Lawmakers Seek Input On Day-Care Solutions
State senators in Idaho’s four northernmost counties plan town hall meetings to explore ways to improve day care.
Sen. Gordon Crow, R-Hayden, is establishing a committee of legislators, local government officials and child-care experts that will ask for public input on problems with child care.
“First, we need to unwrap the whole package to see if there actually are problems out there,” Crow said. “Secondly, we need to determine if government is the answer and to what degree and what level government needs to intervene.”
Dates, times and places will be announced in coming weeks.
Crow said his announcement was prompted by an Idaho Spokesman-Review report that scrutinized the state’s minimal rules governing child care. He also cited a national magazine, Working Mother, that ranked Idaho’s commitment to child care among the country’s worst.
The newspaper report showed there were few requirements to open a day care, and almost no punishment for rule-breakers. A lone state inspector tracks all of the Panhandle’s 108 registered day cares, but has limited enforcement power.
New employees at day cares often don’t get required FBI background checks, and many day cares that should be licensed aren’t.
Parents who wish to explore a day care’s background have almost no access to complaints against a day-care owner.
But numerous complaints exist.
Day cares have been accused of taping a child’s mouth shut, forcing a child to stand naked before other children after wetting his pants, and washing a child’s mouth out with soap containing lye.
One mother even complained that her child was bruised after falling down a full flight of stairs at an unregulated in-home day care.
Neither Crow, nor fellow Sens. Jack Riggs, R-Coeur d’Alene, or Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, would say Idaho faced problems in child care.
“I think there are issues that need to be looked at,” Riggs said. “I’m not saying anything is good or bad.”
All three said they hoped to receive oral and written testimony that would help them understand what - if any - problems exist. They also hoped the hearings would result in potential solutions.
Crow said he planned to compile a report of his findings to bring to the Legislature in January.
But Crow warned that any solutions would likely have to come at the city or county level.
“There doesn’t seem to be much support for expanding statewide laws for day-care providers,” he said. “However, there may be some improvements that could be accomplished in local jurisdictions that could lead to incremental improvements in state code.”
Area day-care experts are hopeful the meetings will trigger change.
“I think day care is important enough that it deserves community-wide attention,” said Doug Fagerness, director of North Idaho College Head Start. “I know kids are in care, a lot of them, and a lot of care falls far short of what it could be.”
Day-care owner Iris Siegler, who has fought for years to raise state child care standards, shared his enthusiasm.
“Wow, this could be a godsend, if we could truly get some changes made,” she said. “I definitely want to be involved.”
Cheryl Stafford, who founded an association of day-care providers, said, “I think it’s unfortunate that bad press is what it takes to get good child-care standards, but they would be great to have.”
Crow said the committee will be made up of the three senators, three state representatives, someone from the Panhandle Health District, and one member from each area city council and county commission. Legislators also will invite two local day-care workers.
Workers from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare will staff the committee.
“I think public debate has value and is worth doing,” said Michelle Britton, regional director for Health and Welfare. “I think what Gordon is trying to do is have local communities figure out what they want, and do something about it.”
, DataTimes