ED316314 PS018593
Title: A Welcome
for Every Child--How France Achieves Quality in Child Care: Practical
Ideas for the United States. The Report of the Child
Care Study Panel of the French-American Foundation.
Author(s): Richardson, Gail; Marx, Elisabeth
Author Affiliation: French-American Foundation, New York, NY.(BBB27427)
Pages: 44
Publication Date: 1989
Sponsoring Agency: Du Pont Corp., Wilmington, DE. (BBB02910)@German
Marshall Fund of the United States, Washington, DC. (BBB18387)
Available from: EDRS Price MF01/PC02 Plus Postage.
Availability: French American Foundation, 41 East 72nd Street, New
York, NY 10021 ($10.00).
Language: English
Document Type: Reports--Descriptive (141)
Geographic Source: U.S.; New York
Journal Announcement: RIEJUL1990
Seven principles underlying the impressive achievements of the French
child care system are especially relevant to concerns and issues
in the United States. First, the primary mission of child care is
to help meet young children's integrated needs for education and
care. Second, skilled staff is the key to program quality. Third,
incentives and outreach open the door to improvements in family
day care by attracting unlicensed caregivers into the system. Fourth,
preventive health care is integral to children's programs. Fifth,
paid and job-protected maternity leave, financed through broadly
shared taxation, fulfills a social obligation to newborn and newly
adopted children by ensuring their early care by parents. Sixth,
the resources invested in buildings and equipment for children express
children's value to society. Well-designed space and furnishings
are integral to program quality. Seventh, parents can exercise their
right to choose what's best for their children in ways that promote
the social good only if parents can afford and have access to programs
of high quality. Broad public discussion of the seven principles
can enable policymakers, professionals, and parents to see more
clearly the policy and program choices confronting Americans deciding
about child care. (RH)
Descriptors: *Day Care; *Educational Objectives; Educational Policy;
*Educational Quality; *Family Day Care; *Foreign Countries; Health
Services; Incentives; *Teacher
Characteristics; Teacher Education
Identifiers: *France; Parental Leave; Program Characteristics
