OC Partnership for Young Children report 1999

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"In Old Well there's a lot of crime and confusion. [I fear for my child] because as much as you watch them, they are going to want to go out to play and sometimes they don't want to because they're afraid and have seen things. " - Iglesia Unida de Cristo Focus Group Participant • Some parents will not allow their children to play outside due to these factors, or proximity to the street. • Participants felt that police respond appropriately when called, but would like a more constant presence at Old Well Apartments. • Parents reported having attended parenting classes where they learned appropriate ways to discipline their children. • Several participants report that landlords are inattentive to requests for maintenance, but no participants indicated that their apartments had problems that present a real safety hazard to children. • Finding good quality affordable housing is a concern. Child Care Provider Survey Respondents Profile Surveys were mailed to 102 child care providers in Orange County. The targeted providers included all licensed child care centers and registered homes in the county. Thirty-one providers responded to the survey for a response rate of 30 %. Child care providers who responded included small family day care homes as well as larger centers. The size range was from no children currently being served (start-up centers) to centers serving over 100 children. A breakdown of the center sizes revealed that 17 of the providers served 10 or fewer children, seven providers served between 11 and 50 children, and seven providers served over 50 children. Child Care Provider Survey Results Capacity of Child Care Providers to Serve Spanish Speaking Children Our survey data show that few Latino children in Orange County are currently enrolled in formal child care settings. The thirty -one responding child care providers serve a total of 798 children in Orange County centers and day care homes, yet only 32 (4 %) of these children speak primarily Spanish. Twenty -four of these Latino children were enrolled in one Head Start center, while the remaining eight were in four different child care settings that range in size from one to 119 children. These data correspond to focus group findings that suggest that many Latino families primarily rely on informal child care arrangements with relatives or neighbors, rather than enrolling their children in child care centers. The thirty -one respondents to our survey employ a total of 223 child care providers. Only 9 of these child care workers (4 %), speak Spanish well enough to communicate with Latino children. 13