Legislators must rethink ‘families’

We all want children to be safe and secure. The arguments start over government’s role in achieving that goal. Some say that government should step in where it can. Others believe government should not create enticements to non-traditional arrangements.

The bordering states of Idaho and Washington offer case studies in both approaches. Idaho, through its hands-off approach, hopes to encourage more families to stick together. Washington, with a more interventionist posture, wants to help children now.

Research shows that children fare better in two-parent households, but government cannot force that arrangement. Because of a variety of social and economic factors, the number of traditional families has dropped. That means fewer children are being raised exclusively by their parents, because both parents are working or they’ve split up.

To appreciate this cultural shift, consider these trends, according to government statistics:

“In 2003, 11 million children lived in households with “stay at home” mothers; 19.8 million lived with one parent.

“In 1972, both parents had jobs in only one-third of households; now both parents work in two-thirds of households.

So who’s watching the kids? More of them are being sent off to child-care centers, baby sitters, relatives and other “non-traditional” arrangements. In fact, non-traditional child care has become the norm. That’s a bitter pill for tradition-minded legislators. Some flatly refuse to acknowledge the trends. Others fear that giving into them will encourage their spread.

We can argue endlessly about whether the “good old days” were better, but it should be clear by now that they aren’t coming back. Lawmakers can stew about the way things ought to be, but the effective ones look at the way things are.

Non-parental child care is a central concern in most households with children. In fact, about 65 percent of children are in some sort of care outside their homes. States should do what they can to make sure children are safe, and they should help parents identify which child-care providers meet common-sense standards.

Washington state is well on its way to doing that, but Idaho is clinging to the past.

In Washington, all child-care centers must be licensed. In Idaho, only those centers with more than 12 children are required by the state to be licensed. Some Idaho cities, such as Coeur d’Alene, have stricter standards. Because the smaller centers don’t need to be licensed, they also aren’t subject to minimum health and safety inspections. And, alarmingly, their workers are not subject to criminal background checks.

Legislation to shore up child-care regulations in Idaho failed last session. This time advocates will come armed with a survey that shows Idaho residents are unhappy with the state’s lax standards.

Meanwhile in Washington, Gov. Christine Gregoire is outlining a plan to evaluate and rate licensed child-care centers and preschools. Eventually, the state would tie state subsidy amounts to those ratings, and the ratings would be available to the public.

That’s a plan that reflects the reality of family life today.