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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Editorial: Outmoded day care rules put Idaho kids at risk

Two years ago, Idaho lawmakers attempted to remove their state from the bottom of the barrel when it comes to day care regulations by passing a law that imposed relatively light requirements on centers that take in fewer than 13 children. But it appears that some social conservatives who take a dim view of working mothers have been fighting a successful rear-guard action against implementation.

So to placate them, the Legislature has arrived at a compromise of its already compromised law. Even before this latest development, Idaho clung to last place in the nation for its licensing requirements. Day cares with fewer than seven children are not required to be licensed, and the state doesn’t know how many children are in circumstances like that.

But the 2009 law did move the state closer to 49th place by requiring working telephones, fire extinguishers and fences around pools, ponds and hot tubs. It also required criminal background checks on workers at centers with four or more unrelated children.

Still, it took five years of legislative fighting just to adopt those minimal requirements. The state remains behind the times in some important areas. The national average for infant care is one adult per four infants. In Idaho, the ratio is 6 to 1. Because 16- and 17-year-olds can provide infant care under adult supervision and “adulthood” begins at 18, an 18-year-old and a 16-year-old could care for up to 12 infants. In Idaho, only one caregiver at a center must be certified in first aid or infant CPR training.

But rather than tackle these meaty issues, lawmakers instead relaxed and restructured child-to-staff ratios in response to complaints from day care providers. The resulting formulas may be more workable from a business perspective, but it’s disappointing to see lawmakers stop there when the state ranks last in child safety regulations.

It’s also disappointing to see outdated viewpoints on working mothers continue to trump the important issue of day care licensing. Apparently the thinking of some lawmakers is that if child care is perceived as scary, more mothers will stay home where they purportedly belong.

The reality is that more mothers and fathers are entering the work force out of necessity; it is more difficult to get by on one paycheck, especially in a low-wage state like Idaho. Plus, many households are headed by one parent. In 2009, according to census data, Idaho experienced a 5 percent drop in household income, one of the largest declines in the country. Average household income was just under $45,000. This trend has pushed more and more parents into the work force.

Idaho’s child care regulations ought to reflect today’s reality, not the pious wishes of a bygone era. Unfortunately, state lawmakers missed another opportunity to make important changes.

To respond to this editorial online, go to www.spokesman.com and click on Opinion under the Topics menu.