Emlen's Point of View
Child Care: Work & Family by Arthur C. Emlen

How do you summarize findings and one's point of view in a bunch of bullets? With temerity. Nevertheless, here are some conclusions I draw from my own research and from the research of others.The message: Parents have voices to be heard!

Parents Can Assess Quality of Care

• Parents care about quality of care.
• They discriminate important aspects of quality, and do it reliably.
• Even though the professional world has left parents behind, parents and professionals share a similar general understanding of the components of quality.
• The discrepancy between parent and professional quality ratings is overrated.
• Parents and professionals are assessing a different set of facts in a different context.
• Parents' view of quality of care is more individualized. It's about their child.
• For parents, quality of care is more than what happens in a child care setting; it's part of quality of family life at home, at work, and in the neighborhood.

Flexibility is the Key That Opens Choice

• Parents have a basic need for flexibility somehow from somewhere-especially from work, family, and caregivers, but also in financial flexibility.
• Parents do not pick child care haphazardly or at random. The type of care they choose is part of a unique, optimal "flexibility solution."
• Flexibility also drives the quality of care parents are able to choose from the options open to them.
• Contrary to the view that parents sacrifice quality for convenience and flexibility, flexibility is the foundation that makes choice of higher quality possible and more likely.
• If employers and the institutions of society will respect, rather than compete for, the flexibility parents need, the rewards will be great for children, families, and all concerned.

Policy and Choice.

• There is huge variation in quality in all types of care.
• All types of care deserve and need our support.
• Parents need expanded and favorable options that allow better individual choice.
• Quality of care does make a difference for children in current happiness and future development.
• Some of the most powerful conditions that will make quality of care happen for children are not "child care" solutions, but quality of jobs, work, and leave policies; fair pay, benefits, taxes, and opportunity to acquire financial flexibility; health; mental health; and supportive neighborhoods.
• Policies allowing delayed entry into child care and reduced hours of care used also help to reduce poor developmental outcomes for children.
• Policies should support parent choices, not try to override them. Parents have voices to be heard.