The five-year fight to impose minimal safety standards for all day cares in Idaho has hit its annual roadblock. The bill has gotten much further this year, with a recent 30-5 vote in the state Senate, but after four hours of testimony – almost all of it in favor – the House Health and Welfare Committee decided on Thursday to place it on the shelf. If it remains there, Idaho will remain dead last in the nation for day care oversight.

Senate Bill 1112 would require day cares with four or more unrelated children to be licensed and meet minimum standards, including criminal background checks for workers, minimum staffing levels and health and fire-safety requirements. The reticence in the House mirrors the excuses of the past four years. Parents should raise children. Parents are responsible for their kids’ safety. It’s as if some legislators think day cares should be banned. That way parents would be forced to watch their own kids.

Households where both parents work are here to stay. So is single parenthood. Because of that, day cares are also here to stay. Providers who watch 12 or more children are regulated. The smaller ones should be, too.