text:
Report to the Arizona Legislature
By the Auditor General
January 1987
87- 2
Members of the Arizona Legislature
The Honorable Evan Mecham. Governor
Transmitted herewith is a report of the Auditor Generai, a Cost Impact Study
o f t h e Child Care Staffing Regulations, This report is in response to the
September 16, 1986, resolution of the Joint Legisiative Budget Committee.
The report provides estimates of the costs of implementing the staffing
regulations promulgated by the Department of Health Services. We estimate
that the annual cost of providing child care in Arizona w i l l increase by
approximately $ 5.46 million because of the new regulations. Approximately
$ 5.3 million of this cost will be for hiring additional s t a f f , the remainder i s due
to lost revenues because some centers may need to slightly reduce their
enrollments to meet the new ratios. On the average, weekly child care fees
would need to increase by $ 3 to cover these costs. tiowever, these increases
w i l l vary by type of center. More detailed information about these costs is
presented in the report.
My s t a f f and I w i l l be pleased to discuss or c l a r i f y items in the report.
Respectfully submitted,
~ u d i t o rG eneral
2700 NORTH CENTRAL AVE. e SUITE 700 PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85004 ( 602) 255- 4385
Additional Caregiver S t a f f Reauired . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Costs o f Additional Caregiver S t a f f . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Fee Increases Due t o Additional Caregiver S t a f f . . . . . . . 14
Staffing Ratios Impact on Center Capacity . . . . . . . . . . 16
Total Costs o f New S t a f f i n g Regulations . . . . . . . . 17
Comparison o f S t a f f / C h i l d Ratios . . . . . . . . . . 2
Percentage o f Additional Caregiver S t a f f
Required t o Meet New S t a f f i n g Ratios
by Type o f Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Percentage o f Additional Caregiver S t a f f Required
t o Meet New S t a f f i n g Ratios by Tax Status and Type
o f Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
bEys tTimypaete odf YCeeanrltye rC o. st . o. f A. d. di. tio. na. l . C. are. g. ive. r . S. t a. f f . 13
Increase i n Yearly Caregiver Wage Costs by Type o f Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Average Weekly Fee Increase t o Cover Cost o f
Additional Caregiver S t a f f by ' Type o f Center and
Tax Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Weekly Fee Increase t o Cover Cost o f Additional
Caregiver S t a f f by Type a f Center . . . . . . . . . 15
Percentage of Children Dropped Due t o Room
Capacity 3djostments by Type o f Center . . . . . . . 16
i s t i m a t c r l \ early Cost o f ! dew S t a f f i n g Ratios
t y ? ype of Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Average keckly Fee Increase t o Ccver Cost o f
lick; S t a f f i n g Ratios by Type o f C k n t e ~ dnd Tax
Str~ tr4: j . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
heck7y Fer Increase t o C~ ver Cost of Nek~
s t a f f i n g Rctio:, by Type o f Center . . . . . . . . . 19
FIGURE 1 D i s t r i b u t i o n o f Centers by Areas of
S t r a t i f i c a t i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
FIGURE 2 D i s t r i b u t i o n o f Child Care Centers by Type . . . . . 6
FIGURE 3 Type o f Child Care Cerlter by
N o n p r o f i t / P r o f i t Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Office of the Auditor General has conducted a special study of the
cost impact of new Department of Health Services ( DHS) regulations
governing child care centcrs i n Arizona. This study was conducted i n
response to a September 16, 1986, resailrticln o f the Joint Legislative
Budget Cornittee.
T h i s report presents information on the estimated costs of child care
staffing regulations t o become effective between January 1987 and July
1988. The information was requested by the Child Care Study Cornmi ttee of
the House of Representatives, which has been studying the impacts o f the
new regul ations.
Origin Of The Study -----
During 1986, DHS revised i t s rules and regulations poverning the
operation of child care centers. The revisions were based on the
recommendations of the Arizona Child Day Care Task Force, which studied a
variety of issues, i~ cluding ' the requlatian o f child care centcrs. The
Task Force found that Arizona's reqkiirements f o r c h i l d care staffing were
among the k~ ighest i n the country ( a" . e. inorc chl'ldrcn are under the
supervi si on of fewer staf f ) . I t recommendecl decseasi ng the number of
children per staff person a t l icensed c e u t e ~ r . DHS used the Task Force
recommendations as a basis for revising its reg~ nlations on staffing,
program requirements, san. s" tatisn and other center operations. All b u t
the staffing regulations became effective on December 12, 1986. The
staffing regulations take e f f e c t between Jianrsaw 1987 and July 1988.
Table 1 compares Arizona's current standards w i t h the Task Force
recommendations and the DWS revisions.
The new regulations caused concern among some child care provfders
because of the potential increased costs. The providers were
particularly concerned that the 1 ower staffing ratios woul d require
additional s t a f f , In addition, restrictions on mixing infants and
1 - year-- olds w i t h o khcr age groups coul d i ncrease staffing needs.
Age Group
01 d New
Staff/ Chil d Task Force Staff/ Chil d
Ratios Recommendations Ratios
Infants 1: 8 1: 5 or 2: 11 1: 5 or 2: 11
1 - year- 01 ds 1 : 10 1: 6 or 2: 13 1: 6 or 2: 13
2- year- 01 ds 1 : lo 1 : 8 or 2: 17 1: 8 or 2: 17
3- year- 01 ds 1 : 15 1 : 10 1 : 13
4- year- 01 ds 1 : 20 1 : 13 1 : 13
5- year- olds who
are not yet school age 1 : 25 1 : 15 1 : 13
School age chi1 dren 1 : 25 1 : 20 1 : 20
DHS and the Department of Economic Security ( DES) attempted t o c o l l e c t
data on the cost impact of the new regulations. However, a low response
r a t e t o a survey of child care centers prevented DHS from making reliable
estimates about the potential cost impact of the new regulations.
Study Sco~ eA nd Development
The Child Care Study Committee requested. the A~ rditor General to examine a
broad range of questions. The questions included the following issues.
o What will be the direct costs of implementing the new regulations?
What will be the possible loss of revenue from declining
enrol lments?
o What will be the cost impact on DHS to implement and enforce the
new regul ations?
o What will be the cost impact on DES for child case subsidies?
o What will be the increased costs for nonsaabsidized parents? If
costs become prohibitive for nonsubsidized parents, what are some
of the possible consequences?
The questions encompassed a wide range of legislative concerns about
child care regulation. Eecause of the limited time available for the
study, however, the Child Care Comi ttee directed the Auditor General to
define the study's actual scope. In view o f the time available to
conduct the study and the 1 imited da" l available, the stuay ' s scope was
focused on the additional costs child carp centers may incur i n meeting
the new staffing regulations.
Methodow- - A nd - S- am- p-- l- e-- -- G--- h-. a-- r- a-- c-- t- e.- r i stics.
The cost estimates preserrtecr i n this rcpoa t it:^ blssed on a sample of 321
child care centers licensed by DS! S as sf August 1986. rhc centers i n the
survey were selected frorn tile 790 DHS Siccnsed centers, and the sample
was stratified to ensure t h a t the various t\{& ses o f centers ( i . e., profit
versus nonprofit, centers of differ- ing l icensed capacities) were
adequately represented. The stratifisd s a ~ p l e was also designed to
represent centers located i n Maricopa, Pira and othw selected counties.
Figure 1 i l l ustrates the sample chmrac teri stica according to areas of
s t r a t i fieatpio r!. ( See thc ' Technical Appendir % a ;<: ccrlpl cte description
sf the study methcdolugy, j
Child care center. operators and sther iiii- dustw- y represenmalives were
consul led in dewel opi ng survey i nskrumenls drrd prece; I! xrel; to ensure the
coll ection o f relevarrt data with min lsrurn dfsruptl'on t o center
operations. Auditor General s t a f f met witkg the s t a f f o f each center
included i n the sample to explain the daf- a cel Section procedures and
instruct them i n f i l 4 1 n g out: the survey fornis. Auditor General staff
also visited each center regubr1. v during the data collection phase to
verify data and answer quest; ons.
The survey was co~ nductcd October 13 through 2 7 , 1986. Data were
collected for each day t h a t centers were open during the survey period
and included: ( 1 1 the number of children attending tkc center, ( 2) their
ages, ( 3) times %" r; and times ormt, ( 4) staff on duty, and ( 5) the tines
when s t a f f prcvided direct care Lo the children.
Figure 1
* Percentages are based on 319 centers rather t h a n 321, because we were
unable to obtain profit/ nonprofit status for two centers.
Of the 321 centers i n the original sample, some centers chose not to
participate, others were no longer i n business, and some centers were
excluded from the study because of unreliable data. The analysis that
follows i s based on data collected from 267 1 icensed child care
facil i t i e s .
The participating 267 centers included ccnters offering a variety o f
child care services, ranging from 24- hour services to programs for the
care and education of devel spmental ly disabled chi1 dren. For the purpose
of our analysis, we categorized centers into two groups: all- day child
care centers and specialized centers. All- day centers generally offer
care for more than ten hours per day, base fees on an hourly or weekly
rate rather than on a particular course or program, and in many instances
allow for drop- in children. Specialized centers include Head Start,
preschool s, preschool s w i t h extended care, a f terschaol 1 atchkey programs,
and developmental ly disabled programs. Figure 2 summarizes the frequency
with which these types of participating child care f a c i l i t i e s are
represented i n the study.
Because of the varl'ety i n types o f centers dwd variables unique to each
type of operation, indlastry representatives aSerte4B us tc the pr~ babiil t y
that some types of centers may be affected by the regulations more
seriously than others. They indicated thet all- clay child care centers
may experience the greatest impact from the claanges i n staffing ratios.
Currently, more special ized programs either vo4 untarily or lay requirement
operate w i t h ratios similar to or more stringent than the new ratios,*
Furthermore, for- profit f a c i l i t i e s can be expected to experience a
greater impact than their nonprofit counterparts .*" A1 1 - day chi l d care
centers are overwhel mingly rut1 as proprietary operats'sns ( 38- 4 percent).
Figure 3 i l l ustrates the percentage e f prof it and nnssprofi t centers
represented i n the study, by type of center.
* Head Start and developmental ly disabled programs must a1 so campi y
w i t h other Federal and State regulations that requ9re slaffinp ratios
more stringent than the new ratios.
** Industry representatives indicated that nonprofit centers generally
have sources of revenue i n addition to parent fees. Fcr t h i s rkasan,
many of these centers are currently able to cperate w i t h ratios
similar to, or more stringent than those required by the new
* ~ c p r z e n t sp reschool s o f f e r i n g extended care.
Acknowl edaements
The Auditor General wishes t o express appreciation to the many chi1 d care
center owners, directors and s t a f f who assisted i n the c o l l e c t i o n o f data
f o r t h i s study. The Auditor General also thanks the s t a f f s o f the
Department of Health Services and the Department of Economic Security f o r
t h e i r assistance.
We estimate that the yearly cost of the new child care staffing
regulations will be approximately $ 5.46 mil 1 ion. These costs are
primarily the result of required staff increases. While the level of need
varies greatly, we estimate that 82.8 percent of the centers would
require at least some additional caregiver staff t o meet the new staffing
regulations. The estimated cost to the industry of this additional
caregiver staff i s approximately $ 5.38 million. Adding t o t h i s figure
$ 159,000 per year in lost revenues due to the centers dropping childrer:
to meet the standards, brings the estimated total yearly cost of the new
staffing regulations to $ 5.46 million.
On the average, weekly fees would need to be increased by $ 3.01 to cover
these costs. For- profi t, a1 1 - day centers ' weekly fees would potential ly
increase the most ($ 4.83), while weekly fees for nonprofit, more
special ized centers would increase the least ($ 7.1 9).
Additional Careaiver Staff Reauired
The analysis estimates that 221 ( 82.8 percent) of the child care centers
included in our simulation woul d require additional caregiver staff t o
meet the new staffing ratios. Of the 46 ( 17.2 percent) centers not
impacted, all b u t one are special ized child care facil i t i e s .
