State gets bad marks in child care oversight

Who's taking care of the kids?

According to a new national survey, no one's really sure.

Nebraska ranked second to the lowest scores in caseloads for inspectors of child care centers, frequency of inspections, health and safety requirements, background checks, staff qualifications and activities offered to children.

Lousiana had the worst scores in the first of its kind survey conducted by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, and our neighbor to the south, Kansas, ranked only slightly better, scoring above California and Kentucky as well as Nebraska and Louisiana.

The association reviewed policies and regulations for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Defense Department -- which ranked a decisive No. 1 overall and led in both standards and enforcement of those standards.

That's good. The nation owes good child care to children of military families, especially with more and more women, traditional leaders in family child care, accepting the nontraditional role of warrior.

The military, in fact, has more than 740 facilities worldwide, with spaces for 184,000 children, and has what is considered state-of-the-art training and safety standards.

For the rest of us, an estimated 12 million children age 5 and under are in non-parental child care each week.

For Nebraska, the report spotlights just one more area in which the state is at a disadvantage because of our vast geography and thin population, at least in the 3rd Congressional District.

Add to that sub-par economic opportunities that pressure both parents to find employment, and one can see how child care becomes an important issue.

True, child care inspectors are spread thin, and more are undoubtedly needed in Nebraska -- a point that should not be missed as the Legislature and governor debate use of precious tax dollars.

But the final decision about child care rests with parents, who must weigh carefully and realistically the cost of both parents working full-time. Even single parents, while their options are more limited, have the final say in who cares for their children while they attempt to support the family.

Any state involvement should center on providing the best possible options for parents who feel they must work.

But in the end, there's no substitute for parental involvement.