EXCERPT FROM: The Wichita Eagle
Pass child cae inspection bill
Kansas ranks 47th in the nation in child care standards. Currently, 1 in 3 child care settings in Kansas is never inspected. Given that 30 Kansas children have died in child care settings in the past three years and another 72 children have sustained serious injuries in the past year alone, it is time that all child care settings are inspected.
House Bill 2356, as approved by the Kansas Senate, requires inspections, which ensure that providers receive the guidance they need to provide a safe environment for children. The bill also establishes an online database of child care inspections, so that parents can be better-informed consumers. Parents should not have to choose among child care providers in the dark — particularly if inspections show problems that could affect a parent's choice.
About 150,000 Kansas children under age 6 have working parents. Now is the time to promote safe child care for children in Kansas. Encourage your House member to approve HB 2356.
LINDA K. SMITH
Executive director
National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
Arlington, Va.
Full text available at The Wichita Eagle.