tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post2472231475773166711..comments2024-03-29T02:41:52.718-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Jobs and the Future Workforce, Part TwoMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-53210867439846211802017-08-12T19:02:28.540-07:002017-08-12T19:02:28.540-07:00There are a lot of underwhelming comments in this ...There are a lot of underwhelming comments in this thread about childcare, people fabricating odd definitions or missing the forest for the trees or the trees for the forest. Childcare is highly variable in form, yes, but the annual cost of licensed full-time childcare in this city is generally commensurate with a year of college. This has been studied (not sure if I can add a link, but here's one to Child Care Aware of Washington: http://wa.childcareaware.org/news/child-care-costs-in-wa-among-the-top-10-least-affordable-in-the-u-s). A _licensed_ childcare program serving 3- to 5-year-olds in this state is also by definition pre-K.Ricknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-7509830270256790892017-08-12T18:53:09.732-07:002017-08-12T18:53:09.732-07:00Although German kids don’t test all that well on P...Although German kids don’t test all that well on PISA, Germany’s educational system does do vocational tracking, aka the apprenticeship system, very well. It starts quite young, tracking students off around ages 14 to 16. Students gradually increase the amount of time they spend doing in-company apprenticeship work so that by age 18 they are fully qualified to work in their chosen field.<br /><br />Apprenticeships are managed not by schools or school districts exactly but by chambers of commerce/guilds for the industry in question. To my mind, this liberation from direct school control is a key component of the system’s success, although it does lock people out of those professions until they gain that same training.<br /><br />The apprenticeship programs with statutory training requirements are wide-ranged: electrician, mechanic, hospitality worker, metalworker, hairdresser, plumber, carpenter, joiner, etc., but also things like butcher, baker, cheesemaker, beer brewer, pastry chef, etc. (artisanal professions that have essentially no educational or training requirements in the the US).<br /><br />Tracking like this applies to postsecondary education as well. Most European countries draw a distinction between research universities for traditional academic/theoretical fields (humanities, philosophy, physics, mathematics, etc.) and universities of applied sciences for professions (engineering, computer science, business, management, art/design, etc.). The former have a modular structure, whereas the latter are competency-based with a strong internship component.<br /><br />In the US, we lump all kids into the same kind of school, offering only a smattering of superficial college prep or preprofessional/prevocational training before graduating everyone at the same common, fairly low academic level. This is why American kids do TWO years of general education in college (because high school doesn’t generally provide this—except for IB and IB-like programs) while European kids jump right into their specializations. German kids who graduate from apprenticeship programs are fully qualified to work in that field at age 18; American kids are only just STARTING that training at age 18, and then have to pay out of pocket for it.Simonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-19512963480727663352017-08-11T20:06:55.007-07:002017-08-11T20:06:55.007-07:00Parents in the 70s. I think more likely to have o...Parents in the 70s. I think more likely to have one parent (almost always mom, back then) stay home and take care of them. Possibly send them to child care part time to help socialize them. Or possible stay with a grandparent or older sibling or cousin.<br /><br />Even now there are lots of parents not paying the entire list price for childcare. Many childcares charged only half price for children of their own workers. Or one parent only worked part time and the children were in childcare fewer hours. Or the parents staggered their shifts. Lots of compromises would have to be made.<br />Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16260807460417787614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-41838283180304784502017-08-11T17:44:01.024-07:002017-08-11T17:44:01.024-07:00Although Washington state does not have a specific...Although Washington state does not have a specific law on how old a child must be before you can legally leave the child alone, the state sets the guideline recommended minimum age at 10. The National SAFEKIDS Campaign says no child under the age of 12 should be left at home alone. The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services says that as long as your 12-year old is mature and dependable, he or she can be left alone for a few hours but a 12-year-old shouldn't be responsible for other children. Therefore, any program for children under the age of about 10 to 12 that does not require a parent or guardian or childcare provider to attend with the child is de facto the same thing as child care.<br /><br />Obviously not every childcare arrangement is school. But for children under the age of 10 to 12 in Washington state, any preschool or school that a child attends that does not ALSO require a parent or guardian or babysitter to be present and responsible for the child while the preschool/school day is underway QUALIFIES AS CHILDCARE. Children do sometimes have sessions with various kinds of teachers and therapists where a parent/guardian/childcare provider is ALSO required to be present and responsible for the child while the therapy is going on. These types of appointments would not be considered childcare.<br /><br />School (including preschool) for children too young to be left alone is childcare.Sallynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-49465530500107907172017-08-11T13:14:35.208-07:002017-08-11T13:14:35.208-07:00Parents in the 70s were able to afford childcare f...Parents in the 70s were able to afford childcare for 3 or 4 kids. Can you imagine how much you'd have to earn to do that now?Former Latchkeynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-30646456708502902872017-08-11T09:56:05.879-07:002017-08-11T09:56:05.879-07:00Neither of my kids attended colleges with lecture ...Neither of my kids attended colleges with lecture halls larger than 70 students.<br />Its also pretty easy to actually make money when your children are small by providing child care. (& not worry all day about your own child)<br />Its how we were able to buy a house in Seattle and have two kids who are first gen college.Jet City momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14804841958585043967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-46252011316621295752017-08-11T09:43:05.049-07:002017-08-11T09:43:05.049-07:00The comments about child care costing more than co...The comments about child care costing more than college always make me scratch my head. Isn't it obvious that is does? Infant childcare means 1 adult to every 4 kids in this state (1:3 in many others), going up to 1 adult for every 10 kids by their last year before kindergarten. That level of adult to child intensity costs money, plus the same and consumables that little kids use. College is typically at least partially delivered using large lectures (250+ per professor) and by grad students.<br /><br />It's also a bit misleading to compare the wildly disparate educational systems in different countries. From what I've heard, yes, there are far more kids on the vocational track in Germany, but that track also includes professions such as nursing, which here require college most of the time.<br /><br />NE parentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-51887585238254304952017-08-11T06:30:53.264-07:002017-08-11T06:30:53.264-07:00Wow! Wonder how long city has been providing the p...Wow! Wonder how long city has been providing the program to subsidize childcare. I was earning the lower end of the income guideline for our family years ago, when my child was small. Childcare was more than half our income level! If they had the program then, I would have qualified. Nice to see Seattle is now offering a program.<br />-JK Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-55268425415144473242017-08-10T22:30:22.524-07:002017-08-10T22:30:22.524-07:00Your definition of preschool is not universal. The...Your definition of preschool is not universal. The City of Seattle program for example provides care for six hours a day, five days a week. It's not child care though - as no services are provided outside of the school year. Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3625469809430737172017-08-10T22:04:19.583-07:002017-08-10T22:04:19.583-07:00Bad headlne.
Preschool, is not child care.
Prescho...Bad headlne.<br />Preschool, is not child care.<br />Preschool is roughly 3 days a week, for 3 hrs a day( or less) More similar to how kindergarten used to be than what is needed for a parent to work full time including time for commuting.<br /><br />However, Seattle does subsidize child care for families who are low or moderate income.<br />https://www.seattle.gov/education/for-parents/child-care-and-preschool/child-care-assistance-program<br /><br /><br />Jet City momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14804841958585043967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-39574962862853201482017-08-10T18:28:15.034-07:002017-08-10T18:28:15.034-07:00Pre-K costs more than college in Washington state....Pre-K costs more than college in Washington state. <a href="http://time.com/money/4289032/pre-k-costs-more-than-college-in-23-states/" rel="nofollow">See the article here.</a><br /><br />Momma Beenoreply@blogger.com