Early Childhood Focus

Idaho's Childcare Requirements May Surprise You

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:16:06 PST

EXCERPT FROM: KIVI-TV
By Eric Fink
84 year-old Gilbert Tobias of Nampa currently sits in the Canyon County Jail.

Lawmakers Ease Child Care Rules

Wed, 18 May 2011 15:29:13 PST

EXCERPT FROM: Spokesman.com
By Betsy Z. Russell
BOISE � When Idaho passed landmark legislation two years ago to require state licensing of day care operations that served fewer than 13 kids, the state�s day care wars didn�t end.

Economy Blamed for Displaced Employees and Children After a Childcare Closure

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:59:59 PST

EXCERPT FROM: KPVI News 6
By STAFF
It's a cycle that can quickly spiral out of control. Within a matter of months business owners who are lenient on receiving payments from their clients find themselves in the same boat.

Stricter Childcare Licensing Rules Set

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:52:34 PST

Some of the 26 childcare operations in the Wood River Valley will have to make adjustments due to stricter licensing regulations handed down by the Idaho Legislature.

Tighter Regs for Child Care Providers

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:31:47 PST

LEWISTON � There are new measures in place designed to make sure your children are protected when you're away.

Report: Idaho Childcare Facilities Unprepared

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:33:11 PST

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- While a new study of evacuation plans at U.S. childcare facilities found Idaho is not prepared to protect kids during a disaster, a state lawmaker says a bill to bolster these measures could face opposition.

Child Care Standards: Idaho Finally Leaves the Dark Ages

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:05:38 PST

In Idaho we have running water. We have television. There is more than one phone in the state. All of our neighbors have shoes. And it gets even better. When a new child care law takes effect in Idaho on January 1, 2010, it will mark the culmination of a five-year, Democratic-led campaign to make sure our children are safer when their parents must work outside the home, according to Julie Fanselow of the Idaho Democratic Party. No one worked harder on that effort than Rep. George Sayler, a Coeur d�Alene Democrat representing District 4 in Kootenai County.

Melissa Bandy: Amendments Took Teeth Out of Bill But It's a Good Start

Wed, 27 May 2009 10:47:03 PST

After 22 years of deep opposition, sponsors Sen. Tim Corder, R-Mountain Home, and Rep. George Sayler, D-Coeur d'Alene, won a small victory recently for children in child care. Child-care operators who care for seven or more unrelated children must be licensed, and those with four or more must get criminal background checks!

Idaho Senate Passes Amended Child-Care Bill, Despite Objections To The Changes

Fri, 01 May 2009 16:26:09 PST

The Idaho Senate voted unanimously to approve a daycare-licensing bill, despite strong objections to several House changes.

Health Department Offers Guidelines for Child-Care, School Officials on Possibility of Swine Flu

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:34:57 PST

The Central District Health Department in Boise is offering the following information for child-care operators and school officials wondering what to do if students become ill with flu-like symptoms that could be swine flu.

Idaho House Amends Child-Care License Bill

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:23:35 PST

BOISE - Amendments to a long-pending day care licensing bill have cleared the Idaho House.

OUR VIEW CHILD-CARE LICENSING: Bill isn't Perfect But it's Moving in Right Direction

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:07:33 PST

Day-care licensing has never been an easy sell at the Idaho Legislature.

Local Legislators Battle Over Child Care Bill

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:03:31 PST

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- If a bill to toughen Idaho's daycare licensing laws dies this session, the Mountain Home lawmaker who has repeatedly sponsored such efforts says he is not likely to try again next year.

ID Last in the Nation, Again, for Child Care Safety Standards

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:05:34 PST

Boise, ID � Idaho has a chance to improve its reputation for child care safety, despite placing last, once again, in a national report ranking the states on basic safety standards. A house committee will consider a bill today that would set child care safety standards for the first time. It would require child care providers, caring for four or more children, to be licensed and submit to criminal background checks, as well as health and fire inspections.

Amended Child Care Bill Passes House Committee

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:38:53 PST

BOISE, Idaho � A bill to toughen Idaho's day care licensing laws has made it out of a House committee, but only after several amendments the sponsor says protect day cares, not children.

ID Child Care License Change Sponsor May Stop Tying

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:40:02 PST

BOISE, Idaho � If a bill to toughen Idaho's day care licensing laws dies this session, a lawmaker who has repeatedly sponsored such efforts says he is not likely to try again next year.

Group To Propose Early Education Task Force

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:48:33 PST

Idaho advocates for children hope again to persuade the Legislature to tackle early childhood education. But this time they are willing to start slow, calling for a task force to begin laying the groundwork for changes conservatives have fought for years.

State of Idaho Could Adopt More Child Care Provider Laws

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:05:28 PST

The City of Idaho Falls passed a child care ordinance earlier this year, mandating criminal background checks and fire safety standards for all providers, among other provisions. The ordinance is stricter than state law, but the State of Idaho may soon tighten some requirements.

Idaho's Pre-K Classes Lack State Funding

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:59:16 PST

The Gem State is one of only 12 states in the United States that does not provide state funding for pre-kindergarten classes, according to a 2007 study completed by the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. While federal dollars are available for pre-kindergarten classes with special needs children, there's nothing in place for all youngsters under 5 years old.

Senator Seeks Private Help to Expand Child Care Rating System

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:53:34 PST

A proposal to expand a quality measurement system for preschools and day-care centers won't pass the Legislature this year, its sponsor says, so he's going to look for private backing.