Court Offers Parents Child Care

Spokane County is offering parents going into court the state’s first designated children’s waiting room.

With money from a federal grant, the waiting room opened Monday, offering free, supervised care for children from 2-1/2 to 12 years old.

“The goal is to help break the cycle of kids being in court, thinking it’s normal for their parents to be seeking restraining orders or dealing with problems that way,” said Cindy Grasso, waiting room coordinator.

The 400-square-foot room, capable of handling eight children at a time, is located in the Broadway Center, diagonally opposite the Spokane County Courthouse.

During courthouse remodeling later this year, the waiting room will be relocated there, Grasso said.

The service is aimed primarily at mothers and fathers involved in domestic violence cases. The grant that pays for the room through the year 2000 was awarded to Spokane County’s Domestic Violence Consortium.

A 1995 survey found that eight children an hour entered the Spokane County Courthouse with parents or guardians in the summer.

, DataTimes