The need for additional caregiver staff varies dramatically. Table 7
indicates that 47.6 percent of the sample centers would not need t o
increase caregiver staffing 1 eve1 s or need to increase them by 1 ess than
5 percent. Another 33.3 percent of our sample centers would need to
increase their staffing levels by 5 to 25 percent, The remaining 19.1
percent would need to increase their staffing levels by more than 25
Type of Center
Percentage of Increase All - Day Chil d Special ised Chil d
i n Addi tional Staff Care Centers -- C are Centers Total
Less Than 5% 17.2% ( 23) 78.2% ( 5614) 47.6% ( 127)
More than 25% 35.1 ( 47) - up 3.0 I4 1 1 . 1 -- ( 51)
chi- square = 105.00 gamma = - 865 p = . OOO
* Discrepancy due to rounding.
As expected, a l l - day child care programs would hc most severely impacti. c?,
All but one such center i n the sample \ i~ oulcF be impacted bj the: r, cw
staffing ratios. Furthermore, 35.1 percent of the alLday c h j l d care?
centers would be required to increase their caregiver staff by more than
25 percent, while only 3.0 percent o f the more specialized child carp
programs would have to increase their s t a f f by a similar a ~ o u f i ~ d. i thirr
the 5 to 25 percent range t h i s pattern persists, even thoei~ h * he
percentage differences are not as great ( 47.8 percent and 18.8 p ~ r t e ~ t ,
Among a1 1 - day chi1 d care centers, those operating as fr3. y.- yrofi t L C ~ E P ~ S
would be impacted to a greater degree than their n o n g r o f ~ t ~ ~ u ~ " t e % - p d r % ; s
( see Table 3 ) . Of the for- profit, all- day child care c e n t ~ r s , 41.23
percent would need to increase their caregiver s t a f f hy aore than 25
percent, while only 13.8 percent of their nonprcf it corrnleryarts wor~ 1 d f . / ~
required to do so.
- All- Day Child Care Centers
Percentage of Increase
i n Staff Nonprof i t Profit Total
Less Than 5% 34.5% ( 10) 12.4% ( 13) 17.2" 1,23)
More than 25% 13.8 -(- 4 ) - 4- 1. Q -.- ( 43) -- 3- 5 .1 --- ( 4 7 )
100.0% ( 29) . 100.0%--* ( 1-- 05~ - 1- 0 0-. - 0- '%-*( 134l
chi - square = 11.37 gamma = .559 p = - 003
x e c i a l i z e d Child Car- e- - C- e- n ters
Percentage of Increase
i n Staff Nonprofit Profit Total
Less Than 5% 83.2% ( 84) 02,5% ( 2 0 ) 78.2% ( 104)
More than 25% 2.0 ( 2 ) 6.3 ( 2) -. 3.0 -( 4 )
- 100-. 0% *- 1- 1- 01 1 - 100-- .0%" -_ o 100.0% $ 13l3 - -- a - -- - .--
chi- square = 6.28 gamma = - 485 p = .04J
* Discrepancy due to rounding.
This pattern persists among more specialized child care programs, Only
16.9 percent ( 14.9 percent i- 2.0 percent) of all nonprofit, speciala'zet4
centers \ riould need to increase their caregiver staff by more than 5
percent, contrasted with 37.6 percent ( 31.3 percent + 6.3 percent) of
their for- profit counterparts.
Auditor General staff also examined the degree to which size and location
influenced a center's need for additional caregiver staff. Hawever, thc
analysis did not indicate that a relationship exists between a center's
location or licensed capacity and the need to add caregiver staff.
Costs Of Additional Caregiver Staff
The new staffing regulations may increase c h i l a care casts in that some
centers would need additional caregiver staff 2nd/ ctr reduce enrollments,
Most of these costs would be the result of adding caregiver s t a f f , Re
estimate that the cost to the industry o f itddi~ g a#? ditioraal caregiver
staff would be approximately $ 5.30 mill ion per year.* However, as
indicated in Table 4, a large majority of these costs would be assu~* ledh y
a1 1 - day child care centers. While a1 1 - day chi1 d care centers . epre., esrt
approximately half of the licensed child care f a c i l i t i e s i n the !* a-!,~,
they would incur 86 percent of the total c ~ l t s rf addips a? t'iit- i{* rc? l
staff. I t is estimated that other, more specSlaiizt.^ r! cr? n%- ers w s u i r i ir.~. ur.
only 14 percent of these costs.
Sinre the licensed capacities of all- day chi14 C ? : * r , qsr : r ? ti, 5 t ~ n < i e
larger than mare special izcd centers, i t f c t. t i 1 ~ 7 ; r r'. r* f: x/ klr 4;: - f
that t. i. 1~ frjrmer would bear a 1a rger peroentc~ i - : V: v * t< . 5 e : : v ~ i :#; J
additional caregiver staff.** However, t h l " ~ Y a h s - ::" _. vi~ hflrr j , a
current yearly cost of caregiver wages i s ; akc9r, ". :. nns ; t'cw,* t i r r (
Tahie 5). I t is estimated t h a t the cost cf :: d. rr* rj7) spr i~.; r: c #:\ f$ :~" nlii;: t4 ~
fringe benefits will increase by 18.7 pek-(:(. i? i, . l i ? * aiT- prtT i i + f ; c t
1 at: i i t i c s , while only 3.2 percent for more spec i z j i,.~. q
.---. * T i l l s figure was derived by calculating a#: nut.,.- c i v ~ ~ T&~ G: I*: ~; 4 ~~? i l t ~
eaclrr renter, appiyiny that wage tc the P P & 1 3 ; 4 ? PIIIT~*~ C(:$ "
addi f. i" onal staff hours needed fur K ~ Eti. 1: \ tceL ? a; ' i: lfE . l , r k gE '
is~ ultiplyingb y 26 to generate yearly cast cLif- s+ d ! o ~ t *:$* L Y+. ~ il- " C
- 7s summed across all centers i n the study and mu; c" - ipI fee by 2,"' C i: :.%
mu1 t i pl ier was generated by dividing the total ; t , p ~ l or: 04 1 i ~ e r s c t "
ch-[ Id care facilixies ( 790) by the number s f centers incSluc+ i. d i r t our
sanrple 1267). FICA at 7.15 percent and an r ~ ~ s t t : ~ 5b t~~~ e P~ ~ ciccbrE - ~
employee related expenses were a1 sc factored into thcsc figurrs,
** 3he werage licensed capacity of all- day chl; ld cgrc c 2 r r t f i x . . i : h:-
2n contrast, the average l icensed capincf ty it:' : p-" ial4rn* C ' lr 4 : *: s: i ,-+: ( h
centers is 71.
Yearly Cost o f Percentage o f Percentaue o f All
Type o f Center Additional S t a f f Total Costs License--- d. Cente- r - s -*
All- Day Child
Care Centers $ 4,560,000 06.0% 50.2%
Special ized Chil d
Care Centers 740,000 14.0 - 49. 8
* Estimate based on percentage o f sample.
Yearly Cost o f Current Yearly Care- Percentage
Type o f Center Additional S t a f f Giver Labor Costs
All- Day Child
Care Centers $ 4,560,000 $ 24,420,000 18.7%
Special ized Chil d
Care Centers 740,000 22,960,008 3.2
A l l Centers $ 5.3~ 0.000 3- 4- 7 .3-- 8 - 0- ,- OJ- Q- Q - 11.2
Fee Increases Due to Additional Caregiver Staff
Assuming that the cost of additional caregiver staff would be passed on
to parents, weekly child care fees would need to increase by an estimated
average of $ 2.91 per full- time equivalent ( FTE) child across all
centers." However, fee increases will vary greatly by type of center.
Parents placing their chil dren in for- profi t, a1 1 - day chil d care centers
would incur the largest average fee increase o f $ 4.71 per week. The
smallest average weekly fee increase of $ 1 . I1 per child FTE would be
experienced by parents using nonprofit, special izee chil d care facil i ties
( see Table 6 ) .
The fee increases presented above are average figures. The coniputer
simulation model indicates that fees for individual centers could
increase as much as $ 13.81 per full- time child. However, as shown in
Table 7, 69.4 percent of the all- day child care centers and 95.5 perc~ nt
of the more specialized centers could expect fee increases of $ 6 or less
per week. Further, the projected fee increases assume increased costs
will be passed on to consumers through fee increases on a dollar for
do1 lar basis. Some centers could conceiyably raise fees above their
actual costs and attribute i t to the regulations. On the other hand,
some centers may not pass all of the additional costs orr to parents.
Instead, they may employ other options sljch as changes in programs,
increased use of donated goods and services arisfor reductions in prsofits.
" Average weekly fee increases for each center were generated by
dividing the weekly cost of additional caregiver staff by the average
number of full - time equivalent chil dren. Chi1 d FTEs were calculated
on a nine- hour day, For the most part, child FTEs are only
appl icabl e for a1 1 - day chi 1 d care centers. However, standardizing fee
increases in this fashion permits comparisons across various types o f
child care facilities.
The calculation of average weekly fee increases also assumed that
centers were in compliance with the old, less stringent, staffing
regulations during the two week period of data collection. However,
DHS 1 icens1" trg administrators indicated that not a1 1 centers
consistently compl ied w i t h the 0' 8 d staffing requirements. Therefore,
a percentage o f the estimated costs of adding additional staff may
actually represent the cost of meeting the less stringent staffing
ratios that were in effect in October, 1986.
Type o f Center
A1 1 - Day, P r o f i t
A1 1 - Day, Nonprofit
Specialized, P r o f i t
Specialized, Nonprofit
Avq. Wklv. Fee Increase
Type of Center
A l l - Day Chil d Special ized Chil d
Weekly Fee Increase Care Centers Care Centers Total
$ 2 or Less 20.9% ( 28) 78.2% ( 104) 49.4% ( 132)
$ 2.01 - $ 4 27.6 ( 37) 11.3 ( 15) 19.5 ( 52)
chi- square = 90.25 gama = .779 p = . OOO
* Three all- day and one specialized centers' weekly fees would increase by
more than $ 1 0.
Staffing Ratios Impact On Center Capacity
I n examining the cost impact the new s t a f f i n g r a t i o s may have, the
computer simulation model also took i n t o account a center's physical
plant 1 imitations. Physical p l a n t 1 i m i t a t i o n s might 1 i m i t an
administrator's a b i l i t y t o place children i n t o smaller groups i n order to
add s t a f f i n a c o s t - e f f i c i e n t manner. ( See the Technical Appendix f o r a
detailed discussion o f the simulation model.)
A center administrator may be faced with a s i t u a t i o n i n which it i s less
c o s t l y t o lower the capacity o f c e r t a i n rooms i n the f a c i l it. y than to add
additional s t a f f . This may r e s u l t i n children being removed from the
center's r o l l s i f these rooms c o n s i s t e n t l y h o l d close t o the maximum
number o f children permitted by DHS.
