The Tragedy of Child Care in America - Hardcover

Zigler, Edward F.; Marsland, Katherine; Lord, Heather

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300122330 ISBN 13: 9780300122336

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Why the United States has failed to establish a comprehensive high-quality child care program is the question at the center of this book. Edward Zigler has been intimately involved in this issue since the 1970s, and here he presents a firsthand history of the policy making and politics surrounding this important debate.

Good-quality child care supports cognitive, social, and emotional development, school readiness, and academic achievement. This book examines the history of child care policy since 1969, including the inside story of America’s one great attempt to create a comprehensive system of child care, its failure, and the lack of subsequent progress. Identifying specific issues that persist today, Zigler and his coauthors conclude with an agenda designed to lead us successfully toward quality care for America’s children.

About this title

About the Author

Edward Zigler is Sterling Professor of Psychology Emeritus at Yale University and director emeritus of the Yale Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy. He lives in North Haven, CT. Katherine Marsland is associate professor of psychology at Southern Connecticut State University. Heather Lord is a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in New York.

Review

“This book will help those on both sides of the aisle to frame and justify policy in this area and to better understand the complexity of the issues involved.”—Shannon Christian, former associate commissioner, Child Care Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Shannon Christian)

"Zigler's solutions to the national childcare crisis—expanded awareness, expert advocacy and enlightened policymaking—are timely and wise."—J. Lawrence Aber, New York University (J. Lawrence Aber)

"From a historical perspective few can match, Zigler and his co-authors offer a pragmatic solution to America's childcare problems that puts children first.  Every reader will learn something useful."—W. Steven Barnett, National Institute for Early Education Research (W. Steven Barnett)

"Throughout his career, Ed Zigler has worked to get to 'yes' on universal child care. Here, he presents a compelling vision for how research can inform child care policy, offering a workable hybrid solution as a way forward."—Kathleen McCartney, Dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education (Kathleen McCartney)

Edition details

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0300122330
• ISBN 13: 9780300122336
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240