Quality child care is a social justice issue in the name of our children's future.
Laws and regulations are shaped when parents, grandparents, the community raise their voice as advocates and call for action. By advocating for child-based solutions, we will lift the voice of all children who deserve the chance to succeed in school and life.
We must empower the parents to give voice to our kids who don't vote to ensure all kids receive the quality benchmarks required by the Military Child Care Program and Head Start.
If our children's future is paramount and their greatest cognitive and emotional growth occurs between birth and 5 years old we need to advocate for quality care to ensure our child care system does more than offer lofty mission statements and pilot programs but invests and lobbies as if the child is the client.
Why advocate?
- Like Washington State, most states don't require meaningful training or education on early child development before employment.
- In WA State we do not require background checks clearance before employment is allowed to commence to work with our most precious commodity.
- We are the last industrial country without a national child care policy.
- WA State has lost the professional health and safety expertise oversight and enforcement licensing of Dept. of Health.
- Our toll-free consumer hot line for complaints and information is picked up by an answering machine. (see RCW 43.215.520)
- When lead and arsenic was discovered by Dept. of Ecology in our playgrounds the child care community refused to support a parents right to know notifying us of elevated toxic soil in our child's program. (see RCW 70.140.030(3))
- Licensing inspection notices of non-compliance are not being posted in public view. (see RCW 43.215.525(1))
- WA State is proposing a rating system that will not be mandatory. Thus, weak programs can opt out. Leaving the most vulnerable population without this much needed consumer tool.
- WA state has a subsidy rate of 37%. Unacceptable if we want our working poor kids to enjoy quality care.
- 50% of our kids are not ready for K-12.
- We are not sufficiently investing and screening for health needs and technical support since early intervention increases probability of school readiness.
- Because the information posted on the "interactive web-based system through which persons may obtain information regarding child day care centers and family day care providers" is being sanitized. (see RCW 43.215.520(1) and RCW 43.215.525(2)) This is an essential tool for parents choosing child care. Yet, there is no full disclosure, not even of VALID child care complaints
.
We don't need more brain studies to justify or qualify investing in direct core safety and health needs, underscored with support for mental health, special need and special ed for our child care population.
Why advocate?
Because our children need us to secure their healthy, happy futures.
If we don't stand up for the State's fragile citizens, then government will continute to introduce measures specifically tailored to shield state government, most importantly the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS)**, from lawsuits arising out of its own incompetence.
**Until July 2006, DSHS was responsible for child care licensing. Department of Early Learning (DEL) became responsible from July 2006 when Governor Christine Gregoire took licensing out from under the DSHS umbrella by creating DEL as a cabinet-level agency.
Please contact Parents for Safe Child Care to get involved:
Parents for Safe Child Care
3422 131 Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98005
Email: stuj-wa@msn.com
Phone: (425) 881-0224
