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.
EXCERPT FROM: Muskogee Phoenix
By D.E. Smoot
Child care facility operators are monitored closely in Oklahoma and have to comply with strict regulatory oversight in order to keep their doors open.
EXCERPT FROM: CBS 5 - KGWN TV
By Rylee DeGood
Wyoming is among one of the failing states when it comes to child care regulations and oversite.
EXCERPT FROM: Fox News
By Fox News Staff
Millions of young children spend about 35 hours a week in child care while their parents work. But a new study shows 26 states received a failing grade for child care center regulation and oversight.
Recently, the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) investigated state child care licensing regulations and how these regulations were being monitored and enforced. You can read the full report here. After evaluating each state on 5 oversight benchmarks and 10 regulation benchmarks, NACCRRA assigned them a score and a ranking. Overall, most states received failing grades with an average score of 83 out of 150 (or an “F”). The Department of Defense earned the top grade of a “B” and the District of Columbia came in second by earning the only “C.”
Who's watching who's watching the children? The federal government leaves this task to the states. But states are failing to ensure that childcare centers are safe, according to a report released today by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies.
Like a child gone astray, Louisiana's oversight of day care centers needs some strong intervention and a healthy dose of attention to details before any more time is lost. Early warning signals that attention is due have been getting ever louder in the past couple of years.
Quality, availability, cost of child care a tough balancing act