Several c h i l d care administrators expressed concern t h a t l o s t revenues
from such capacity adjustments would be substantial. The simulation
reveals t h a t t h i s would not be the case ( see Table 8). Less than 21
T v ~ eo f Center
Percentage of All- Day Chi1 d Specialized Child
Children Dropped Care Centers Care Centers Total
No Chi1 dren Dropped 71.6% ( 96) 87.2% ( 116) 79.4"/, 212)
Less Than 1% 27.6 ( 29) 9.0 ( 12) 15.4 ( 41)
chi- square = 11.86 gamma = .433 p = .008
* Discrepancy due to rounding.
pc! rc~ nt ( 55) of the iic2j. ssr.! rhfld care Fac- siitier; In our :+, an? p'lc wolrld
nceti t o r! rop children : rum tnel'r roll s. Tn most instances, thew drops
repkaesent less than 1 po1+~ 2vltr; rf the averal~ e dfiiiy attendance a t tbc
i: t" ntkrs. Only 5- 3 percent of thc c, z~ t? tersw ould n w r l tc l o w e r thczir
avcragc attendance by wrcejn; ~~( 3r6!.~ O W ~ Y Wa~ l l - d a j child care
f a c i i l ' t i e s are again d%'.; pr~ pit: rtif;~ t;.: rtecp~ lr; e~ s en tcr! amrng c e ~ t e r sh avf r;! j
Zc rr'," tl70~ ceh ildren fr. nrri tfj; t~~;- t , > a
:~ ; , ti n~ q tbf* 1c rr n: $ liee ": r ; i, pacil. y ' 2: I: n: ll* p a; tt_ Zhi? cost r.!
dfiy:. : j r c d j c: ayt- c- i;~- f + . + tip ";, ctai qc~ q:: s + f mew s t a f f i r ~ ~
. s - ; ~ , i ~ ; l 4l ~ 3 " li?' t) d'!, r'f? $ 5 ,&? 5 1 . day ~ j ; jdI
% ' i d . . 1 c I - 5 I i.*:~ t* t: rj" i of these i 3 s ~ - a nd c p c j a l jzpd CQ c'
. ~ ~ D ~ T w- o" k~ 91s d ~ W I C , BI n~ i r$( raAri> : air~ gt1 4. / Ise:- rf il;~ 1 ! see i ab'i e 9 5 .
- - - - - -- - -
- t . r evefiuls r s % " 3 ~ : d~ crcases ir? ~ e n i c r capac ; ty ~, e:. r~.
~ ~ e d , e ~ r ~ Skn1. y e dm k r l ? ; z s l zc i r , ~:, he ntrmher of c h i ! rlyrr, haslars dropper1 b;.
U I.. 11 ~ i 13, This . .~?- l-. i.\: ed by d" ivr" kj8rtg thc avrrage e? r, riy tcc
:, k. iirfr" 4 by 21f-*!; j, r* hr* ci :,? rc P;? t: i9litie,; [$ 1t3,2E! P; 9 hours, P
f u l l - t i m e chah u - *.\ s ppa~~ irriatel9y hourq'; per' day a t tslese
t - 3 ~ - t i ! t i e s 3
Tb: is estimated that the cost a f child care will increase by a weekly
average of $ 3, Q1 per child FTE. Wawevel-, as noted previously, these
costs will vary by type of center ( see Table 101. Parents placing their
chl" 1dren i n for-- profl't, a1 l- day child care facil idies would experience
tho greatest average weekly increase of $ 4.83 per full- time child. The
sn~ allest increase of $ 1.19 would be encountered Ry parents using
nonprofit, specfalized child care ceatc: rs. This trdnslates into a 9.4
percent averdrje weekly fes: . irscrease for for- prsafi. 8, a1 1 - day chil d care
een LCPP,, and a 2.3 peir. cen", c: e i irareedse for ~ o u i p pi ~ d, f special ized chil s'
E5I" TPJF'EE t EARI- Y COST OF lkJE'M" STAFFING
kA?'" LOS BY TYPE OF CEd'TkR
V:. tv- Ty Co<; s: i3f Percentage of Percentage * a
Is, t. 2 G t Els r, tw t " - - --"" - S t. g - f f f nn R8rios - a- ---. --- . " --.- - Y- ntal Cosf" s- -- - To tal - P- o p-. ( a f
d: i 460 [, p; .- EL .: + J,.. L..
t*; \ j . y !?%.
i :, ~:! b?~: i;;, y ( re(?.- v {$,:~. F; ~ b t 3 ~ ;, ?: g v, j 4, f ng 6 re3 i i f i '~" Bc;,
I;-$ 1, t* w as d j f f j ( " . A/ " , PC! :" C. arjx" fa:+ dZj P week'iy
~ censed ch? l b care % en. ters. Special i zed el:! i l r*
a? g duration and Freqiiacticy. A s o , as z's the case
graris are entirely frrndccl t h r c ~ ~ ta~ xh revenues
ajarerlts. Therefore, Wradittjr Gcrseral s t a f f decided
weekly fee charged by ell- day c h i l d care r: entea. s i n
Cost o f Cost o f Average Pct. Avg.
- T y- p- - - o --- f.- Cen- ter Additional + Dropped = Weekly Fee Wkly. Fee
-- S t a f f i n g - C..-- h- ildren -- I ncrease - Incr ease
All- Day, P r o f i t $ 4.71 $. I2 $ 4,83 9.4%
A l l - Day, Wonprof i t 3.63 .06 3.69 7.2
Special ired, P r o f i t 2.06 . I3 2.19 4,3
Specialized, Nonprofit 1 . I1 .08 1.19 2.3
Typh - o - f -- - Cen- t- e - r
A? 1 - Day Chi1 d
- t- d- e- c-- s- k l y --- F--- e e Tncr. e; ls- e - - - C-- are Centers >----
( pet) ( n=)
$ 2 or Less 19.4% ( 2 6 )
$ 1.01 - $ 4 26.1 ( 35)
$ 4,09 - $ 6 20.9 ( 28)
----- --."-
- 1- Q - O- h) 0%- ( 1341-
Specialized Child
Care Grnt-- e-- r rs
( pet) h= f
76.7% 1102)
52.0 ( 16)
6.0 ( 8)
3.0 ( 4 j
2.3 ( 3 1
--- ---
- 10- 0.0-% ( 133)-
( pet) ( n= l
47.9% ( 128)
19.1 ( 51)
13.5 ( 36)
2 . 0 ( 32)
7.5 ( 20)"
- 7 00.0% -( 267-- 1 .
chi - square 91 . I1 gamma = - 773 p = r0140
* Tlllree a1 l - day artd arre special ized centers " weekly fees woul d increase hey
nore than $ 10
In addition to the staffr/ child ratios and the a s s ~ r f a t e dc ost impact, thc
Lcgisl ativc Child Care Study Cosrrmi; ttee requ~ stey:' other a'rrfnrnlatior o?:
related areas. Phis sectiorl will a6da.- cqs thosc qurt, tl'c\ ns tc thc e x t e ~ vla t
were able to obtain information within Shc t5mc constraints given.
1. Mhat w i l l be the cost imi~ r- acto n c hl ~ d cai-. i dPr ~ t ~ r : ? iiow rnany {: erdriSs
would likely be fcrced to clusc. dime t o dFcreGlc; ed costs or dccliniu .:
enrol lments?
To deter~ ine whethcv. the regulations may resnl t I F tE; c cluc, ts~ e o f center-
\. rould reqrajre a study a; 4 tkic curren. t t3t. trfitah1: T ~ t yan d $ 0 1 vc: rar, j r j f thtj
centers. Be t a i l e d reverlue and exper;.;! i. trxyy; jnt or~~ rs- 5iopf or each cpr; Tc r
~ douldb e necded t o assess ti:^ jrnrr~ ct of the -~~ c~. Q~,' cB6s) sP-+ t~ . SLBC~ a: s" rrc4Y
woul d be d i f f i c u l t because of : i 1 1 l" fin., 3rlsi stenc ics Ehrclucbtrut teir (,& I 1 3 *:
care industry ir, cost vdriahles such as f r r e 0: v ~ d u c cr~ en t give" sorer
cent,@ rrs, the use a f donated Sahor a ~ dma terials ?; y : GFP c e n t ~ r s , v a t y l ; - 4
costs lor differe~ ta ce2 el ch: lt41- en, an0 2la" fr" ere~ rcxZ X , j ~ : ~ , ~ g r a ~( 9; :, t. f"
1a ck of a s t a ~ ~ d a r c i i i ~ a. r; c::~ a: lntin! r sys t- rr am: r r ~~ : r r " t t ; a *, igtti* t ? ) i:,:. E? G
for a f u l l y c d . 9 G C ~ J .
2. What w i l l be tiis.. cost impact 0x7 Tire Depar?-, mkln", of I t - * " . ~ ? ; 7 l i j " r iSj ~~ ? j : i i r i f j
DEZ prosram el i g i b i i i t y r.~ qsircmlunts ;,!~ d suus;: - 1) sr:; ourzl, s , lrr a, ot direr. 1 ! t;
tied Lo the Depak- tment o f Health S e r v - i c ~ s ( 17 I S ) 1 Y ceqs I I: O ~ ~ q i ~ f r ~ P. f i i ~ ? :
------ * DES assists low ; ~ c o a x ~ Fa ntl" 1jes ws'th day-*:~ PC ~ ~ " ~ ? P P ~ S I \ TSh, c i l c 1 P ~ j - 8 .
subsidy FrcrgraK meet", tka? greed5 of t a ~ l ? i ' es tabe;:? * i l , c ; + v : alt. i s nc - gi +~: trr
than 65 perccnt 6 - Statc raedian i n c o r ~ ~ E +,..+ . - u. ns r > r t - i i
assistance tssed or? e s f i d i n 9 scale sc hesfulc ;; rrju" t:' i ~ Q P: otk : 2 t - 3 ~ p iu- i-and
family s f z t , Crirarently, % be maximum amczu~ t r; lsyabic is $ 9- 56 for ;?
ten- hour' day,. Sf n: aa these f?" xed amouarb are n ~ .; tire : ; y t i e > t q J
fees charged b j Sndii! idual centers, many s u b s i d i ~ e e if am~ 1 f es must pa?
a pcrtion sf their child care costs.
Therefore, the new rules and regulations will not affect the DES subsidy
program unless DES or the Legislature chooses to revise eligibility
requirements or to increase the sliding scale payment schedule.
Through combined State and Federal funds, the 1986- 87 day- care subsidy
budget i s approximately $ 18.6 mil 1 ion. These monies subsidize chi1 d care
services for eligible recipients i n DHS licensed child care centers and
DES certified homes. Approximately $ 13 million ( 72 percent) of this
budget will be paid to DHS 1 icensed child care f a c i l i t i e s to which the new
regulations apply.
We were unable to obtain from DES or determine from data collected during
our study the percentage of total day- care revenues paid by the DES
subsidy program. Theretore, we asked the centers in our study to estimate
the percentage of their revenues received from DES. Based on the centers'
estimates, if DES were to maintain i t s current percentage of payments it
would have to increase i t s subsidy budget by an estimated $ 1.4 mill ion per
year to cover the increased cost ot the new stattlng regulations without
changing el igibil i ty requirements.* This represents a 7.5 percent
increase over the e n t ~ r e1 986- 81 day- care subsidy b~~ dgeatn d a 10.8
percent increase over the amount paid for child care at DHS licensed
f a c i l i t i e s .
3. What will be the cost impact on DHS to implement and enforce neb
regulations? Will they require more staff and more State
We did not determine a cost impact to DHS resulting from the new
regulations. However, i t i s anticipated that 1 icensing specialist
functions will expand and currently heavy caseloads w i l l continue t o
greatly exceed recommended 1 eve1 s.
* All centers included i n the study provided information as to the
percentage of their revenues pravided by DES child care subsidies.
Each center's total yearly cost to meet the new staffing re~ ulations
were then multiplied by the estimated percentage t o obtain DES'
portion of the costs per center. These figures were then summed
across all centers and multiplied by 2.96.
The nckz regulations require the centers t o keep * fore irlfornrat~ on than i r
trre past. Therefore, the I c n q t h o i inspections ma: incredse because of
the addl t1onaI time needed t a 1 ~ v 7 c w cpr; tpr files. In a d ( { i L i ~ ~ , f f c
inspection a c t i v i t i e s , I icensing yersonnel f o r ~ s c e that t. hc" y wl: l I be
provid~ n g techt- 1ca l support and tvd: n a nq tn ccntcrs needl ng ass1 stanrc I t7
understanding ar~ d complying k i l i t h ti?^ wXi;: Y" C : jill a ti ? nr.
