DAY CARE
Comprehensive Analysis of the New York State Day Care Services Program System—In 1977, WRI conducted a three-month evaluation of day care services to provide the State Department of Social Services with baseline information on this service program. Through the use of mailed questionnaires and face-to-face interviews, the project team was able to establish baseline statistics which, in turn, were useful for developing consistent licensing and reimbursement standards across the state.
Day Care Management Improvement Project—In cooperation with the Nassau County Department of Social Services, WRI developed improved procedures and materials for the financial management of day care systems and developed a comprehensive financial management model for day care. The 1978 project included analysis and review of the day care system in Nassau County. A manual accounting and management system was implemented on a demonstration basis, and an automated system for processing all the steps required to place a child in day care was designed.
Day Care Management Improvement Transfer Project—On the basis of previous interstate cooperation in developing management materials and procedures in the course of the State Day Care Management project, WRI was granted funds from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to participate in a multistate, multiagency effort to facilitate the transfer of day care management technologies to other states. As part of this project, WRI also evaluated the states’ utilization of the products.
Double-Entry Bookkeeping for the USDA Child Care Food Programs—In 1983, WRI assisted New York City’s Agency for Child Development (ACD) in developing a double-entry accounting system for its U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program to provide nutritious meals for children to be used in 350 day care centers under contract with ACD. For this project, In addition, WRI provided training in the double-entry system to the bookkeepers of each day care center.
Evaluation of the FACSA/Teen LYFE Program—The New York City Board of Education established day care centers in several high schools to enable teen mothers to finish their education and avoid a future of long-term welfare dependency. These centers operated as part of the FACSA (Family and Children’s Services Agency) Teen LYFE (Living for the Young Family through Education) program. WRI examined the program’s strengths and weaknesses to determine the advisability of expansion and/or revision. Our evaluation, which was funded by the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, was based on visits to 12 program sites with day care centers and interviews with 75 mothers who participated in the program in 1984-85.
Materials to Improve Day Care Management—In 1979, to enable day care agencies to implement more efficient systems and procedures, WRI developed materials for training caseworkers, supervisors, and administrators in Nassau County, New York. The materials and training program were designed to improve the management capabilities of department staff and to strengthen the administration of day care services on a county-wide basis. Specific areas of attention included management of provider agreements, claims reimbursement, certification, and monitoring.
Measuring the Skills of Day Care Center Bookkeepers—Under contract to the Agency for Child Development in New York City, WRI developed test instruments to assess the skills and knowledge of day care center bookkeepers and to screen applicants for center bookkeeping positions. The instruments were tested for validity and reliability and were revised before final implementation in 1983.
New York City Day Care Center Fiscal Management Materials Development and Training Program—Based on previous projects conducted in day care management, WRI developed comprehensive materials to implement a training program for day care center directors and bookkeepers. The materials and the training were focused primarily on information and materials related to the implementation of standardized fiscal management techniques and maintenance of such a system. DC/046/78/01/01
On-Site Day Care: Research, Model Development, and Evaluation—In the interest of improving the working environment for state employees, New York State’s Joint Labor-Management Committee on the Work Environment and Productivity contracted with WRI to examine the experiences of employer-sponsored on-site day care centers in the United States and abroad. In 1980, WRI conducted a comprehensive study of such centers, developed and compared four models of employer-sponsored day care, and developed a feasibility study/guidelines for employers interested in establishing on-site day care centers.
WRI then developed an evaluation model, in cooperation with the Children’s Place at the Plaza, a model day care center established for state employees in Albany. Project staff developed an evaluation design and questionnaires that could be used to measure achievement and cost-effectiveness of program/curriculum objectives.
Program Analysis for the Consortium for Worker Education—In 1998, WRI completed its analysis of the first year of activity of the Satellite Day Care Program, created by the NYS Legislature to support New York City’s welfare reform initiatives. The Consortium for Worker Education (CWE) received funding to implement the model, which was designed to expand employment and career opportunities for low-income people and increase high quality child care in areas of the city where it was most needed. CWE, with the help of the New York City Human Resources Administration, developed the program in collaboration with many partners, including state and city public agencies and nonprofit voluntary agencies. DC/330/98/01/01
State Day Care Management Model—WRI developed training materials and provided technical assistance on the model in New York, Florida, and Maine. The training materials and the technical assistance were each focused on the integrated day care management system, which was developed in cooperation with the three-state consortium and Reap Associates. Manuals on client management, claims reimbursement, and planning evaluation were published and disseminated at a national conference in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1977.
Statewide Assessment of Family Day Care—In 1977, to provide New York State with information on family day care, WRI collected data in three categories: county and agency operation, providers, and clients. Project findings focused on such areas as the organizational structures used for providing family day care, manpower and other costs, and supportive services provided by agencies.
Study of Child Care Needs on New York’s Upper East Side—In 1979, on behalf of the Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Center, located on East 93rd Street in Manhattan, WRI examined the needs for and availability of child care services, particularly nursery schools, for children in the neighborhood between 96th and 86th Streets, Third Avenue, and the East River. Based on the findings that the area was generally well supplied with child care and nursery school programs, and in light of the findings related to demographics, WRI recommended that the center consider several alternatives to a nursery school program.
Technical Assistance in Demonstrating Alternative Models for Day Care—To demonstrate that quality day care services could be provided to publicly sponsored children for less than current cost, in 1979 the New York State Department of Social Services contracted with the New York City Day Care Action Coalition (CDCAC) to conduct a demonstration project with that objective. To assess the attainment of this goal, WRI provided technical assistance to implement cost analysis, budgeting, and fiscal evaluation of the CDCAC demonstration.
Unemployed Day Care Recipients—The objective of this research in 1977 was to provide information about unemployed heads of households who used day care services. Data were gathered in New York City and included baseline information collected on 683 clients, all members of the targeted population within 28 selected day care centers. An in-depth analysis was conducted on 170 day care users. The analysis of employment data, training data, family characteristics, and family and child data was focused mainly on information about employment efforts and training programs.
U.S. Air Force Child Care Project—Among its services for personnel and dependents, in this country and abroad, the U.S. Air Force provides virtually 24-hour care for children, from infancy through school age. The scope and flexibility of this program, which allows parents to leave a child on a regular basis or for occasional “babysitting,” results in a complex service structure and uncertain cost projections. To alleviate these problems, in 1983 WRI designed a cost analysis and fee-setting system, along with accompanying forms, for use by Air Force child care centers and preschool programs. WRI trained day care directors and other administrative staff, as well as child care specialists at the command and headquarters levels, in the system’s procedures and forms, and pretested the system in five Air Force bases across the country.
