
DATE: Friday, April 11, 1997                TAG: 9704110587

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   97 lines

CHILD CARE-BLOCK GRANTS ARE ALREADY UNDER FIRE

One hundred million dollars may sound like a big wad of cash.

Until you try to divide the money among all the people in the state who need help paying for child care during a statewide roll-out of welfare reform.

The state's Department of Social Services is trying to hammer out a plan for how best to use a $100 million pot of federal and state funds designated for subsidies and improvements to the commonwealth's child-care system during the next fiscal year.

An initial plan put forth by the department is already mired in controversy.

Some child advocates say not enough money goes toward improving the quality of child-care. Others worry that the working poor will be edged out of child-care subsidies by those who are just coming off welfare. And still others feel that the plan doesn't designate enough money to help parents find quality day care in the first place.

The debate is coming down to a classic problem of too many needs and not enough money.

In the past, the money for child-care subsidies and for improving the quality of child care has been doled out of a variety of different funds, each with a separate set of requirements. But this year the state Department of Social Services has combined all the child-care funding into a lump sum. The fund includes federal block grants, matching state dollars and money the state has transferred from Temporary Assitance for Needy Families (formerly known as Aid to Families With Dependent Children) because of declining welfare rolls.

A spending plan must be submitted to the federal government by July 1, and the state is asking for public comment before submitting a final strategy.

Written comments can be submitted to the department or those interested can attend one of four public hearings. The hearing for the eastern region of the state will be conducted from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Newport News Department of Social Services in Newport News.

``We want as much public input as possible,'' said Betsy Riopelle, planning and policy director for the state's Department of Social Services. ``This is a working draft.'' Riopelle said the state will take into account the concerns raised by the public before submitting a plan to the federal government.

Paul McWhinney, a member of the Virginia League of Social Service Executives, said one of the organization's concerns is that the plan allows welfare recipients who recently attained jobs to receive free child care, while working poor families who receive subsidies must pay some type of co-payment, generally 10 percent of their income.

McWhinney said the lack of a co-payment for welfare families will create an incentive for staying on public assistance. ``If you have people earning equal incomes under equal circumstances, there's an incentive to stay on welfare if everything is paid for,'' McWhinney said.

If the plan were changed to require welfare recipients to pay a small amount, the child-care subsidies could also be spread among more people, he said.

But Arlene Wright, a Norfolk woman who used to receive welfare and who now runs a day-care business, said some of the parents whose children she cares for are working their way off welfare. She said they would have a hard time paying anything in the early stages of getting a job.

``It would really help them to not pay anything in the beginning,'' she said. ``It's a tough transition.''

The current plan gives priority of child-care subsidies to people who have jobs over those who are receiving training or education, which also has raised some concern. ``Those are people who really need to have some support while they are training, so they can get skilled jobs rather than minimum-wage jobs and stay off of welfare,'' said Kathryn Wolf, director of child-care services at The Planning Council, a Norfolk-based human services agency that administers child-care subsidies.

Wolf also believes that improving the quality of child care in the state gets short shrift under the state plan. About 4 percent of the money, or $4 million, is pegged for scholarships for training child-care providers and for resources to help educate parents on choosing child care. That amount is the minimum that federal government requires be spent.

``Quality enhancement of day care is essential,'' said Suzanne Johnson, executive director of the Virginia Action Alliance for Children, a state group that advocates for children. ``The day-care industry will be having more and more children who come from more problematic backgrounds and their lives and potential can only be enhanced if staff is well trained.''

Part of the money for improving child care will go toward updating and expanding the state's Internet Web site of licensed and religiously exempt child-care providers, which was set up last year.

The site, however, has been criticized by many as being an unrealistic option for many parents.

``Parents who are the least equipped to search out good child care are probably those that are least able to surf the net,'' Johnson said. ``A Web site totally misses the point of resource and referral services.'' MEMO: A public hearing on the plan will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30

p.m. Saturday at the Newport News Department of Social Services, 6060

Jefferson Ave., Newport News. Additional hearings will be held from 7

p.m. to 9 p.m. April 17 at the Holiday Inn Fair Oaks, 11787 Lee Jackson

Memorial Highway in Fairfax; and from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 26

at the Department of Social Services Western Regional Office, 190 Patton

St. in Abingdon.

Those unable to attend a hearing can mail their comments to The

Virginia Department of Social Services, Attention: Kristi Potts, 730 E.

Broad St., Richmond, Va. 23219. KEYWORDS: CHILD CARE BLOCK GRANT