A l thougfi; regulatory ac" i 21 t lrs Ilia> i: arrf* zhrT L e c c o s i n ~ spcc~ ar- tsls'
cascloads w i i 1 remain th? same, [ I[!"; a y h. 3~ ~ ~ n1 - iec ~ n ~ l ~ t ~
specla1 i t s I rjcated sn P l ~ ~ ex r ja~ nd Tut: qiil tf i nt~ pccl: the / YO I lcr- lnsr\:+
chi1d care centers thrr~!! grtout thc 31- at^, M i c r t r ~? ;. h. addl t10n ot one nor:
errrpl oyee 7t- i Dccernbcr f 9116, Utl', pcrscnnr. 1 arltr c" l pa r :? Wat 1 u c s o ~ case I cs: 3s
wil l remain the Eiilnle, a t BC! centers pi r sgi-;: 4affst, and the Phr? mrx
caseloacts wil i dcr- rease fron; 125 cen terc- :, r; ap(, r. cr; r;~ atery 10U centtrs I X ~
special i ST.
Heavy case1 oads may r? ccrease DftSi abi I i * y t o ensure regu? a* 1' 1'$
conrpl7; anr: e. Ebationai aurbsrj t i e s rei" oTliners" a cdsrain3d 05 4: l centers [ ~ ' 3 "
year per s p c e ~ a 9 s t . olir : 3+ bifjl? 9i, S O ~ * ~ F P I ca re ~ P C P V I ~ + P ! ~ ,
quest~ oneri. w ksetii~ t* p~: q ~ ~ abl~ P j 3 n c q ~ l ~ I r ' i ~ ~ l ~ ~ z '^ &; f ~ e ~- uf f j~ Tent tf) l PYE!.!' * c)
compliance wISGI ~ i~ rpe~$ 7:,~ tS . ~ / C * ; IF I rP3t! c5 dri ' twr regw l a t i o n s , Waby
easel o a d ~ a nd l imiied n~ inik~ eks ! Insi~ ecrr i a i t . ; r s t ? nue b r i t h th.:. rip!
reqrs i d t+ ilns.
4, If c i ~ s t sS rc: sme prr3lrll. l: t- 1 % G far 423re!; tc P!::,,?. m i p h t ke 5 0 ~ 1cf~ ~ F ? F
conset: gent e; 7
d 1 increase rr r~~ rvheurf ' 2 dtcl- 1- key c h l~ O w n ?
e ) iiiCY* PaSF jfi chi1t j abt~ se ana neglect; ~ ~ S PpfSac;~ lq; l a qrc~:.,$.,~?
dc~& sj< 5j! i ch a ' i $ 3 &) rc" r~ VtF? 5 r ~ r vCi C ~ ?
To determine the f e a s i b i 1 i ty o f addressing quest1 ons re1 8ted t o c l i e n t
behavior, we contacted professors o t p o l i c y analysis a t Arizona State
University and the U n i v e r s ~ t y o f Arizona. They concluded that these
questions cannot be answered wjthout extensive research conducted over
time, and even then the r e s u l t s may be speculative,
The d i f f i c u l t y i n determining the e f f e c t o f the new regulations on c l i e n t
behavior i s is01 a t i n g the various factors a f t e c t i n g behavior. For
example, t o determine how many parents would leave the work force becau5e
they could no longer a f f o r d c h i l d care would require the researcher La
control f o r other c o n t r i b u t i n g causes such as worker d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n .
This would be impossible without extens~ ve surveys or s i m i l a r dat8
col 1 ected over time.
This appendix describes the methodological design and procedures used to
develop the cost impact figures detailed i n the body o f the report.
Auditor General staff began the research project by reviewing prior
studies on the cost o f day- care, especially thare studies t h a t
concentrated on chil(?/ staff ratios, A major work in this area was
completed in 1979 by Abt Associates. Pub1 i'she4 in several volu~ es, the
report provided important background infoinma:: ion cn the vurnereus factors
involved in assessing day- care costs. A later study, conducte4 by t h e
North Carolina Department o f Administration ( 19831, uses another approach
to ascertain the costs of child care for that state. Both prior stueies
structurzd the research around different questions and environments
specific to those studies. Therefore. i t was not feasible t o replicate
eitlier one for Arizona.
Two studies specific to ck3a" ld care costs i n Prizuna were completed ant
provided insight into the types sf prohlems Auditor General staff could
expect to encounter. The Department of Economic: Securlty ( DES) conducted
a study in 1980 of child care centers that had financial agreements with
DES, in order to determir~ e the cost of child care ir! those centers. DES
needed this information to ascertain the amount, of the subsidies they
woul d pay to ecanomical ly disadvantaged working parents. Later
adjustments in subsidy levels were nade in proportion to increases i n the
cost of living, rather than based on new cost data collected from the
centers. Since DES has financial agreements w i t h approximately half of
the child care centers in Arizona, the sample was representative of DES
csnters b u t did not reflect. the entire population of ch- ilc! care centers.
The Department of Heal t a Services ( DHS) and DES began a pi l o t study of 14
child care centers in February 1986, to assess the impact and cost of the
1985 task farce recommendations. The p i 1 ct test revealed several
ol.+ stacler t o preseatislg valid costs t o the State. Most important was the
lack of standardized accounting practices among the centers. PHS visi1: cd
the pilot centers to help them set up standardized accciunting systems i n
order to answer the questionnaire. They then sent the p r e t e ~ t e ( ~
questionnaire to all 787 licensed child care centers in operatior1 at t h a t
time. Only 75 centers returned questa' onnai yes that contained usabl e cost
and census data. An independent pub1 ic accounting firm hired by DHS to
validate the data determined that the information could not be \ ial idaweti
and, therefore, no inferences or conclusions could be drawn from the data,
Since response rates from child care centers in bath prior studies were
low and threatened the inferential value cf the research results, Auditor
General staff arranged meetings with rcpre- sentatives of the child r3re
industry for their advice on technical factors t o be considered ira the
study and on how t o increase participation i n the present research
effort. Separate meetings were he1 d in Sefltember with individual s v bcl
supported the new regael~ it ~ n b a ne i neividval s siho oppi~ sed t h ~ ' FIPL
regulations. There were thrw S'or~ al mretl; rcgr; i t r f i l r a Cd3fr7 i : ~ 1 1 ~ c t i ~ r l
actual ly henan. TKQ of kine r; rtct i 32s weri: rid; t it tc j c i 1 i r ~ f ! l ~ t : + r ~
opinions and s~ gge:~, tinnsb efore . the: research d;- sit;* f W ~ Sf ~ ~ i ! i kaj tl e +. r'jrlcr
thest- i was 14- i t h p~*/>) por~- eontf~ thr En; rw 1c' 3rp5 j: t: jo~ ts .;? n*:~' C~ nr ,; as wit19
opponer~ ts. A th- it- d formal meeting cnmhin~ d hotk thesc grok~ ps tc / IS~!: I; P~+.
the research rksi gn for final review. There k . r ' r c ' 41 ~ tc nermerous informal
meetings i n Phoeriix ~ n dTu cson w i t h bcth ~ Y C I U ~ ~ : . l nput was encordrapecl
fror the centers and two- way cornn~ ut~ icibtiorse ntnl" n; ld cprn over rkie course
of thc entire studdye When part- icular questions or issucz erner qet? . I- h? f
caul d be better. answered by tirose with expclnicrir. i: i n the I nc" cr?; r; trjt,
tel ephon~ m i ni- surveys were cc! ndi; ctesl. Care was taieerr to i ncl crde Phors
wlac supported and thcse wt~ e opposed the riew ~ ~ . q u S a t i o n s . E x c ~ u ~ ? th~ e~ ]
actual data collectioili efforts, well over a hundred contacts were mad(>
w i t h industry members, representing bottz opgosaerlts and proponents of t k i ~
regulations. In ar? ld. ition t o t h i s industry i n p u t , approximately 78
meetings were held w i t h officials of DHS and DES f ~ rthe - ir technical
advice in developing the research design.
The f i r s t requirement that child care officials f e l t ~ u s tbe met was that
the paperwork burden of any study he rc: asenaSle for center operators.
Both groups of representatives suggc.; ted additional factors that needed t o
be considered.
1. Inherent differences between prsfie and nonprofit centers
2. Differences irr centers located i n uariobs parts o f the state
3. Size of centers based on their l - ic. enseal r d p d ~ ' j t y
4. Physical plant ' limitations of cerrters i n terms of legally mandated
appurtenances and square foot renuire!~ crts for different age groups
5 . The dynamic nature o f childl'staff rati; jz 6uring a c! ay
6, Appropriate time frarrles f o r col l c c t i nc t b t a
7. Impact. o f accepting DES subsidized h: hf; lfdren when attendance rathcr
than enrollment i s reimbursed
8. Separation of fixed versus variable cagts
9 Variance among ccnzers i n wages for caregivers
10. E f f e c t o f donated goods and service% * O a r: e? lterk serpectecc c ~ s t
l" acreases
A1 though technical resear- el: questions coul d be answered by Auditor GcrrevciS
method01 ogi sds, eei- tai n deci sion rul ~ s were better deci dec! by those vi t h
child care experience, advice was uffcred by and sought from both
proponents and opponents of the new regulaticns.
rosearr, h design for det~ rmiili: tg the cost o f chdn9es i n child/ stzff
ratios was buil t around a computer si! rrul ation m t r d ~ l which integrate$
chi l drerr ' s attendance, caregl" ver time records, the new chi 1 dlstaff ratios
for each age category, a d a center's physical plant 1 imitations for eacn
room in the f a c i l i ty. The resul ts of the simrrl ati on model coul d then be
analyzed in terms sf other variables such as size o f the center, its
Tocat. jc~ n, profit or nonprofit status, wages paid Ijy the center, whether
the center & as a preschool or day care center, etc.
Inherent i n the research design i s the assiirnption t h a t the costs o f
imp1 ementing the neh caregiver s t a f f i n g regulatiorrs wif 1 be passed an to
the users of c h i l d care. Altho% rgh there my be other options available
f o r dealing with the increazed costs, Auditor Genera7 s t a f f did not
attempt t o address the v a r i e t y o f V M ~ S cersters would react t o increased
costs. These coul d p o t e n t i a l l y incl uaic c u t t i n g programs or p r o f i t s ,
generating a d d i t i o n a l sources o f revenue, i~ r: rsasing the use o f donated
goods and services, etc,
The computer s- imulation modeling began by deke~";:! 8874) 1g the number o f d i r e c t
caregiver s t a f f required For each i n d i v i d u a l cerntcr a t any given ane- ha1 f
hour time increment. This fjgurc was dejje/ rld~ nt on the number and age
riistrs'laution o f c h i l d r e n present a t a S ~ V P Pc~) rii"- haif hour time increryent,
the neb chi3dJstaf. f rat'ins f o r those aqes, I.~; K! paysicti1 plant 1 i m i t a t i o n s
t h a t could impact the implementation o f thess. new r a t i ~ s . ill center's
ph) sic, jT p l a n t tliight 1 i m i t ~ p e r ~ l t o rh- sa t, ^ i i i i c s ti, break chi l d r c ~ i ~ t o
in? r, lSe. r groups arid add s t a f f j n 3 co5- t - r f f i c i e ? r a t fashion. 1- icmsc
y r i f ~ i j : ~ l j cf a :: Enter i s basecl 017 d ~ t a r i l ; r > r . ' ~ ;: pcr~" ldin$ j 3 ' sqllarP f r ~ kfr k
&,: hi ki $ nfant t0rk~ jf. r>~:, ti * r" : sejuarf fprr tp-. v7 : rE. T; lf ir" t? rt rld (? r f him that-,
liia. r_ v r. npns irr . I ecn! rtlr !; ss d ] i n i f i c ; r ! ' l i c c p s ~ 4 s c f t y t! i? f- PSUCICC" tfi bc
: ; j e ~ c ~ ci n* t~ f ; + f ~ ta + > : a i ~ + t r ~ o t i Y : l t : : + ~ ? ; j b i n 2 rv - 5% '.,*? r, b. \ dofL: dfng iF c h i 1d rer
: CIF:! d 1 ; ~ kp fikeii <: It o sn;, i? l: i.. ilr: ru:? s t.;~ Y ~ a j " ~ : ; .~: I ~ , q ~ c t f~ t s f - f ; n gr a t i o s ,
. r , ~ Y ; ~ u z * ifcrvir C~ +! I(- S~ RU'd! ! l::~ 3 gpc:, dpi r i d i ~ o ta 134 addl t i o n a l
s? zf l l l e - ; ~ lr W: S CLS~- bilticie- rrtto r: c 46, [. OK" , fkp new
@( iiSldt'; daff i- aifr3 fnu ; i-" i o 5- year-. uitl ci?. ildrew i s 13 to 8 . If the yoom
ksif; ilizf: d for* 7, kl" w ; 39e5 had a row capacity o; 15, i t would not be
c. 1 2?- efficic3nP fat- a Lznrer. adnlinistt'ator to f i l l thp: r* oom t o capacity.
