Idaho's childcare worst in country

Article and photograph by Rose Keith

Cutline: Current Idaho daycare statutes have no gun or swimming pool safety requirements. Legislation that would have tightened many safety requirements was rejected by the House of Representatives last week.

Idaho childcare center standards are the worst in the United States, according to a year-end report released recently by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA).

The report, which ranks 10 areas of childcare center standards and five areas of oversight, did not fully meet any of the recommendations as set by the NACCRRA. The only strength noted in the report was that Idaho requires a criminal history background check with fingerprinting for staff members; however, per Idaho Code 39-1113, the denial or suspension/revocation of a childcare license is limited to a small number of offenses for which a licensee may have been convicted.

According to Rep. George Sayler (D-Coeur d’Alene), “the current law allows all providers who take care of six or fewer children to operate without any kind of regulation, and has only minimal certification requirements for those taking care of 7 to 12 children. It does allow local governments to pass their own regulations, but most have not done so because they lack the resources to create and administer the regulations. The result is that small daycare programs have no regulation or oversight. Some do but most do not, leaving thousands of children at risk. A regional inspector with the Panhandle Health District stated that most of the problems she finds are in small and often rural daycare programs.

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“Right now, there are no requirements that all adults who have direct unsupervised contact with children need to have a criminal background check, nor are group care facilities prohibited from operating on premises where a registered sex offender lives. Neither are there restrictions on the use of alcohol or tobacco, and no safety requirements for guns or swimming pools on the premises,” Sayler said.

Daycare bill voted down

An attempt to pass House Bill No. 163 last month — which would tighten the restrictions on daycare facilities — was met with defeat by the House Health and Welfare Committee in a 6-5 vote. The 12-member committee includes Rep. Carlos Bilbao and Rep. Steven Thayn, both of Emmett.

Bilbao said he was unable to vote due to medical reasons, but would have voted for the bill if he were able. Thayn would not specifically answer how he voted in an e-mail request, but stated in a form letter that the state has already provided the framework for local government to address problems and, “I would hope that if you have concerns, to take them up with the local officials.” He also stated, “I would transfer the primary inspection responsibility (of day care centers) to the parents.”

Some opponents to the bill said young children should be at home with their mothers, and others feel government should not be involved in the regulation, according to numerous press releases.

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) Office Specialist II Marilyn Acevedo stated that although IDHW processes applications and background checks and makes recommendations, the community controls childcare centers more than the state. She said it is up to local government to set their own standards, which can always be more stringent than the state’s, but not less. She said her office will generally become involved only when a problem is reported.

Ten licensed daycares in county

According to IDHW records, there are a total of 10 licensed daycare providers in Gem County and all but two are within the City of Emmett. Two providers are considered “family” daycare facilities and can care for six children or less, four are “group” providers that can care for 7-12 kids and there are four “centers” that are permitted to care for 13 or more children.

When asked if the City of Emmett had any ordinances or standards to regulate childcare facilities, Emmett Mayor Marilyn Lorenzen said, “we just don’t like to have ordinances if there is no way to enforce them. We just don’t have the staff.” She said the responsibility for choosing childcare rests with parents. She also said the issue was brought up 20 years ago, “but nothing ever came of it.”

The Gem County Planning and Zoning Department makes sure childcare centers have the proper permits and enforces zoning violations but have no hand in regulating their operation.

According to Gem Fire District #1 Fire Chief Rick Welch, his office will perform fire inspections when a child care provider contacts his office because it is necessary for them to renew their license, but Welch does not track the individual providers or do routine inspections of facilities. Similarly, Emmett Fire Chief Shannon Crays said he relies on those who need to be licensed to call his office to schedule a required inspection each year. He will occasionally do a routine inspection as he would with any other business, he said.

On March 5, legislators voted on a separate resolution, which would have asked agencies to develop childhood education standards and enact a rating system for child care centers, but the nonbinding resolution was also defeated, 43-27. Bilbao and Thayn both opposed the resolution. Thayn said he plans to reintroduce a revised version or the resolution at a later date.