THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 16, 1996 TAG: 9608160004
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: By MARY LOUISE CAMPBELL
LENGTH: 88 lines
Controversy is building about the priority Virginians place on quality child care. Vigorous debate centers on the 1993 activities of Virginia's Council on Child Daycare and Early Childhood Education.
The CCDECE was established in 1987 by Gov. Gerald Baliles with bipartisan legislative support. Its purpose was to coordinate child-care activities among state agencies and to improve the care of children whose parents work outside the home. The advisory council of governor-appointed citizen leaders and the staff were charged with improving child care, so they supported certification of health and safety standards, developmentally appropriate activities for children and well-trained providers able to earn a fair income. They achieved notable successes, and several programs attracted favorable national recognition.
One of CCDECE's programs, initiated at the request of the General Assembly, was the development of a parent education-and-referral system, known as Centers for Families That Work. These centers provided consumer education and practical assistance, which helped mothers and fathers select the best child care for their family's needs. Before the centers were fully operational, Governor Allen's administration replaced the entire CCDECE and advised the new members to prepare to close the agency. Unfortunately, at the end of the 1996 fiscal year, the CCDECE was dissolved and working families in Virginia lost an important resource.
Also unfortunately, the final communication to the governor, and to Virginia parents, by the retiring CCDECE was a 32-page highly charged report alleging, among other things, that a national conspiracy had entrapped the Virginia child-care system and was attempting to ``form the minds of our children with radical ideology.'' The confusing document purports that this subversive effort is sparked by ``conspirators'' which include Yale University, Wellesley College, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the National Association for Resource and Referral Centers and professional child-care experts here in Virginia. The report and its cover letter discuss Virginia child-care professionals who, under the ``disingenuous guise'' of protecting children, are instead subverting them.
In addition, the report questions the appropriateness of some business practices of former citizen leaders and staff appointed by Governor Wilder and, by association, regional child-care professionals who previously held various state contracts. These accusations are destructive and alarming from several perspectives.
First, the ``conspirators'' are well-known in their communities and respected as accomplished professionals. Accusations that sully their personal and professional integrity are a disservice to committed child advocates. The professionals who are under attack have consistently worked to improve the condition of Virginia families. They have advocated for the family values of work, security and responsible child-raising. They have pressed these issues with honesty and courage.
Second, the costs to pursue these allegations should concern Virginia taxpayers. If there has been wrongdoing, citizens should demand that corrective measures be taken and that responsible parties be held accountable. However, the auditor of public accounts simply cited certain ``technical errors'' revealed through a routine auditors' examination.
Is the appropriate response to ``technical errors'' hiring a special out-of-state consultant who then suggests that investigation by the FBI is the most-productive recourse? Also, I believe the consultant's report would be more credible if he had interviewed the former members and staff of CCDECE whose conduct is being questioned. I understand that not one of the citizens mentioned was contacted before the report was released. Do best business practices dictate that these individuals first learn of an accusatory report through an Associated Press wire story?
Finally, and most important, are the setting and tone of future discussions about the priority Virginia places on its children and families. Child care is a critical issue that demands careful discussion. Employers recognize that adequate child care is necessary to ensure a stable employee base. As business continues its steady growth in the commonwealth, the demand for child care will grow also. Yet government support for this necessary component of stable family life is diminishing. We must seek answers which encourage economic growth and also sustain working people. But our answers will be flawed if the debate about the issues is flawed.
Our priorities must be established in an environment dominated by reasonableness, tolerance and trust. An atmosphere that encourages charges of sinister conspiracies and promotes ideologues rather than ideas, distorts the real issues and undermines the family values espoused by most Virginians.
We must show that in Virginia ``family values'' is more than a cultural slogan; that, in truth, Virginia does value families - enough to support them with reasonable, tangible approaches to one of a family's most-critical needs: safe, appropriate, accessible, affordable child care. MEMO: Mary Louis Campbell is executive director of the Planning Council,
a not-for-profit corporation which plans, develops and manages human
services and has more than 15 years experience in child-care efforts. by CNB