a. That the increase in single-parent households and two-career families has resulted in a growing number of young children who are unsupervised from the time school ends until a parent returns from work, with one national study estimating that 6,000,000 children, aged five to 13, are unsupervised daily.

b. That unsupervised children are more likely to engage in drug abuse, alcohol abuse, or other delinquent behavior, and are at greater risk of being the victims of criminal acts.

c. That in many communities child care programs to serve these school-age children are nonexistent, too limited to accommodate the demand, or too expensive for some families to utilize.

d. That the State can play a useful and important role in the promotion of quality and adequate day care services which will benefit the well-being of children and families.

L. 1987, c. 215, s. 1.