SENATE RESOLUTION

                             8663

By Senators Kohl‑Welles, Long, Brown, Hargrove, Stevens, Rasmussen and Spanel

     WHEREAS, Thousands of dedicated workers provide quality care in Washington=s homes, child-care centers and schools; and

     WHEREAS, Child-care centers throughout the nation are experiencing a forty percent turnover in staff each year; and

     WHEREAS, Programs with high staff turnover rates delay children=s language and development skills, which are both critical areas for emotional adjustment and preparations to succeed in school; and

     WHEREAS, A good learning environment for children translates into a good working environment for adults; and            

     WHEREAS, The cost of child care is very expensive for most parents, yet insufficient to fully cover the cost of high quality child care and staff; and

     WHEREAS, Teachers in child-care centers generally earn one-half of the salary of public school teachers and have limited access to financial support for training; and

     WHEREAS, Early childhood care givers, both in centers and family child care homes, have subsidized the provision of services by accepting wages far below the value and importance of their work;                                              

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize the valuable contribution, devotion and often under-appreciated work of child-care providers across the state B the foundation of our state=s child-care system.

I, Tony M. Cook, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 8663,

adopted by the Senate April 18, 2001.

TONY M. COOK

Secretary of the Senate