Ill JI,!; srj bu'ould : itlcessi tctf e hir. ir- ng a segcond F'P fc: r** r? t? fizr tii? i) chi1 C I ~ Q P ,
Fhr'c; secor~ tf s t a t f perror; woul;! br rcclil~ red s: rrc" er t h e new r a t i o s because
t h a a nurnE.: er c; f s hildren cawd for i, y rmtg s t h : f ; ~ e r s ~ i5j; ~ 7~ l'm iLlc; rl t o I d ,
The c o s t in ~ l j d g ~ osf acfdirg tt. 1 i x nrin?- cii: nall s t ~ E f p i. a- inn w ~ ) ~ di l rat be
i. I : by t: hc v ~ v c r u e obta6r; ed i r r ~ a - 4 - i t k 4 t CPS f~::* caring for* tbc.
addi- tional two LI~$ du'l. e n. Ir-, pilt: from Lb, i \ li d t ; i n i r ; isf. r. ator. s suggcr* trP
t ltrii t i l e \ cost t 3 f ,* ddfrit~ ad?: f;. ional stat-; . n, ? I I;: isz tllc. ciajnr i f y of c d g r " s .
PC o: f s c t by +. he f ces o" i'~ ppr,, x: matrl:/ I f f- - - 4 ; 1 ** rcr ( tfepens? in:?. cn
t E CF 1- ft? s t a f f ( ridded). b d t l j t ? : ~ > ~ " 3 ~ i ? ~ ~ - ; ~ ' * : ~ j tc:~ ~~ t sJ P [ ihr
! la.:& i~, I" t ~ : j b $ r] j tje . . . &;. I<
a?: riit:#~ nal " s i f f c~ 3cy. s t h s a ~ w ar a r9tr3n$,* 1~ i: ~ rldrpjrl S S S I E C ~ FJC~!
P i ti1 f , i - ~ i ~ act l'cin,
number of children the center needed to drop. Tksus, these children were
not included in determining the number of direct care staff a center
needed to add to be i n compliance w i t h the new staffing regulations.
However, lost revenues from children dropped in the simulation were
generated and included i n the overal! cost of impleinenting the new
chi1 d/ staff ratios.
The result of the computer simulation model, then, was a determination for
each individual center of the number of children who had t~ be dropped and
the number of staff who needed t o be added t o meet the new staffing
ratios. These figures ref1 ected considerations of the cost efficiency o f
adding additional staff or dropping chi1 dren, given the physical pl ant
1 imitations of a center. The figures also factored i n a profitable paint
for adding staff.
The cost of additional caregiver staff was determined by using each
center ' s average hourly caregiver wage and rnul tiplying the number o f staff
!? ouvs t~ oedeci to incct the new regulations by t h a t c~ arter's average wage.
A11 the c e n t e r s h c s t s hrsre then summed t. 8 obta- ir; ~ s. timatcr of additional
cdregiver wages fcr ccnters included in the sample. This fiourt was
mumltiplied hy 2.96 S" 61/ 798) t o project the ccst cstimate o f adding s t a f f
f o r the pspul atifir) of 1 Scecs~ d day- care facil i t i c f i:? Prizona.
l o t i- cvcnl; r\ s due t r j ciroppcd chi i drcr! were c i .: ter wined i n a sl ipi- itly
rii f f c pent n- annor-, A centf- r's fees are basef: ( tn '; r'tter31 factors ir; cl uding
a bf a child, intilti~ lti. childrfiv i!~ scour!. lt. s, types o f programs, anal
ri13"; i; rari 1 ~ ~ i g t h . Tlnese tend tr vary b j type o f center. Specific
t: k?- o'i ? mcnh fees coer7d aactt be used because t h ~ y dc not reflect sl'niilar
t, 5arwisr3s dt3Y'o~ S3 1.1 i e ~ k , ~ i' n" ~ tb le sample, fort^! last rs- tvcrrucs cabld f r t
c : ~ ~ , ? ~ ! ! at i~~ t~ a, n ~ ~ ~ r l r dr! aii'zF~~{ d f ee per chi1d ncf; fiee; $ 0 beq generated.
Ataditor Genere1 s t a t i der i d ~ dt o compute an aver9age da+ ly fee for a l l - day
child cart centel s t810.28) and use this figure t o determine lost
rcucnucs. Last rpvenucs estimates were obtained for a77 centers in the
sample using this standab- dized fee and mu% tiplyin!: the number o f FTE
chi1 dren needed t o be droppcc- to meet new regul ataons. These figures were
summcsd across centers and ~! edlliplic. d by %, 96 to project the cost estimate
of dropping chi1 dren for the papril a t ion of 1 icerrsec! day- care facil i t i e s in
Arizona .
Incorporating the suggestrons from the child rare cperators, the sample
was s t r a t i f i c d on s~ vev. al characteri % tics.
2. Geographical regions
3. Sire ( i - e . , licensed i; apacit% y of the Fa4; ilit. y)
Sample size wsls deterrrained u s i ~ gth e ger1efbI ly cccepted canf idence 1e arel
of 95 percent ( N r i g h t . 7985) wizr: a re1 i a b i 1 i ty factor of plus or mi nus :' 3
pere: CP. An algari tha f r ~ a m CI jrr~ ar~ mlo f salnpl - iris wethods [ Lakner, 1976)
out1 ined the praccdure for ascertaining thc n. nmber needed, Tkis i s
s511ii jar : 17 the 115tld1 ti, t" m~ ifa~ fr~ r d ~ t e riri'l a'$ &~"- aEIpjf' rize found I n
standdr- d ~ t a t ; ~ t i c ; li, z! r n ~ ai i tg basks ( Schaeffeu 6 l - t a ., 197S, pase 42).
Sample size! detesminal~ on reqtlf1p. 9~ kk: o~' I: c:= ig@? i* 2fn estimations of the
population size, medn and waridr; ce, I n : has czzc, ea% a for the algorithm
were bbelsed on " ce DDllS study mentioned cd~ lrP$ cr, Through use of the
algor, Ethm and data, = it w s determinet4 ?; hat the appr? i2riare sample size was
295, w i t h a confidence leve3 of 9S percpgir, arid error o f plus or minus 3
ye.. rcent. Giscussi~ r: wcas held kith a sampling special t'st from the Survey
RewarcR Laboratcry, Arizona S t a h ~ h3jverajit y, which resulted i n a
procc! dure f o r f o r ~ ~ ~ l a t i oont a ~~ ystern~ triacn dom selection o f the
stra~ iffed units i n Mai- icopa and P i m ccunties, ? kp entire population of
Maricopa and Pima c h i l d ciare centers m s used ? s our ~~ rbaanr ea sampling
f riame.
were identified, Several clusters of centers were evident, w i t h the
remaining child care centers being widely dispersed. I t was decided t o
concentrate on the centers in four clust~ red areas rather than include
dispersed child care centers, due to the difficulty of travel, inefficient
use of s t a f f , and excessive demands o f time that would be required. The
geographic clusters were selected on the foll swing c r i t e r i a .
1. They represented d i f f e r e n t regions o f ~ ! ~ c ? S. tate.
2. They represented regions of d. i f f e r i n ? , nzeroeconomic and social
A1 1 child c a w centers in a cluster were included i n the study.
Following are the areas that were sclerked for the four clusters.
Information about the ~ o u ~ l i t i ewsa s tako~? f rom Brizona ' s Changing Fconomy :
Trends arid Prospects ( Arironc3. Dr- oartr;~ enlc; f Ccr~~ m~ rc1e9,8 6 1.
1. Y~ ikapai/ Cnccn? n@ Lritrnt- v - ,:! I , ires ? hct has tourism, forestry and
m ? r i ~ i i j c tr:~ g r ~ as i t s ~ r r q l : ] ccnnr- ii: ir basr;., a1 osq w i t h government and
Ijraivfrsi t y f: a: cs.
3, Coc. lrlis~ CQ) LII:~ J -- d r t A a i ~ ~ : ~ ~ r ? ( , kt ~ r i r c ir tdustries and kligh
uncnepl syci? r3nk.
3. I L~ rir1. t.: - , , 2: t k 2 ' I IcC~ C:: ty c . ec. or; omfes such as
( 7' y- ic~ t.? u. :\: I d- ci: f" l SF, ~ i'iitbir r'hli I tat1 t w : ~ B F !~ r.~ mep? f; 5 mcnt durfng slow
SPaSonS *
4. Mohave Courity - a1 LC l ~@ r> cehd, y ~ O E : Y;< ; aq % ttr l $ 8 5 i: h manufacturing and
Ill' c! R growth c3vi c; titqC.
t3euallsr t>- f b: arfi; n!: s + Q ; r i ~~ e ! l t f : ~ - k i , ? i l d n( if ;"~:~ p, ns~ vgt o the stuay and
~ ~ y);? ;~ ~ y~ 74-- f ! ph ~> j$-, i f-~+ j~ l o . n c r a b ; b 3 f f I - A; L: r; i ld 3 3 over~ sample and
" a_ fll; rjYT SCI f ~ ' l t z . r x , c ; i r s t , ; , c c;~ az, r~? o- vi,' j~:, fr." oinn ! be st(,! 4i4/. The f~ llowirrg
breriktil, w~ dc$ t. rqit p~:, . j: c. jrajLPfc'al .!' striLra". ierl ~~ 4 the . popml ation and
th;: sarnpie
1 a The ?- o% aT r? c: pu3$ ra" o~ c f c h i l d enrse ccnters 7" n outlying counties is
3 P 2 , or 23 : < - ? nt: st a1 1 chi 1 d ,, are ccrters, The sampl e i ncl uded 76,
or 24 p e ~ , * c w ~ ~
2. The total population of chi1 d care centers in Maricopa County is 431 ,
or 55 percent. The sample selected 174, or 54 percent.
3. The total pop~ llation of child care centers in Pima County i s 177, ( $ 1
22 percent. The sample selected 77, or 22 percent.
Despite the warnings about lack of cooperaticn, centc: rs were both
cooperative and conscientious in their data col Iectian efforts. Twn
hundred sevcnt. y- six centers ( 94 percent of the required s a ~ p l e size or 86
percent o f the oversample) agreed to participate a'rr the study. Nine
ccntel.~ were dropped because of unreliable or missing data, makina thc
final sample for analysis 267 ( 91 percent of the required samplc size or
83 percent of the oversample). Results of thu's sarr~ ple are sufficierit for
valid inferences to the population of child care centers in Arizona. ( See
Babbie, 1985, for a d- iscussicn e f adequate response rates for inferentfal
purposes. )
I ! ISTRllblENT DEVELOPMENT -.-- --" - -- -- 7
With advice frcm D M , EES and representat. ives of the child care industry,
drafts of data collectien instruments were prepared. The drafts were
reviewed by DEiS and DES. Firla1 drafts were produced and a. joint meeting
was arranged with Auditor General staff and both the proponents and
oPporlents of the regulations. The purpose o f the n: eeting was to explain
the research design, pretest the data collect= ia~ instruments, and s o l i c i t
final comments before presentation Lo the sample of centers.
! 4ost o f the suggestions were i neorporated into the fol l owing forms, which
were aerninistered to the centers.
1 . Survey Questionnaire asked basic information about hours of operatian,
fees, employee benefits, danatSons, and other demographic information
about thc center,
L , Cost Irripact Survey Questisnniiire requested information about certsirl
revenues for t h c~ en ter.
