Child-care report: 'We can do better'

NEW YORK — Many states are distressingly lax in their regulation and oversight of child-care centers, according to a new nationwide survey which gives its lowest marks to Idaho and Louisiana and its highest grade to the far-flung system run by the U.S. military.

Utah ranked 45th among the 50 states, Defense Department and District of Columbia.

Among the common problems in the states are infrequent inspections, deficient safety requirements and low hiring standards — including lack of full criminal background checks — for center employees.

"State child-care standards and oversight in this nation are not protecting our children and are not preparing them for success in school," said Linda Smith, executive director of the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, which was releasing the first-of-its-kind ranking today.

She urged action by Congress and state legislatures. An estimated 12 million children younger than age 5 are in non-parental child care each week.

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 both subcategories — one measuring standards that are in place, the second measuring how vigorously the standards are enforced.

"Standards are meaningless without oversight," Smith said. "The Defense Department has good enforcement, and that has brought their program to a much higher level."

Following the military atop the rankings were Illinois, New York, Maryland, Washington, Oklahoma, Michigan, North Dakota, Tennessee, Minnesota and Vermont.

Idaho ranked last; the next lowest scores were for Louisiana, Nebraska, Kentucky, California and Kansas.

Utah ranked 45th in the study, which state child-care licensing officials have not yet seen. Still, health department spokesman Cody Craynor said, "We're anxious to take a look at it and see if the findings are consistent with areas we are focusing on improving."

The Bureau of Child Care Licensing has focused on consistent enforcement of background clearances and a consistent application of rules between surveyors since an October 2005 legislative audit discovered problems in those areas, Craynor said.

Criteria for the rankings included caseloads for center inspectors, frequency of inspections, health and safety requirements, background checks, staff qualifications and activities offered to children.