to have fewer child care concerns than the ,
employees of many companies, since they are older, have older
children, and make more money than average, and pay relatively little
for child care. ,
*However, of those that do have concerns, finding part-time or odd-
hour care, care for sick children, and care for children who are sick or '
on vacation seem to be the biggest problem.
*While St. Paul employee may not have the greatest child care needs of
- any workforce, it is important for the city to take a leadership role in '
meeting the needs that do exist. Some employers in the St. Paul area
have begun to assist employees with child care; however, many others
must become aware of what can and should be done to assist their ,
employees. City actions in this area would be very visible and would
help to publicize the need for other employers to become more active.
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, TABLE A
SUMMIIRY OF MPLOTEE 1LD CARE SURVEY RESULTS
' School
' City District
Employees Employees Totel
' Sex Male 62% 42% SSX
p�� 38X 58X 45X
' Age Under 0 2X 1X 1X
20•40 11X 16X 13X
31-40 23% 22% 23X
41•50 33X 19X 28x
' - 51•6p 24X 31X 26X
60 or lder 7% 12X �%
' Fbmily Single No Children 18X 11X 15X
Status Single Parent 10% 9% 10X
Marri , No Children 38X 45X 41X
� Marri W/ Children 34X 35X 34X
Under 18
Combined under 15,000 11X 17X 13X
' Income 515,00 -20,000 �% �� �
520,00 -25,000 10X 15X 12X
525,00 -30,000 11X 15% 12%
' 530,00 •535,000 20X 15X 19X
535,00 •540,000 12% 12X 12x
f40,00 or More 28X 14X 23%
' Children Res ts with Children 24X 27X 25%
Under Under ge 13
' Age 13
Avere Number of � 2X �%
Child Under Age 13
� Per F ily
Chi ld Chi ld ares For � �� ��
Cbre Self
, Arrangemen
Cared or by 16X �3X 15X
Broth or Sister
� Caregi er in Hane ��x 16X 13X
(Other than Spouse)
' Care i Hane Other �x �� 20X
Than R spondent's
Child are Center; 13X � �
, Pre-S ool
Ca�e B Spouse/Self Z� 35X 3X
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School '
City Oistrict
Eeployees Employees Totsl ,
Child Cere Less Than t25 31X SO% 36X
Costs Per f26 - !SO 1b% 22% 18X
Yeek t51 - t75 20% � 1� '
S76 - f100 14X 9X 13X
f101 - 5125 6% 3X 5X
t126 • f150 1X OX 1X '
5151 - t175 OX 6X 2X
5176 - 5200 3% OX 2%
5200 or More 90% OX 6X
Child Care Completely Satisfied 43X 54X 67X '
Concerns With Child Care
Very Satisfied 20% 4X 15X '
Sanewhat Satisfied 35X 33X 33X ,
Not Satisfied 2X 9X 5X
Reasons for Cost too High 14X 18X 15X '
Dissatis-
faction Poor Guality Care 5X OX 4X
Too Much Time 5X 6X 6X '
Spent Driving
Difficult to 19X 31X 21X ,
Arrange Part-Time/
Odd-Hour Care
Can�t Find Cere 14X 13X 14X !
When Child Sick/
On Vacation '
Can't find Substitute 17X 13X 16X
When Provider Sick/
On Vacation '
Can't Find School- 17X 13X 16X
Age Care During �
Vacations, Holidays
Can't Find 3X 6X 3% ,
. Specielized Care
Other b% 0% S%
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School
� City District
Employees Employees • Totsl
' Child Care le s Than t/ Mile 16X 18X 17X
Distance
from Nane 1/ to 1 Mil 13X 4X 10X
' Mo e Than 1, 10X OX 6%
L s Than 2 iles
' Mo e Than 2 iles 19% 15X 18X
D s Not App y, 41X 63X 50X
' Ch ld Care i Hane
Child Care le s Than 1/ Mile 4% OX 2X
Distance
' From Work 1/ to 1 Mil 4X 4X 4X
Mo Than t, 8% 13X 10X
' le s Than 2 iles
Mo Than 2 iles 34% 26X 31X
' Do Not Appl , 50X 57X 53X
Chitd Care i Hane
, Child Cate Ne er Nane 73X 48X 62X
Locetion
Preference Ne er Work 15X 15X 15X
' Nal way In Be ween 7X 2X SX
' Dce Not Appl 5X 35X 18X
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CREDITS
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ADMINISTRATION AND James Bellus, Director, Department ,
POLICY DIRECTION of,Planning and Economic
Development
Peggy Reichert, Deputy ,
Director for Planning
RESEARCH AND Ken Ford, Principal Planner '
PLANNING
- Peggy Lexau, Planner-in-Charge ,
Anne Kelly, Planner
Peter Wong, Intern '
Lisa Lindquist, Intern �
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