. Caregiver Wage Rate Form asked for information about each employee's
education, experience, hourly wage rate, and the estimated number of
hours worked each week.
4. Daily Child Attendance Roster was a log of each child's age, time i n
and time out of the center.
5. Daily Time Record for Caregivers was a log of the hours worked at
direct care for children i n half- hour increments over a 24- hour day.
Caregivers were also noted as volunteer or paid staff.
( See Appendix I1 for data collection forms. )
Letters were mailed to child care centers explaining the purpose of the
study and requesting their participation. Centers were then telephoned by
Auditor General staff to ascertain their participation. Data col 1 ecti on
began in October and took approximately four weeks t o complete. According
to child care operators, October was a good month for the two- week s t ~ ~ d y
for several reasons. I t represented a time of most normal operation in
that summer vacations were over, school was in sess. l" on, no major holidays
occurred ( Columbus Day was not considered a major holiday by industry
representatives b, there were no spring vacations, and overall there were
no reasons to suspect any major disruptions in either child or staff
attendance. Two weeks was considered by child care industry
representatives an adequate time frame for collecting the data. A lonaer
time frame waul d impose major burdens on centers and, consequently, would
threaten the quality of data and the willingness of centers t o
participate. Auditor General staff attended in- huse training sessions
explaining the research design and instructions for f i l l i n g out the
fornls. Each center in the sample was assigned an Auditcr Gcneral staft
member to help them i n answering questions and collecting data.
The f i r s t week ( October 5- 11) served as an introductory week i n \ vhich
Auditor General staff met with center personnel, toured their assigned
centers, and explained the study and forms to center administrators.
Survey and Cost Impact Questionnaires and Caregiver Wage Forms were
started a t this time.
The second week ( October 13- 18) was the s t a r t of daily data collection of
Child Attendance Rosters and Time Records for Caregivers. Staff visited
a1 1 the centers i n the f i r s t two days to ensure proper recording by the
The third week ( October 19- 25) continued daily data collection. Spot
checks of the preceding weeks' forms were conducted, along w i t h continued
visits to the centers for assistance if needed.
The fourth week ( October 26- 27) included final visits and collection of
all outstanding data forms. Because of the Columbus Day holiday, an extra
day's data was collected. This was done because two full weeks of normal
working days' data were desired.
After the data collectian phase was completed, November was spent
verifying information, collecting missing foo-~ s, researchinp incomplete
forms, and entering data from the centers i n t o cnnlputer files. Once the
data were entered, further checking of contputer printouts was conducted
for internal consistency of information and verification of out- of- range
values. Considerable time was spent on this data cleaning phase. The
various data files contained more than 225,000 records. Nine centers had
to be excluded from the study because of unreliable data, making the final
number of cases for the analysis 267.
Data analysis began i n December. The goal of data csllection was to
capture caregiver staff and chi1 d attendance during a two- week timeframe.
Because of the hourly variance i n attendance a t centers over the course o f
a day, a single measurement taken a t one point in the day would not
accurately reflect the dynamic nature of either children or staff present
a t the center. Therefore, after discussion with child care operators,
child attendance by age and the number of staff providing direct care ta
these children were measured in half- hour periods over the course of 2
24- hour day. If administrative or support staff filled in for caregivers
for certain half- hour periods during the day, they were noted as
caregivers for that ha1 f- hour. Thus, a more accurate measure of
chi1 d/ staff ratios was possible.
The unit of analysis for the study was the individual child care center,
Since there are different staffing requirements for different age
categories, the computer analysis sorted the children at a center into
separate age groups and assessed the total number of staff that would he
required for that center to meet new ratios. This was done for each
half- hour period over the 14- day timeframe.
The simulation then compared the nu~ ber o f staff needed t o the actual
total number of caregiving staff at the center for those sarna time
periods. Because of the difficulty in collecting and verifying data orr
which staff were w i t h which age groups each half- hour, we assumed t h a t if
the total number o f staff actually providing direct care t o children at
t h a t time was adequate t o meet the new regulations, the management of the
center would assign t h o s ~ staff iin compliance w i t h the regulations For
each age group, rather than overstaff for one age group and understaff for
another. While there may be instances when that mfgtit not be Triacl, wf:
expect that in the majority of cases our assumption would hold.
IW es~ ttl s of the cotnpwter simulation rr~ odelis are presented i n the report,
beginning with pagc 9. )
Abt Associates, Children aP the Cent- er: Final Report of the National Day .-------- P--.--------- -
-- C- are Study ( 1979). Cambridge, Abt Associates.
Arizona Department of Commerce, Arizona's C h a n q 9 ------ Economy: Trends and
- P-- r ospects ( 1986). Phoenix, A%: Commerce Prcss.
Arizona Department of Ecsnomic Security, ' 7190 Child Care Cost Survey"
( 1980).
Arizona Department of Health Services and Arizona Department of Economic
Security, ' TChiSd Day Care Cost Study" ( 1 986 1.
Babbie, Earl, - S--- ocial- - R - es- e- a r - ch f- o- r - t - h- e- Gonsurn- e-~ ( 1985). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Pub1 i shi ng C~ rnpa0. y~ i n ~ .
Lakner, Edward, " A F- l- d- n- u -- a- l of S t a t i s t i c a l S-- a-- m--- g-'- t- i- n-:- Pcthods for Correctional
Planners { ' 1 9 7 6 ) , Crbana- Champaign, I b : kl~ fvet- sity s f I l l i n o i s Press. -.--- -
North Carolina Department o f Administration, " Nartb Carolina Day Care Cost
Study: Final Report" ( 7 ( 1983).
Scheaffer, Richard L., William Mendenhall and Lyman O t t , Elementary Survey
Sampl in9 ( 1 979). North Scituate, MA: Duxbursy Press.
Wright, Susan, -- S----- o---- c-- ial Science S t a t r ' s t i c-- s ( 1 986). Boston, MA: Al lyn and
Bacon, Inc.
SURVEY OUESTIONNAiRE
I ! J~:-, F o+ ch51 CI care center Lic. No. -
i' , j t : ~ L ~ 5 t
I: t) . C o u n ty -- Z i p code -
k& i.: g ,* : ill e c1. centtr respondent - -
& . d i - ( ~ - t. gtie o f a ~ g a n i m a t i o n operates the cecter:
IJV- ;" fL
3. Pz j . 0 ~ ha ve a f5nancial agreement w i t h DE5:
:, i.:- r : : ~ ; i r l o ~ ~ ofr c~ ip eratf or are: ( c i r c l e either a , r . or D. R. j
I : ~ - 1 ~ r ; f , n t h n t j ~ ~~- 9; the e a r t" i5 your cenker ~ p e r , ?
. -. p! lte? i" at- c p a t - ~ n t s csuz;: y required to pay f o r drys the? r
,; r - t- . C." Ab "& C\> 4 %?.' :~ 1 t: .?
7. Does your center pay f ~ trhe following b e n c f i t c for crnployfles whorl:
rincipal function i s to provide direct care:
f- c- lei?-% all t h -----
a t apply 1
F u l l - time Part- time
Healthlmedical insurance ---.
Dental insurance
Retirement benefits -, - --.
Sick leave -- .. - a- --
Vacation -- ".-
Meal s
- 0-
Other empl oyer- paid benefits for direct careyiv6. r; -- - ----- - -.
8. Does your center receive any of thc f o l l o w i ~ g- d - e natao- ns- - Qr-- s-- u-- b si: 3% ec: " --
( check all t h a t apply)
--- Free or reduced rent
Volunteer caregiver time
---- Grants or rash d o n a t i o ~ s
---- Other goods or servfces
9. What percent of your costs are covered by parent fecs arid ZtEC p a y ~ ~ ~ x a f - : . ~
---- pcrcen t
10, Does your center use room dividers?
11, bicul d you 1 i k e r3, repy o f the resnl ts c f t h i s r; tudy? i i" i! Y SI : TI- IF
IS SCHEDC! LED TO BE PELEASED AT THE EriD OF DECEPIEF91
1 RESLARCtith: ( A l Obtain a copy of the fct. sct-! eduic3.
1. Name o f center -- - Lit, ! lo. . a - . - . -
Name/ title o f person cr~ mpletingt his r e p ~ r- t --- - - - - -. . - --
2. List the avprage -(-- f-- a il) ehdrge pcr child for full tirrr- c" cnrc a t ;* lfjriv center for:
lAva: rayp d a i l y fees 2ut. 3eF- ineb as fee; ! ;
laarri8rs or paid by pilrects and the D F O , I ~ ' R ~ R ? . - f
Econoaii c, Secur'i by I DCS], j
----- One year o l d ~
---- Two year o l d ~
--- Three year o3ds
---.- Four year o l d ~
----.-- Five year ~ I d s
-- -- -- Ages over f f v ~~ m y ~
3, A ) Does yorsr ci.'- nter ru- c: q., tirie sni-: al5 to o!~ i? eli. ec as ;) art. c f .$) ts3
daily charqe t o t h * ? g A y c v t >
--.--- &
-- Yes
2) If yes, i n ywr experience, excluding labor czsts, what i a * EEr
current average i-. cst per clay per c h i l d sf the rad f06: i thae :';'$::
phrchase which i s included i n the average c n i l v ehax~ gr?
- INSTRUCTIONS TO CHILD ATTENDAhCE ROSTER
Both the DAILY CHILE ATTENDANCE ROSTER an0 the DAILY TIM KECOKC FOiZ
CAREGIVERS are forms that are t o be filled a j l . i t edch day. Use a qew fair n
each day for the child roster, and time record. The A. G. staff rnenii~ r\ r
will pick up completed forrns during their weekly visits t o your cerltct-.
The purpose o f this for, rl is t o obtain cartddl i? ourly attenddnei- 1- Fe. t ui
chi1 d.
1. List each child's name.
2. Enter the child's actual age.
3. Enter the time the child was received a t the center iri the " t i m ~ i n '
column. Please include whether the time was a. m. or p. m. [ Examcrie: 9:*?
a. m. J
4. Enter the time tne child l e f t the center r n the " tine out" ~ colui: 1r:,
5. tlauc the center's staff - or the child's parent initial the t c j j - i : ; w " l c ~
they enter the " tine out"'.
NOIF: 1P the ch479 erit2r" t h ~ cen ter more than eincc* eacn day, " " t ~ ~ -- : DP
ch- ilti's name a %?~ andti me including the carrt.- saondia: g tiinc t z f eLrtyr 4. c
exit* [ Ex? rr? plc: J n r r r ~ t ~ r e : ! a t 8.00 a. m, arra l e f t dr, 11 - 30 d, a., HE ' 4 -
brought bdck d0 ttie cenxtar a t I :( IG p. m. and : e f t f o r the ddy d- r, 5: 42 a , l . t r t , n
He shcul d be eiat~ re~(. 3;~ i the roster t ~ toi r n ~ s , ci; 6; 1 i ~ rredl~ rrq ?. he: "" 2 F[. rk< ; I:
and " time eut", j
The purpose of ihic Form is tc, obtain caregiver , akfenddnr, e J'p., tcr~~ r, lja. t
Paid s t a f f t o be incl~ adcd clre those who, at ssnae tfmc during t h t
prov~ de direct care, This will always include t e a c h e ~ ~ e, a r ~ ~ i v c r sai, a s,
assi~ harrTIs~~~ 6~ sT1Yeuttce. sw~ h o were hired to pra1v-- i- t ic dire-- c- t- - c ar- e - A l s::
include any velunteers who n r ~ v i d c direct edre. it: d d f ~ T m n , other ceiit,-;. r _-.- --.---__-- L- ---- -----
staff may dl so be incltiaed, SLiCIi ds th~ e director, ~ h i ) . glJt* ir~ g S. IXIGC i , 4 i i ~ ' i P
Lhz day mdy prow idc. l c l i r ~ t ~ c are.
