Most people think day care centers are all the same. Deborah Cassidy, assistant professor of the human and family resources, thinks this attitude is the reason why the conditions of some centers have not changed in two decades.

Cassidy is in charge of a program at NIU which trains day care providers and workers. The program sponsors eighteen conferences, thirty-six discussion meetings and hosts local guest speakers.

The program offers a satellite resource center which provides resources for lenders and providers. The Department of Children and Family Resources funds the training program with an annual grant.

In order to become a licensed DCFS day care worker, one must fulfill fifteen hours per year in the child and family resource field. Cassidy’s program fulfills four of these required hours and is responsible for training 2,800 licensed day care providers.

Cassidy also serves as the president of the Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children. The organization was formed in the 1970s due to the growing problem of day care.

Cassidy is involved with three major regions in Illinois. Workshops are set up to deal with some of the problems in day care centers. Topics are child abuse, discipline and hygiene. Cassidy said each workshop is geared toward one specific region, however, she also said child abuse is a problem in every area.

A pending federal bill, supported by Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill., and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., would provide up to $2.5 billion for child care. Half of the U.S. Senate and 121 representatives are in support of the bill, Cassidy said.

“There especially is a great need for infant and toddler care,” she said.

Some day care centers have unsatisfactory conditions or just meet the minimal requirements, Cassidy said. One reason, she thinks, is due to the low salaries day care workers are paid. Workers averaged $4.87 per hour in 1980.

Another reason for the poor conditions in day care centers is profit has become more important than quality care. Parental awareness is one of the main goals of DCFS.

The Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children, although it cannot afford to financially support parents in need, offers information and moral support.

Amanda Casey, an NIU graduate assistant with a degree in Applied Family and Child Resources, thinks child care is taken too lightly.