[Vision2020] More on Child Day Care

[Tom Hansen]

Although the following article is from the March 12, 2007 edition of the
Army Times and concerns itself with DoD day care centers, the links
associated with this article are all too revealing when it comes to day care
right here in Idaho.

There is some serious eye-opening information available at:

www.naccrra.org/policy/scorecard.php

Please examine, and see for yourself, how poorly Idaho compares to the rest
of the country.

For instance: A meticulous inspection/evaluation of Idaho's child day care
system revealed that its only strength is (or was) that it requires a
criminal background check of care providers.

http://www.naccrra.org/policy/docs/scorecard/states/ID.pdf

Well, thanks to our state legislature this is no longer required.

For those of us without children, this failure on the part of our state
government to provide safe and healthy day care for the children of Idaho's
working families may amount to nothing more than water-cooler gossip.  For
the working families of Idaho, it is a daily challenge.

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DoD system outshines states' child care

By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted: March 12, 2007

The Defense Department's system of child development centers is not perfect,
but it stands out when compared to those of the states, a study released
March 1 shows.

The military's child care system earned the top ranking among all 50 states
in a comparison by the National Association of Child Care Resource and
Referral Agencies, rating 117 out of 150 points. New York and Illinois tied
for second, with 90 points.

Association Executive Director Linda Smith said the Defense Department would
have scored even higher if it had a written policy requiring child care
centers to cross-check sex-offender registries before hiring employees.

"We have to see it in writing if they are doing it," she said. 

Barbara Thompson, director of the Defense Department's Office of Family
Policy, said officials are updating regulations to require this background
check.

As a matter of practice, she said, military centers already are doing such
checks with federal law enforcement databases. If the state does not report
sex-offender information to the federal law enforcement databases, the
centers would get the information in their state records checks.

The Defense Department isn't alone in this deficiency; only two states met
that requirement. Twenty-one states don't even do fingerprinting, said
Smith, a primary architect of the Defense Department child care system
before joining the child care association. 

She said the association conducted the study "to shine a light on the lack
of the most basic standards." A national poll in 2006 indicated that most
parents think child caregivers have undergone background checks and are
trained in child development, first aid and CPR, and how to recognize and
report child abuse. Parents also believe the government has inspected child
care programs.

"The reality is that child care standards (including training requirements
for caregivers) and oversight vary by state and many states are doing little
to protect the health and safety of children or to promote school
readiness," stated the report, titled, "We Can Do Better: NACCRRA's Ranking
of State Child Care Center Standards and Oversight."

Eight states and the Defense Department met the health and safety
requirements.

While the report is good news for military families using the Defense
Department system - which has often been held up as a national model - not
all military families have access to child care on military installations,
and must place their children in child care centers in civilian communities.

The lesson for any family choosing a child care center is to "not take
anything for granted - ask to see licenses," Smith said, and ask about
background checks, health and safety requirements and other standards.

"And if families contact NACCRRA, we will only refer them to the highest
quality programs," she said.

The Defense Department is "raising the bar in many states" for child care
standards, Smith added. 

The association is calling on Congress to strengthen the Child Care and
Development Block Grant, to better ensure that children are safe and
learning while in child care.

The association contends that there should be accountability for the $11
billion in federal funds spent by the states each year on child care. "The
federal government has a right to expect more," Smith said.

She noted that the Child Care and Development Block Grant was supposed to be
reauthorized in 2002 but was not, resulting in a cut of about 400,000
children served already, she said.

"But it's not just about funding," she said. The states "also need to pay
attention to standards, and they don't cost."

For example, the correct diapering of a baby and proper handwashing are
critical to health and safety.

Jan Maruna, executive director of the Illinois association of child care
referral agencies, noted that the study ranked minimum standards.

"Illinois ranked second, but all our colleagues here agree this is a call to
action," she said. "Our mission is to ensure high quality child care. ...
Right now we're all C and below, and we need to do better for our children."


To view the full NACCRRA scorecard, go online to: 

www.naccrra.org/policy/scorecard.php

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho