Adequate resources exist to provide safe, localized care
Nicole Brodeur’s column highlights some of the real struggles families face when looking for affordable, accessible and high-quality child care [“Child care the way it used to be, NWFriday, Feb. 19]. What the piece didn’t offer was information about the many resources available to help families find the right child-care arrangement for their children.
First, there are nearly 7,600 child-care facilities around the state that we at the Department of Early Learning license and monitor. Our licensers work closely with child-care providers to ensure they offer safe, healthy and nurturing care. To characterize these places as “sanitized” is unfair and inaccurate. State licensing rules are stringent because we have an obligation to ensure child care is safe. These rules don’t, however, stop children from inventing or playing games. The licensed child-care providers I’ve visited offer fun, engaging and creative — sometimes even messy — programs.
Second, parents are not alone in finding quality child care. They can look online with our “Child Care Check” tool to find information about the licensing history of a provider and can find tips and resources for finding and paying for child care or preschool. Parents can also call their local child-care resource and referral agency to get a list of licensed providers who may be a good match considering factors such as price, location and child-care philosophy.
Parents are their children’s first and most important teachers. They can and should decide on the best child-care situation for their families. But they need to know that resources exist to help them in this very important, sometimes daunting task.
— Bette Hyde, director Washington State Department of Early Learning, Olympia