Reports released today by the Nevada Institute for Children provide recommendations on ways to improve the quality of child care in Nevada, including reducing the children-to-teacher ratios in day-care centers and increasing the educational level of the center workers.

Produced for the state Department of Human Resources, the reports also look at the costs associated with reducing the size of the waiting lists of low-income children who need, but do not currently have, day-care arrangements.

"This is information that should be of concern to the public -- particularly parents -- and to elected officials as well," said Vince Juaristi, executive director of the institute, which is based at UNLV. "Because it deals with the well being of Nevada's children, it deals directly with Nevada's future."

The data shows that nearly 2,800 low-income children in Nevada between the ages of birth and six years are on waiting lists for day care. Of those, 1,618 are in Clark County, while 891 are in Washoe County. The remaining 270 are spread among the remaining counties.

The cost of providing subsidies to place the children in day-care centers and thus eliminate the waiting lists would be more than $7.7 million statewide, with $4.3 million needed in Clark County alone, according to the reports. Another $2.7 million would be needed in Washoe County, while the remaining counties would require another $725,000.

"This study of child care in Nevada demonstrates the value of research as it relates to one of Nevada's important policy issues - appropriate and quality day care for children," said Dr. James Frey, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. "The UNLV-based Nevada Institute for Children, with the help of the Cannon Center for Survey Research, has produced some information that will be very valuable to the child-care industry and to the public entities that generate child-care policy."

Among the findings of the reports concerning the education level of day-care workers are that 83 percent have less than a bachelor's degree. Of that same group, 41 percent have a high school diploma or less. For Clark County, those numbers are 84 percent and 49 percent, respectively. In Washoe County the figures are 83 percent and 49 percent, while for the remaining counties the figures are 85 percent and 43 percent.

The estimated cost of providing additional education so that the state's day-care workers could obtain high school equivalency degrees and child development associate degrees is nearly $1.3 million.

Addressing the subject of children-to-teacher ratios, the reports determined that Clark County needs an additional 339 day-care workers in order to reach ideal ratios, while Washoe County needs another 144 and the remaining counties need another 28.

The ideal ratios, according to the reports, are one day-care worker per three infants, per six toddlers, per eight 3-year-olds, per 10 4-year-olds, or per 12 5-year-olds.

Some of the data used in the reports was collected during a survey conducted by UNLV's Cannon Center for Survey Research.

The reports are the first two segments of a five-part study the institute is conducting concerning child care in Nevada. The first part is titled "Improving Quality Child Care" while the second part is called "The Effects of Additional Child Care Subsidies." Later sections of the study will concern wages and benefits of child-care workers, child-care finances, and the involvement of the business community in child care activities.

For additional information about the studies, call Juaristi at 895-1040.