美国国家公共电台 NPR Lack Of Child Care Rating Systems Leaves Parents In A Bind

Lack Of Child Care Rating Systems Leaves Parents In A Bind¹

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Parents face so many questions about child care - can they afford it, how good is the care and is the setting safe? Well, there's a recent poll done by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health and in it, a vast majority of parents say their child is getting very good or excellent care. But child development experts disagree, rating most care in the United States low quality. Here's more from NPR's Patti Neighmond.

PATTI NEIGHMOND, BYLINE³: Kinsee Morlan and her husband started looking for day care when she was pregnant. Morlan's is a journalist. Her husband works in cybersecurity. They explored lots of options, including large day care centers.

KINSEE MORLAN: For us, the big centers, you know, where you have, like, lines of cribs and lines of rocking chairs was just - I couldn't wrap my brain around that.

NEIGHMOND: So they decided⁴ on a small, home setting, which seemed perfect.

MORLAN: She also had a little preschool room in the back of the house. And it was sort of like this magical little room with glass windows everywhere, and it was really bright. And it was in a garden, and it just seemed like a place where kids would love to be.

NEIGHMOND: The day care was licensed⁵ by the state. And Morlan checked to make sure there were no serious infractions. Six-month-old Harper was enrolled⁶. Everything seemed to be going well until, one day, the caretaker mentioned Harper had been kicking and screaming while in a carseat. Morlan and her husband didn't think much of it until they got home that night.

MORLAN: I went to change his diaper, and I saw these really deep, red abrasions⁷ on his leg.

NEIGHMOND: First-time mom, Morlan says she panicked and took Harper to urgent care.

MORLAN: That's where they sort of gave us this grave look and said, you know, it looks like he was in a car seat or in some sort of child-holding device for way too long.

NEIGHMOND: They decided to keep Harper's care in the family. Morlan took off work one day a week. So did her husband. Harper's grandmother filled in the other three days.

MORLAN: And we did that until he could speak clearly and communicate because I just could not see myself sending him to day care again without him being able to tell me how every single day went and what happened.

NEIGHMOND: Today, Harper's 3 and enrolled in preschool. Every day, Morlan asks him what happened at school. She filed a complaint with Child Protective Services. The investigation⁸ was inconclusive. Now, Morlan's situation is extreme, but it's an example of the difficulty parents face when trying to figure out if a day care program is good, just OK or bad. Susan Hibbard directs the BUILD Initiative, which works with states developing early childhood programs. She says programs should be rated for quality, and it should be as simple as Yelp⁹.

SUSAN HIBBARD: That you know, if you see three stars out of three stars, that your child is going to have teachers there who are nurturing¹⁰ and who have experiences, understand child development, know how to work with your child and help them thrive, regardless of what their home language is.

NEIGHMOND: Some states are working to create online tools based on certain standards. But state standards vary dramatically, and there are no national uniform standards, which makes comparisons difficult. Some states require child care workers have a teaching certificate. Others require certain college courses. Some have strict ratios of how many caregivers per child; others don't. These are all important criteria¹¹, says Hibbard, to determine the quality of a child care facility, especially since recent research shows brain development is far more rapid in the first three years of life than any other time. It's a special and extraordinary opportunity, says Hibbard, to set a foundation for natural curiosity and the ability to learn.

HIBBARD: Clearly, a quality environment allows the child's interests and curiosity to be the lead and not a particular curriculum that requires particular topics today, like, today we'll focus on the color red.

NEIGHMOND: Hibbard says understanding how children learn should define how caregivers teach and that should lead to standards for quality child care, standards parents can use to make informed decisions.

Patti Neighmond, NPR News.

1 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

2 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

6 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 abrasions   

n.磨损( abrasion的名词复数 )；擦伤处；摩擦；磨蚀（作用）

参考例句：

• He suffered cuts and abrasions to the face. 他的脸上有许多划伤和擦伤。
• The bacteria get into humans through abrasions in the skin. 细菌可以通过擦伤处进入人体。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 yelp   

vi.狗吠

参考例句：

• The dog gave a yelp of pain.狗疼得叫了一声。
• The puppy a yelp when John stepped on her tail.当约翰踩到小狗的尾巴，小狗发出尖叫。

10 nurturing   

养育( nurture的现在分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• These delicate plants need careful nurturing. 这些幼嫩的植物需要精心培育。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants. 这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

11 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。