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I cringe everytime I read or hear about increasing the child care standards. Of course I’m in favor of children having the very best environments possible and the best prepared teachers. But I don’t think that is neccessarily what we get when we raise licensing standards.
 
We have been attempting to increase the quality by continuing to add more layers of requirements on top of those we already have. And good child care programs jump through the ever higher hoops to try to meet them.
 
Let’s get rid of the bad apples. Close down those that have no business being in the child care business. The places you wouldn’t take your dog to for the day, let alone your baby!
 
But maybe we’ve got it all wrong. Maybe we should leave the top where it is for a year and spend our energies on getting rid of the bottom. That’s where the damage is being done. That’s where the new licensing standards are ignored just like the old ones were. That’s where people are being paid to plop kids in front of tvs for the day.
Let’s declare a war on crummy child care. All our kids deserve better.

Susan A. Vessels
Executive Director
Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C)