7, , ,\ .- M0Y- k: rhf s ffirm kid.; designed t. 0 p r o v i d e for 24 jl3lir cr: ver. a+ 3, ?. L, 8 3 g c22-..,
r- 7-,- 7 cfie:: ic o f f " "' 1 t , ~ spent g i v i n g direct c h i l d- .- c- a w , , The " da, g; i>" y.;:; f ~ 5 2 :'
' n s- o , fc II'--- those p e r x s who do not pr- r: vidr :>. 9 ~ ? c - i ;
care most of rhe t: mei, i t may bs easier for the director LCI n ~ r , ~ r ; ~ ctri- i K~
d a i l y t- ecorc! ;: I a centralized ' l o c a t l ~ na nd comp'leie the f s m ,
Each individual staff/ volunteer should be given a new form each day. They
would be responsible for completing the form each day.
1. Enter the staff/ vol unteer's name.
2. Enter the person's position and check off whether the person is a
" paid" staff or a " volunteer".
3. Check each one- half hour increment in which the staff/ volunteer
provided direct care to any chi1 d age group. Again, please check only the
time slots in which direct care was given.
ROUNDING PROCEDURE: If you provide care for a minimum of 15
minutes during any 1 / 2 hour interval , that
interval should be checked. If you provide
care for m h a n 15 minutes during any 182
hour interval, that interval should not be
A, G, I n i t i a l s
Date ------
C e n t e r Name --- .--- L i c . No. ----
NOTE: I F A CHILD LEAVES THE CENTER DllRI!! G THE DAY F(' P NCR- CENTER RELATED
ACTIVITIES, PLEASE SIGN THE CHILI! O U i WHFTFI TilEY LEAVE AND SIGN TtlEl4
S i g n Out
Child's Name Age Tinac I n Time But I n i t i a l s ----------------------------------------------------------"- -- ---------- -- - - - - - -- ---------------- --
S ~ ~ A I ~ ~ L ~ KauI o sm axn nrwa
l n c lu de owll!, - r a -~- d: t af f ~ rrl; t,.. re s p r if i r ; i 1 J y h i r ~ ~ t: c r rcvicie dirt.(:+
- 2------- chi1d care. S ~ c h star f riloitl d f! rtiid e i: nr t . : r i v ~ r c , tcacnfivus, Fiky, - - =
assistants, etc. lr~ h~ s;: frinctiarr 33i7 r i l r c ~ t : I- C? P i s tq IICSV~ C'C d i r ~ c i $, Rcpr* cart.. i h i s f err? rieed ; ir: Ty ' ~ i ~ ' ~ ~ ~ - r j ~ ~ f , ~ ~ - i j I
a -"--- -;* T--- - -
-- L*) t- he car t< lr r I Fr
collected by the A, G. r f 3 ' i c- lrimb~ r dh; irf w c ~ k ? ti? ?,
4, Entcf rhe cc ' E tii. lt vie., " i ; ~ . e sd h ~ F J ~ ~ ' ~ T -)" ~ Icr , l rI ' i c:;? iSt" Y XP,~ je~ c:;~ i n
CQkUMM ,: I " r: b. ild c3i. c * ~ . v , t ~ a * f ~ ~ :+, - ~,~ c p f i ' hctj c $ ~ y ;. I F jable p x p ~ y i p ! ~ ; ~
working direcii-; k i t ! ! a ? rr?, i,. o+ children 6 ~ r i : i g 3 s p c - i f i c d timi.? pct- ja, 4
i n any 2 icensed day carp cclrrt? r, e i fmentaa-; i ec" adr; c 2x7 nn & rsgranr, or x rr t k P
f is. 7 tJr LP raurcins, socf-? k7' raka P S ; ~ ~ ~ IISG~ J% Y O Y' 0" r- ncr f , c f ds vcla: o: i tc;
chi 1 d growxh or cdet.-~ a. k~;~, ncu! c,*) T& x? rif? nc'c . c edes 2- e:
A. G. Initials
Center Name - Lit. No.
Empl oyee Name
- COL B --- C BL C COL D COLUflN E COLUFltl F
Ed. C DA Exp. Weekly
Code Code Code Hours
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text:
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text:
- Antique Jewelry
- The Ages
- Engagement Rings
- Antique Rings
- Diamond Jewelry
- So Much More
Victorian Lilac Sapphire & Diamond Ring
The color of this natural sapphire is akin to a flower bed in an English garden full with budding blooms of lilacs. Pale and ethereal, the oval faceted gem has an estimated weight of .70 carats and is surrounded with six (6) old mine cut diamonds of a total estimated .12 carats (J-K color; SI2-3 clarity) set in 10k rose gold. Delightful designs grace each tapering shoulder which segues into a 14k rose gold shank.
Date: Circa 1890.
Measurements: 1/2 of an inch (1.2 cm) in length north to south on the hand and rises 3/16 of an inch (0.6 cm) in height off the finger. Weight of 3.0 grams (1.9 dwt).
Ring Size: US 6-1/4 (UK M; Euro or Int. Circum. 52.5 mm; Int. Dia. 16.7 mm; Japan 12) and easily can be sized to fit most. Ring sizing information.
Hallmarks: 14k.
Condition: Excellent; ring has been expertly reshanked in 14k rose gold; evidence of previous resizing visible with magnification; one diamond with an edge chip and a tad facet wear to a few diamonds all only visible with a loupe.
Origin: American.
Note: Stones were not removed to preserve the integrity of the setting. All weights are approximated by measurement and formula and may vary from actual weights. Grading may vary if stones are removed.
Forms of Payment
- VISA and MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit & debit cards.
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If for any reason whatsoever you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, we will refund the FULL purchase price including U.S. shipping if charged. Remember, there is no charge for our regular shipping service!
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When the NASCAR Nationwide Series™ race returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2012, this is the car that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive. The No. 5 Degree Adrenaline Chevrolet is a heavy mix of metallic silver and gold with a sharp black roof and hood. It's a shining, show-stopping design worthy of the most popular driver in NASCAR and Earnhardt will race it only once.
- 1:24-Scale die-cast collectible
- Accurate header contour
- Car-specific DIN included for registration
- Detailed disk brake assembly
- Detailed trunk compartment with authentic painted fuel cell
- Detailed, front working suspension
- Die-cast collectible car
- Die-cast tie rod assembly
- Fabric window net
- Galaxy finish
- Includes a sticker designating its production quantity to heighten its future value
- Interior hoses painted black
- Limited edition of 92
- More than 100 total parts and pieces
- Officially licensed
- Opening hood and trunk
- Painted window detail
- Realistic radiator
- Rear window funnel access
- Roof camera
- Rubber tires
- Spark plug wires
- Stamped metal hinges on hood and trunk
- White drive shaft
- Working rack and pinion steering
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Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


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Julia Angstenberger Communications Intern Weleda North America
My love for Weleda products, and the positive experiences I've gathered with the company over the years, have brought me here, to Palisades, NY. I'm a German university student in my last throes; my focus is on American and Scandinavian studies, as well as cultural anthropology. Before finishing my studies next year, I wanted to gain some more experiences abroad, and I was excited to get the chance to work at Weleda North America, as an intern in the Communications department. I am looking forward to learning more about the world of Weleda and to blogging my experiences and sharing them with the Weleda Community.
Why Weleda? My fascination for the company has grown ever since I was a PR/Communications intern at Weleda Germany in 2006. I felt right away that Weleda is more than a business—it's also a way of life. To me, it's about people and our connection to nature—a relationship I think many of us are finding it harder to cultivate nowadays.
What fascinates me so much about Weleda is that it's modern and traditional at the same time. In Germany, Weleda products have a long history and have always stood for high quality. More than that, I would even say they create a feeling of nostalgia for many Germans. When I mention to people there that I work for Weleda, their eyes begin to shine and they immediately start telling me all about their favorite products and how Weleda has been part of their family "forever." It makes you feel so good!
As for me, my personal well-being favorites are the Iris Cleansing Lotion and, especially in the fall, the Sea Buckthorn Body Lotion and the Everon Lip Balm. What are yours?
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I came down with Sinus infection/upper respiratory infection which of course caused my nose to become raw from having to blow my nose frequently. I was applying many different products but nothing helped. Then I tried the Skin Food and it worked tremendously well. This product had blessed me. Thank you.
My 5 year old has a severe case of eczema. While in Spain I visited a homeopathic/nature store and was recommended to use the Weleda Diaper Care. Since then he has not had itchy flare up. I decided to add the baby shampoo and body wash and its done wonders for my little one. Thanks so much. I have just purchased the entire regiman for 40+. I hope it does the same for me.Damaris
Since my first child was born 5 years ago I went through dozens of diaper creams both pharmaceutical and natural. But with my sons sensitive new skin not only did I have problems finding a diaper cream to help with his diaper rash, but I couldn't even find one that wouldn't make it worse! When my local health foods store started carrying the weleda baby care line I thought I had nothing to lose by trying it. And since trying your diaper cream I have to say that not only have none of my children ever had to suffer from diaper rash but none of the parents I know will ever go back to their old diaper creams. I use this for my sons eczema, my husband's calluses and any other skin irritations I encounter!My uncle was recently in a bad motorcycle accident and ended up having a large part of his body covered in rough scars "road rash". I bought him some of the diaper cream to put on his problem spots, as well as some of your calendula oil for after baths and showers. And he says that his skin feels like skin again and is no longer rough and scaley.Thank you so much WELEDA!
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Kids Chalkboards
Kids Cork Boards
Kids Magnetic Boards
Kids Fabric Memo Boards
Girls Corkboards & Chalkboards
Boys Corkboards & Chalkboards
Color:Please ChooseBright BluePlease ChooseBright BlueBright LimeBright PinkBright PurpleBright RaspberryBright TangerinePastel BluePastel CeleryPastel GreenPastel PinkPastel PurplePastel Robins EggPastel YellowPastel WhitePrimary BluePrimary RedPrimary YellowRustic BlackRustic BlueRustic CranberryRustic CreamRustic Dark ChocolateRustic MustardRustic RedRustic SageRustic TanRustic Terra Cotta
Sports Magnet Board
This kid's magnet board is perfect for posting memos in your kitchen, playroom or child's bedroom! The word "Sports" is hollowed out on the top of the magnet board and includes complimenting large letter magnets (2.5"). Customize your magnet board by choosing any of the available colors to match your kid's room decor. Made of solid wood construction. This item is custom made especially for you upon order.
SIZE: 20"W x 22"H
Category: Decor, Kids Magnetic Boards
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- Dominate the Face-Off X
$84.99Free with:
85CLUB LAX Points
Developed with the help of Face-Off experts Alex Smith and Geoff Snider - this is the ultimate Face Off head from Warrior, built to dominate at the Face-Off X p>
Sidewall has a high flex point that increases accuracy and provides maximum durability.
A minimal offset, sharp bottom edge and maximum throat stiffness give the advantage in face-offs.
Scoop angle and transition are designed to vacuum up ground balls.
NCAA legal.
5.0 oz. unstrung
Lamentamos que todavia no hay descripción en español para este producto.
Based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, our lacrosse company was founded in 1994 by Chad Watson, former lacrosse player for UNC, and an ACC and National Champion. Our mission is to provide lacrosse players and enthusiasts worldwide with equipment and information unavailable anywhere else. We mailed our first Great Atlantic Lacrosse Company catalog in the spring of 1994 and launched our website, LACROSSE.COM, in 1998. Since the first lacrosse stick left our warehouse, we have promoted the game of lacrosse at all levels and have shared our experiences and passion with fellow lacrosse players, coaches and fans throughout the years.
The LACROSSE.COM website showcases our unrivaled selection of top-of-the-line lacrosse gear used by world-class lacrosse players and teams. We carry the top brands in the lacrosse community such as Adrenaline, Brine, Cascade, Maverik, Nike, Reebok, STX, Under Armour, Warrior and many others. LACROSSE.COM is also proud to feature official NCAA Lacrosse and Major League Lacrosse merchandise as well as well a full selection of women's and youth lacrosse gear. Not only do we carry the largest selection of lacrosse sticks, lacrosse equipment, lacrosse footwear and lacrosse apparel available -- but we also provide service and delivery that is unmatched in the lacrosse world.
