For more information on the programs and services, visit the SBA or call the SBA Answer Desk at 1-800-U-ASK-SBA. Additional information also is available from Avon.

Home Matters More, But Day-Care Still Important

What happens to children at home before starting school has about twice the educational impact of day care, according to a major new study from the University of North Carolina.

But the study also noted, the influence of day care still is strong, and the quality of that care makes a significant difference in children's readiness for school.

The study evaluated the effect of day care on 1,364 children. Early education experts consider it the largest and most carefully controlled research of its kind.

Researchers followed children in the study group from birth, observing interactions both at home with mothers and at day-care centers with staff. They also evaluated youngsters with various sophisticated tests of language and mental development and assessed the quality of their homes and care centers.

Most of the children, who are from racially and socially diverse families, are in the second grade now and will be followed at least until age 10. They were assessed at ages 6, 15, 24 and 36 months.

"We found that quality child care matters, even when you take into account other family and child variables such as income and education of the parents," said Dr. Martha Cox, a senior investigator at UNC-CH's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center and a principal investigator. "Children consistently performed better on measures of thinking and language development if they were in good day care than if they were in lower-quality care.

"That was especially true in settings in which caregivers provided more language stimulation and more involved care," she said. "Mothers and children also interacted in more positive ways with each other when the children were in better-quality day care."

Swiss Reject Paid Maternity Leave

Swiss voters recently rejected government plans to introduce paid maternity leave.

About 65 percent of voters turned down the plan to give working women 14 weeks of maternity leave at 80 percent of their salary. The vote damaged Switzerland's first female president, Ruth Dreifuss, who waged a personal crusade to end the condition whereby women are banned from working for two months after childbirth but aren't guaranteed any wages.

Opponents to the proposal argued it would have been costly and an unnecessary bureaucratic level, considering that many Swiss firms have provisions to help their female workers.

Curiously, the historically liberal Swiss voting population during the same election endorsed state distribution of heroin to hardened addicts.

Women More in Balance

While only one-third of Americans believe that they are very successful in balancing the many demands of everyday life, a surprising 45 percent of female entrepreneurs say they are very successful at life balance, according to an Avon survey.

The new study of more than 1,000 Americans concluded the differences uncovered in the survey between women entrepreneurs and the rest of the population are particularly meaningful since, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, women are starting new firms at twice the rate of others and own nearly 40 percent of all firms in the United States -- a total of 8 million businesses.

The survey, which was undertaken in connection with the Avon Women of Enterprise Awards, revealed:

• Female entrepreneurs, compared to the remainder of the population, are more likely to rely on themselves than outside influences to achieve a balanced life.
• They make different sacrifices to create balance.
• They cite different hindrances to achieving balance in their lives.