CHILD CARE
Support for Child Care. Basic elements should
include support for the well-being, development and safety of all children. The programs
should be well-managed, affordable, with trained and well-paid staff, with appropriate
staff-to-child ratio, and with creative age-appropriate activities.
Support for:
| 1. | supervised programs for infants through middle school, including special needs children to a later age | |
| 2. | a full-time County Child Care Coordinator and Child Care Resource Center | |
| 3. | a representative, county-wide Child Care Advisory Board which would | |
| a. | work with the County Child-Care Coordinator, | |
| b. | develop and maintain delivery of quality Child Care services, and | |
| c. | ensure health and safety of all children in Child care. | |
| 4. | financing by a combination of public subsidy, business contributions, and parents’ ability to pay | |
| 5. | flexible, year-round programs | |
| 6. | dedicated space for child-care programs in the schools. | |
| 7. | publically supported, licensed and accredited child-care programs | |
| 8. | governmental encouragement of employers to provide on-site child-care through zoning, tax incentives and other means | |
| 9. | government’s setting of an example in its providing of quality child-care for its own employees | |
| 10. | government support for child care should include | |
| a. | purchase of Care (POC) subsidies. | |
| b. | locally funded Working Parents Assisted Programs | |
| c. | increased individual tax credits for child care and | |
| d. | training for child-care workers. (2001) | |
Support for:
| 1. | a strong program for teacher development; evaluation and promotion within the system; recruitment of experienced teachers from centers of recognized merit. | |
| 2. | teacher salary schedules which recognize experience and education with an incentive pay schedule for designated special teaching positions. | |
| 3. | a stipulated maximum class size, lower at the elementary level and increasing at higher levels. | |
| 4. | enrichment programs based on individual needs of students. | |
| 5. | early identification of and improved programs for all children with varied and/or special learning needs, with addi- tional trained personnel as needed; such personnel not to be included in assigning district-wide pupil/teacher ratio. | |
| 6. | the community school concept, with community use of school facilities the entire year and which is coordinated, staffed, and funded by the County government. | |
| 7. | increased counseling service in schools, including elementary grades; training for mental health counselors. (1987) | |
| 8. | Year Round Education (YRE) | |
| a. | the implementation of a pilot plan in elementary and middle schools for YRE in Howard County.(1995) | |
| b. | the measurement of the change in academic performance in YRE as reflected by the Maryland School Assessment Tests. (Note: members agree that assessment after a single year may lack substantial validity.) (1995) | |
| c. | YRE in Howard County if: | |
| i. the school population exceeds design capacity by 15% or | ||
| ii. split shifts in schools become the alternative method of housing students. (1995) | ||
| 9. | an elected Howard County Board of Education with at-large election of its members. (1999) | |
| a. | Board members should have staggered terms (2001) | |
| b. | Board members should be residents of the County and registered voters at the time of their election. (2001) | |
Support for an adequate housing choice, in a suitable living environment, within the economic reach of all citizens [persons]. of all ages. Support for maintaining and increasing diverse housing types as well as increasing the number and persentage of affordable units in the county. (2005)
Support for:
| 1. | Residential Care facilities, with establishment of County regulations governing their use, to protect the rights of the facilities' residents and the community. (1970, 1971, 1985, 2005) |
| 2. | Relocating low-income persons displaced by government action. (1968, 1985, 2005) |
| 3. | Assistance in the relocation of low and moderate income persons involuntarily displaced. (2005) |
| 4. | Zoning regulations which require a minimum percentage of affordable housing for persons of moderate income. (2005) |
| 5. | A portion of new affordable housing to be reserved for Howard County public employees. (2005) |
| 6. | Favorable tax treatment for the building and maintaining of affordable public housing. (2005) |
| 7. | Other measures to include county financing and reconstruction of housing; public financial assistance to rehabilitate existing housing; rental housing. (2005) |
Support for tax supported public transportation and for the encouragement of alternative to the use of the private automobile. Support for the establishment of a Department of Transportation, a Transportation Authority or an Office of Transportation within the Executive Branch. (April 1995)
| 1. | Financing of public transportation in the county should be by these means: | |
| a. | federal funds (capital and operating); | |
| b. | state funds (capital and operating); | |
| c. | local funds (capital and operating); | |
| d. | private funds; | |
| e. | non-profit user fees and fares; | |
| f. | grants; | |
| g. | special taxing districts where all residents are taxed, but heavy-user districts are taxed more than non or lower-user districts; | |
| h. | public/private partnerships. | |
| 2. | The following factors should drive the expansion of public transportation services in the county: | |
| a. | population density; | |
| b. | employment centers; | |
| c. | coordination with existing transportation service systems | |
| d. | medical centers; | |
| e. | senior centers; | |
| f. | shopping areas; | |
| g. | educational facilities; | |
| h. | government centers; | |
| i. | religious facilities; | |
| j. | cultural and community events; | |
| k. | libraries. | |
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| Last Updated: April 16, 2004 | ||