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Focus Area 4. Human Services <br />GOAL IN Ensure Availability of Affordable, <br />Quality Child Care <br />Backiround /Rationale <br />Our children are our future. The kind of care they receive <br />will greatly affect their health and well -being and that of our <br />community. Approximately 70% of children live in <br />households where all parents are working outside of the <br />home. With the advent of the Work First program this <br />percentage is likely to rise. At the same time that we have <br />been coming to rely on child care facilities to care for our <br />children, studies have shown that the first few years of life <br />are critical to a child's healthy development, making provision of quality child care services a <br />critical issue. <br />Along with quality of child care, affordability is a major issue. Though the majority of parents <br />rely on child care facilities, government policies and funding have not yet caught up with needs. <br />In total 60% of child care costs are paid by parents, 39% by government, and I% by the private <br />sector. Most families in Orange County cannot afford the full cost of child care, and costs are <br />rising. <br />70 <br />