Few Show Interest In Day-Care Reform Elected Officials Conspicuous By Their Absence At Hearing

A state legislative committee wants to reform Idaho’s day-care rules on the local level, but local officials apparently aren’t interested.

Only two of the Panhandle’s five counties - and none of those counties’ five largest cities - were represented at a hearing Monday to discuss changing the way Idaho regulates day care.

Elected officials had been sent written invitations, said Sen. Gordon Crow, R-Hayden, the event’s organizer. Their lack of attendance is especially frustrating because they often complain that the state doesn’t seek their input, he said.

“I’m gravely disappointed,” Crow said. “Whatever problems we identify should probably be addressed at the local level. That’s why I wanted the cities and counties here - to hear those discussions.”

About 25 legislators, child-care experts and social workers formed an ad hoc committee Monday to kick off a weeklong review of day care in North Idaho. Committee members will hold public hearings tonight in Coeur d’Alene and later this week and next in other Panhandle cities.

The review was initiated by Crow in response to critical media coverage and complaints from residents and day-care providers about Idaho’s lax child-care rules.

Idaho frequently comes under fire from national organizations and magazines because the state allows almost anyone to start a day-care center with virtually no oversight.

A recent Idaho Spokesman-Review report also pointed out that many day-care workers don’t bother getting required FBI background checks. Meanwhile, parents wishing to explore a day-care center’s background have almost no access to complaints against day-care owners.

But committee members drew dramatically different conclusions Monday from the same information.

Rep. Jim Clark, R-Coeur d’Alene, seemed satisfied that the Panhandle’s 100-plus day-care centers had prompted only 17 formal complaints in the last six months.

“Statistically speaking, you might want to say that isn’t much of a problem,” he said.

But other committee members said they suspect most parents who have had bad experiences don’t file complaints against day-care providers. They simply remove their children and go elsewhere.

“If people see someone kick a dog, they’ll call up and complain, but when they suspect a child’s been hurt, they’re sometimes afraid to call,” said committee member Sherry Krulitz, a Shoshone County commissioner.

Kootenai County Clerk Dan English - the only other local government representative on the committee - said he finds it ironic that day-care rules are tougher on day-care providers who receive state subsidies to provide care for the working poor.

“It seems that when tax dollars are at stake, we have higher standards,” he said. “Are we here to protect the dollars or the kids?”

But Michelle Britton, state Department of Health and Welfare director for the Panhandle, said that regulations aren’t always the answer.

The region follows lots of federal rules governing nursing homes, she said, “but that doesn’t necessarily mean we have quality care.”

That’s why Crow wanted participation from local government, he said. “I think the answers are going to come from that level,” he said.

Coeur d’Alene Mayor Al Hassell said that with city elections only two weeks away, city officials didn’t have time to attend.

Sandpoint Mayor David Sawyer said he had planned to send a day-care expert on that city’s behalf because council members aren’t knowledgeable about day care.

Crow said that after the hearings, the committee will write a report, including recommendations to be given to the Legislature and local governing bodies early next year.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TOWN MEETING A legislative committee is asking residents to attend a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. today at the Coeur d’Alene Inn to voice concerns about day care. Similar meetings are scheduled this week and next for Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry, Kellogg and St. Maries.