Child care rights abridged

We should all be disturbed by the actions of the Department of Early Learning in Spokane County this week, shutting down excellent child care providers who have no claims against them after almost 30 years of care. Do parents have the right to choose who will care for their children? Isn’t that a personal choice guaranteed by the Washington Constitution at Article I, Section 1: “All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just power from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.”

At what point did the people give state government the authority to limit our choices in child care through the guise of protection, and thereby inferring we do not have the ability to determine who will best care for our children?

Liz Kocherhans, her husband, Gib Kocherhans, with a master’s in child development and Ph.D. in psychology, were certainly an outstanding choice many parents have made through the years to care for their children, yet without any claims of misconduct they have been shut down by DEL.

Did we really give the state this type of authority, or is this an overreach and an unconstitutional action?

Judy Crowder

Colbert