We are lacrosse players, coaches and fans who are proud to be part of best lacrosse company on the planet. Lacrosse, it's in our blood!
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Are you looking for that one, perfectly worn-in and faded pair of jeans? AG-ed denim is handcrafted to replicate a true vintage jean offered in a naturally aged appearance by 1 thru 30 years (select years offered seasonally). This new wash process uses revolutionary technology and is the first in the market developed in the US, to achieve an authentic look of natural variations of wear and tear made especially to wear more over time. No two pairs of jeans are alike in this collection! 70's Bell Bottom. This high-rise bell bottom has a 70s influence and a beautiful fit. A flattering look for every curve of your body.View more washes in this style
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- Antique Jewelry
- The Ages
- Engagement Rings
- Antique Rings
- Diamond Jewelry
- So Much More
Now & Before: Peridot Diamond Cluster Ring
With its rich green color touched by a hint of gold, the peridot is the perfect gemstone to wear as Spring emerges. A stunningly oval natural peridot of an actual 4.51 carats has been faceted and set with a surround of seventeen (17) old European cut diamonds with a total known weight of .33 carats.
The earlier 20th century peridot and diamonds have been matched with a new mount of 18k white and yellow gold. A beautiful white gold under gallery and prongs secure the period gemstones. The gorgeous mount sports a shank reminiscent of Victorian rings with a three-part shoulder and scroll-like designs.
Date: Diamonds and peridot are earlier 20th century; mount is new.
Measurements: 5/8 of an inch (1.6 cm) in length north to south on the hand and rises 1/4 of an inch (0.6 cm) in height off the finger. Weight of 7.4 grams (4.7 dwt).
Ring Size: US 8-3/4 (UK R; Int. Dia. 18.75; Euro 59 mm; Japan just over 17) and easily can be sized to fit most. Ring sizing information.
Hallmarks: Full set of English hallmarks including "750" for 18k and maker's mark of "JP".
Condition: New for the mount; excellent for the stones.
Origin: English.
Forms of Payment
- VISA and MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit & debit cards.
- Personal checks drawn on U.S. banks only - Please allow 7 business days for clearance.
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- PayPal.
Other Forms of Payment
Bank Wire - For international orders and orders of $5,000 and over. Please contact us for more details.
Layaway information and for full details see Payment Methods.
Same Day Shipping - Order by 1 pm CST M-F!
FREE for All U.S. Orders - Standard 2 Day Shipping.
FREE for All International Orders - Standard 2-7 Day Shipping.
Full details at Shipping & Insurance.
Complete Money Back No-Risk Guarantee
Our Guarantee
If for any reason whatsoever you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, we will refund the FULL purchase price including U.S. shipping if charged. Remember, there is no charge for our regular shipping service!
International Orders - Due to customs and paperwork requirements, return shipping charges cannot be reimbursed.
Return Procedure
- Notify us of your intention to return the item within three (3) days of receipt. You may contact us by email or by telephone.
- Please ship back to us within another two (2) days after we receive notification from you.
- As soon as the item is received, a full refund is issued to you that same day.
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November 30, 2012 - March 24, 2013
Location: Keystone
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Keystone's River Run Village comes alive with performances as Living Statues, Mirror Men, Jugglers, DJ's, and more perform throughout the village! Stroll through River run from the Gondola to the information center to see the excitement.
Fridays 9:00am – 11:00am // 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Saturdays 9:00am – 11:00am // 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Sundays 9:00am – 11:00am // 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Accessibility: Free to spectate throughout the village.
Parking: Free parking will be available in the River Run Parking Lot.
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Get comfy after a day of ridin' the waves with these Beachrider French terry shorts from Hurley. Their adorable yarn-dyed horizontal stripe pattern, brand logo embroidery on the left leg and thick elastic waistband all make for a cozy pair of bottoms that are perfect for those hot, sandy afternoons.
- 2.5" Inseam
- 60% Cotton/40% Polyester
- Back welt pocket
- Elastic waistband
- Hurley embroidery
- Hurley terry cotton beachrider shorts
- Imported
- Model shown is wearing size M
- Yarn dye stripes
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Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


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Furniture Focus: Chic Sectionals
Earlier this week I shared my tips for making my big eyesore sectional more stylish on a budget. However, had money been no object, I would have definitely turned to some of my sectional's sleeker cousins for inspiration. After viewing them, I think I may have to rethink my comment about sectionals being the minivan of the living room.
These chic sofas are not the built-in cupholder/dual recliner/marshmallow armed types. They're an altogether superior race, but that doesn't mean that their bulky counterparts can't glean any style tips from them …
• Load up on accent pillows. Cheery pillows in vibrant hues can take the attention off a drab sofa.
• Pick a bold area rug. An area rug with an eye-catching pattern is the perfect pairing for a neutral sofa.
• Create a gallery wall. Big sofas call for big artwork and, in most cases, sectionals are great places to experiment with salon style art hangings or grid style gallery walls. The large grouping will take the attention off the mammoth sofa and onto the art itself. A dinky print above a huge sectional, on the other hand, will make both the art and the sofa seem out of proportion within the room.
• Repeat Accent Colors. Adding a variety of accents— pillows, throws, rugs, art, ottomans, sidetables— in a similar hue will keep the sofa color from dominating the room.
For more sectional sofa wisdom, including some pretty sweet sectional sources check out these posts:
• High and Low: 15 Modern Sectional Sofas
• Top 10 Stylish Sectionals & Sofas From Austin and Beyond
Images: 1,4, 14: Lonny, 2,3,8: House Beautiful, 5,6,11, 13: Elle Decor, 7: Style At Home, 9, 10: Apartment Therapy, 12: Architectural Digest, 15: West Elm
10 Comments
Also, with such a large piece, clean lines are a must. Don't need that behemoth to look larger than it is!
lol. when in doubt- drape a Hermes throw blanket over it and call it a day.
yay I have that last sectional, I'm chic!!!
the great thing about it is the (boring) pillows that come with it are euro sized so any euro shams fit it..i use a variety of paisleyish ones from pottery barn. oh and it's almost as wide as a twin bed for snoozing
I must be in the minority, but I like the look of a sectional - they are so comfy looking, I can actually imagine sitting on them being cozy, talking at a party or cuddling during a storm or watching a movie. A lot of normally couches are aesthetic but don't invite a good sit-down.
I inherited an old reproduction Ralph Lauren sofa with matching love seat that was incredibly comfy! Just about everyone who stopped by wouldn't want to get up. My daughter fell asleep every single night on that love seat and is still, years later, upset I got rid of it.
oh dear, I love the first picture so much! It's always so inspiring to see a room with so much style and character, but also looks comfortable and liveable. I want to read a book on that couch while my kids jump on and off that ottoman!
oh and the dark floors with the contrast of the white walls? my favorite! I stinkin love that! ...I also like the collage on the wall, perfection. Okay I'll stop now.
Sheryl Crow's house in AD almost kills me every time I see it. Perfectly neutral. Glad to see it included here, because that couch certainly doesn't read "sectional."
Can anyone tell me where to buy the dark gray sectional sofa (in the first picture)? I would love to have it!!
I wish Apartment Therapy would have included the link to the photos from their site. I'd like to know where to purchase the sectional in photo 9 from their site.....


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The officer stopped a white Chevrolet S10 near Grassdale Road and Pettit Road due to the passenger not wearing a seatbelt. As soon as the vehicle came to a stop on Pettit Road, the passenger got out and fled on foot toward Dogwood drive, according to the incident report.
The officer made contact with the driver, later identified as Ricky Leray Chambers. Once backup arrived the officer asked Chambers to step out of the vehicle. According to the incident report, the officer was familiar with Chambers and knew his driver's license was suspended.
After running Chambers' information through the state database, it was discovered his license was suspended. The database also said Chambers was on active probation.
The officer then searched the vehicle and found a box on the floorboard that contained two clear plastic bags with a substance suspected to be marijuana, five empty plastic bags, a set of digital scales with suspected marijuana residue, a small clear and red container, Toke Token rolling papers and $3.31.
Chambers was arrested on the scene and charged with driving while license suspended, controlled substance and failure to appear.
Less than an hour later another Cartersville officer located the female passenger, identified as Lawanda Jane Ochoa. Ochoa was found hiding inside a trash can in the backyard of a home on Grassdale Road. She was placed under arrest and charged with obstruction.
According to the report, Ochoa said the items found in the truck, including the marijuana and scale, were hers. Both suspects were transported to the Bartow County Jail for processing, where they refused to take a urine test. Ochoa stated a second time, after being informed of her rights, that the items in the truck belonged to her.
After processing, Chambers was charged with driving with suspended license and Ochoa was charged with seatbelt violation, obstruction, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and probation violation.
BCFD releases boot drive total
The Bartow County Fire Department on Nov. 6 released the total for their 2012 Boot Drive. The department was able to raise $13,198 that will be divided between the Georgia Fire Fighters Burn Foundation and the American Red Cross of Northwest Georgia.
In a press release, Fire Marshal Bryan Cox thanked the public for its support.


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Last week's Remember When mystery photo, below left, shows members of the Tracy High Class of 1943 at the reception desk for their class reunion. From left to right: Lee Dunn, LaWanda Burdette and Dolores Serpa.
• If you know the answer or can't wait to get it, email firstname.lastname@example.com or call 835-3030.


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Alzheimer Europe publications
Alzheimer Europe publishes various reports on dementia, including end of life care and advance directives. Our Yearbooks are dedicated to the findings of the recent EuroCoDe project and both our care manual and children's book have been published in several languages.
Our biannual magazine, "Dementia in Europe" is dedicated to covering dementia policy at the European level. We also publish a monthly newsletter which carries up-to-date news including developments from the European Commission and Parliament, as well as our members' news and research updates.
For full details of our publications please click here
Last Updated: Thursday 10 January 2013


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Ready for the next extract that everyone's going to be taking to try and lose weight? Move over, green tea; green coffee beans are next up to the plate. Dr. Joe Vinson presented his research at the Spring conference of the ACS, and in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study, the extract actually did quite a bit to help people drop pounds.
The study used doses of an extract of unroasted (green) coffee beans, with low doses of 700mg, and high ones of 1,050mg. The research was small in scope, just 16 obese people over the course of 22 weeks, all of whom acted as their own placebos, alternating between low-dose, high-dose, and an inactive supplement, each for a third of the time.
With no changes to diet or exercise, at the end of the 22 weeks, the participants had lost an average of 17 lbs, dropping 16% of their body fat — and Vinson thinks they may have dropped it faster if they hadn't been on alternating doses. He thinks these effects are due to chlorogenic acid, which is thought to reduce the absorption of glucose and lessen hyperglycemic peak.
Green coffee extract is already available through health food stores, so expect a massive uptick in sales in the near future. It's enough of a thing that Starbucks has even started producing drinks containing the stuff — so you can bet that green coffee bean will be the next acai (or whatever)


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The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is the only organization solely dedicated to electing a Democratic Senate. From grassroots organizing to candidate recruitment to providing campaign funds for tight races, the DSCC is working hard all year, every year to elect Democrats – and give President Obama the help he needs on Capitol Hill to move our country forward.
Democrats have accomplished so much already: historic health care reform, the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the biggest overhaul of the financial sector since the Great Depression, the extension of crucial unemployment benefits, legislation to get our economy back on track and credit card reform. But Republican senators are using tactics like the filibuster more often than at any time in history and are blocking key reforms America needs. The loss of our Democratic majority in the Senate would make it that much harder to move our country in the right direction.
The next two years offer unique challenges. Republicans have their sights set on retaking the Senate, stopping President Obama's agenda and reversing all the progress we've made. That's why the DSCC is already hard at work. We're fighting to protect our Democratic champions, and we're recruiting outstanding candidates across the nation to challenge obstructionist Republicans.
Our success depends on our large network of grassroots supporters. We encourage dedicated Democrats to get educated, engaged and involved. Supporting the DSCC is one of the most effective steps you can take to help President Obama succeed – and keep the Senate in Democratic hands.